England and France combined for 10 goals in the 2026 World Cup third-place match, a 6-4 thriller that looked less like international soccer and more like a pickup game where nobody bothered to track back. Defenses were optional. Goalkeepers were helpless. And for anyone watching, it was pure chaos.
That game now ranks among the highest-scoring matches in World Cup history. It got us thinking about the other times the tournament turned into a track meet. So we cracked open the archives.
The 1958 Classic: France 7-3 Paraguay
Just Fontaine scored 13 goals in that 1958 World Cup, still the single-tournament record. His hat-trick against Paraguay in the group stage was part of a 7-3 blowout where France fell behind 3-2 early in the second half before scoring five unanswered goals. Paraguay had knocked out Uruguay in qualifying, but they had no answer for Fontaine and company. France finished third, matching their best result until winning it all in 1998.
Fontaine’s performance that day was absurd. And it made France’s decision to sit deep for 35 minutes against Argentina in 2026 even more frustrating for fans who remembered what that team could do.
Hungary 10-1 El Salvador: The 1982 Group Stage Beatdown
The 1982 World Cup expanded to 24 teams, and critics said the tournament was getting watered down. They had a point after this one. Hungary put 10 past El Salvador in the group opener. Lázló Kiss came off the bench and scored a hat-trick in seven minutes, still the fastest in World Cup history.
El Salvador’s only bright spot: Luis Ramírez scored their lone World Cup goal ever when he made it 5-1. The bench celebrated like they’d won the final. Both teams went out in the group stage, but El Salvador actually tightened up after that, allowing just three goals combined against Belgium and Argentina.
The 1954 Farce: West Germany 8-3 Hungary
Hungary came into the 1954 World Cup on a 31-game unbeaten run. They were the Magical Magyars, the best team on the planet. Then they ran into West Germany in the group stage and won 8-3. Wait, that doesn’t sound right.
Here’s the thing: West Germany manager Sepp Herberger knew his team had a playoff game against Turkey regardless of this result. So he rested most of his starters. Hungary won but lost Ferenc Puskás to injury, and his absence haunted them the rest of the tournament. West Germany beat Turkey 7-2 in the playoff, then knocked off Yugoslavia and Austria before beating Hungary in the final. The Magyars’ unbeaten run ended when it mattered most.
Brazil 6-5 Poland (AET): 1938
This first-round match in Strasbourg had everything: 40-degree heat, two hat-tricks, and extra time. Poland’s Ernst Wilimowski scored four goals. Brazil’s Leonidas countered with three of his own. After a 4-4 draw in regulation, Leonidas scored twice in extra time to send Brazil through. The 1938 tournament was straight knockout, and Poland went home after one game. Maybe FIFA should bring that format back.
Switzerland 7-5 Austria: 1954 Again
Two more hat-tricks in this one. Austria’s Theodor Wagner and Switzerland’s Josef Hügi both bagged three goals before the 60-minute mark. The scoring stopped in the 76th minute after Austria’s seventh goal. Neither team did much in later World Cups, even though Switzerland eventually became pretty good in the 21st century.
The 2026 third-place game deserves its place on this list. England went up 4-0 in the first half. France clawed back to 4-3. Bukayo Saka finished with a hat-trick. Ousmane Dembélé put Trevoh Chalobah on the ground for the ninth goal. Jude Bellingham capped it with a solo run for the tenth. It was madness. And it was fun.
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