Bellingham breaks England World Cup goals record

What the report says

BBC Sport reported that Jude Bellingham became the first English player to score seven goals in a single men’s World Cup, reaching the mark with the final kick of England’s 6-4 win over France in the third-place play-off on 19 July 2026.

According to the report, the 23-year-old Real Madrid midfielder had been level on six goals with Gary Lineker, who scored six at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, and Harry Kane, who scored six in 2018 and again at the 2026 tournament. Bellingham came on in the 79th minute and completed the record-breaking goal by carrying the ball forward on a counter-attack, beating a defender and finishing into the bottom corner.

BBC Sport also noted a key moment shortly before the goal: Bellingham appeared positioned to take a penalty, but gave the ball to Bukayo Saka, who scored to complete his hat-trick. Saka later told BBC One that Bellingham was the first to encourage him to take it, saying he had always intended to step up.

The milestone adds to Bellingham’s growing status with England after a tournament in which, as the BBC’s captions indicate, he scored in several major moments across the campaign. While England finished outside the final, the record places Bellingham ahead of two of the national team’s most prominent World Cup scorers and gives the third-place match a notable place in England’s tournament history.