England secure World Cup 2026 third place, every previous bronze medallist | OneFootball

England finished third at the 2026 World Cup after beating France in Saturday’s play-off, the first time in their history. Despite criticism of the third-place format, they ended the tournament on the podium without playing the final.

According to L'Équipe, the result places the Three Lions among a relatively small group to have taken third without reaching the final. Nine nations have done so only once, namely the United States, Austria, Chile, Portugal, Italy, Türkiye, Netherlands, Belgium and now England.

Few have managed it more than once. France, Sweden, Poland, Brazil and Croatia have each finished third twice. Germany hold the record with four, in 1934, 1970, 2006 and 2010.

Third-place finishers by year: 1930 United States, 1934 Germany, 1938 Brazil, 1950 Sweden, 1954 Austria, 1958 France, 1962 Chile, 1966 Portugal, 1970 West Germany, 1974 Poland, 1978 Brazil, 1982 Poland.

1986 France, 1990 Italy, 1994 Sweden, 1998 Croatia, 2002 Türkiye, 2006 Germany, 2010 Germany, 2014 Netherlands, 2018 Belgium, 2022 Croatia, 2026 England.

Source: L'Équipe