The 2026 World Cup third-place play-off between England and France produced a remarkable 10-goal thriller, with England securing a 6-4 victory in a match characterized by wide-open play. The contest saw England establish a commanding 4-0 lead before halftime, though France attempted an improbable comeback to bring the score to 4-3.
Bukayo Saka eventually completed a hat-trick, while Ousmane Dembele and Jude Bellingham added further goals to cap off a frantic encounter in Miami.
This high-scoring affair recalls other legendary goal-fests in the tournament's history. During the 1954 World Cup in Lausanne, Austria and Switzerland played out a match that ended 7-5. Both Theodor Wagner of Austria and Josef Hugi of Switzerland recorded hat-tricks before the hour mark, with the final goal coming in the 76th minute.
That same year, West Germany defeated Hungary 8-3 during the group stages. But manager Sepp Herberger used the tournament’s farcial format to his advantage and rested most of his first-teamers against the Magical Magyars.
Despite the heavy loss, West Germany eventually won the tournament after navigating a complex format that included a play-off against Turkey and subsequent knockout wins over Yugoslavia and Austria, while Hungary's Ferenc Puskas suffered an injury that limited his later impact.
The 1938 tournament also saw a high-scoring clash between Brazil and Poland in Strasbourg. The match ended 4-4 in normal time, with Ernst Wilimowski scoring four times for Poland and Leonidas netting a hat-trick for Brazil.
Brazil ultimately advanced after Leonidas scored two more goals in extra time. Decades later, the 1982 World Cup featured a lopsided 10-1 victory for Hungary over El Salvador.
This match was played in 40-degree heat, despite being staged in Lausanne. Perhaps both defences and goalkeepers had heatstroke, considering what unfolded. Lazlo Kiss set a record for the fastest World Cup hat-trick by scoring three times in seven minutes after coming off the bench, while Luis Ramirez scored El Salvador's lone goal in that match.
France’s own history is also notable, specifically their performance in the 1958 World Cup. Just Fontaine scored a record 13 goals throughout the tournament, including a hat-trick against Paraguay in their opening group game.
Despite trailing 3-2 early in the second half of that match, France rallied to dominate the game, eventually finishing third in a tournament that remained their joint-best finish until 1998.
Madness. And made the decision to defend deep for 35 minutes against Argentina even more galling.
Both teams went out in the first round, but the Central Americans tightened up considerably and only conceded three to Belgium and Argentina combined.
