Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham gave England the sharpest end to a strange tournament, with a 6-4 win over France in the bronze-medal match on 2026-07-18. Saka scored three, including a penalty in the 87th minute, and Bellingham added England's late goal in the 90+8th minute. The ratings picture is not just about the two match-winners, though. It also cuts through who delivered, who drifted, and who barely got on the pitch.

Saka and Bellingham at the top

Saka was England's highest-rated player in the bronze final, with a 9.3. He finished with three goals, a hat-trick that made him the standout attacking performer in the match. Bellingham's contribution was smaller in volume but still decisive, as his late finish sealed the game for England after a 19-minute cameo.

For this tournament, that is the clearest top-line story in the ratings. Bellingham ended with one goal, and Saka's final display was the kind of outing that makes any broader criticism of England's attacking rhythm look a bit thin. France vs England was a chaotic game, but the two players who turned it England's way were also the two who walked away with the strongest individual cases.

Availability and usage across the squad

The other side of England's tournament was more uneven. Kobbie Mainoo did not play a single minute at the World Cup, while James Trafford also ended the tournament unused. Those are stark numbers for a squad built with depth in mind.

Thomas Tuchel was open about the selection having a clear purpose. Speaking to goal.com, he said: "Remember, this was a contentious group, selected to fit a certain style of play, with some big names, such as Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold, left at home." That squad design gave England a particular profile, but it also left some players stranded on the edge of the tournament.

Jordan Henderson became the first England player to appear at seven major tournaments, which sits neatly beside Mainoo's blank tournament. England's squad had both the old mileposts and the complete non-factors, and both shaped how this World Cup is likely to be read.

The bronze final itself was open

Tuchel set England up in a 6-4-6-4, and the game stayed open enough to become a shootout. France scored four themselves, with Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola all on the scoresheet, so this was never a measured, low-risk finish to the tournament.

That is why the ratings tilt so heavily toward the attackers who made the difference. Saka's 3 goals and 9.3 rating sat above everything else in the match, while Bellingham's late strike kept England from ending on a flatter note. Tuchel called the tournament a "what could have been" campaign after semi-final heartbreak versus Argentina, then a thrilling win over France for bronze medals, and the final answer to that disappointment came from the players who produced in the last game.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →