Fox play-by-play announcer Darren Fletcher called a thrilling England-France World Cup match. Credit: REUTERS/Jeenah Moon/; REUTERS/Paul Childs TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY Credit: REUTERS/Jeenah Moon/; REUTERS/Paul Childs TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
By Matt Clapp on

Nobody knew what to expect from a third-place match between England and France, two teams coming off disappointing losses that derailed their 2026 FIFA World Cup title hopes. While the typical defense and physicality weren’t quite there in the contest, it was a thrilling match that had standout performances from some of the world’s best players.

A whopping 10 goals were scored, with England ultimately coming out on top 6-4.

England took a stunning 4-0 lead into halftime, but France, led by history-making goalscorer Kylian Mbappé, turned things on in the second half as part of a wild finish to the game.

Darren Fletcher and Owen Hargreaves had the broadcasting duties for Fox, shortly after Awful Announcing readers ranked them as Fox’s top crew in this World Cup. And they were the perfect crew to call an absolutely chaotic game.

Fletcher, in particular, showed off all the traits that make him a fan favorite with his energetic, humorous, and consistently honest commentary.

Here, we’ll highlight some of Fletcher’s play-by-play calls, beginning with when England took a 3-0 lead.

Fletcher “SAKA! THREE-NIL! EVENTUALLY FROM ENGLAND! AND THEY’RE RUNNING RIOT IN MIAMI!”

Fletcher: “BUKAYO SAKA! IT’S FOUR-NIL! IT’S AN ABSOLUTE ROUT IN MIAMI! ENGLAND ARE TAKING FRANCE TO THE CLEANERS!”

After an embarrassing first half, France looked like a different team after halftime, led by the brilliance of Mbappé.

Fletcher: “KYLIAN MBAPPÉ, WHO TAKES THE LEAD IN THE RACE FOR THE GOLDEN BOOT, AND GOES LEVEL WITH LIONEL MESSI FOR THE MOST GOALS EVER IN THE WORLD CUP!”

Fletcher: “Bradley Barcola is in for France; IS THIS THE MOMENT FOR HIM?! IT’S 4-2! FRANCE ARE BACK IN IT!”

Fletcher: “IT’S 4-3! MBAPPÉ HAS SCORED THE MOST GOALS IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD CUP! HE’S GONE PAST LIONEL MESSI! AND FRANCE ARE RIGHT BACK IN IT! WHAT A MATCH!”

Fletcher and Hargreaves were stunned by what they were witnessing.

Fletcher: “I SIMPLY CANNOT BELIEVE WHAT MY EYES ARE SEEING HERE IN MIAMI!”

Hargreaves: “Truly astonishing! What a ball from Olise! Are you kidding me?”

England got the momentum back when Bukayo Saka converted a penalty to record a hat trick.

Fletcher: “OH, HE SCORES! BUKAYO SAKA, WITH HIS SECOND ENGLAND HAT TRICK! AND JUST THE FOURTH HAT TRICK SCORED BY AN ENGLAND PLAYER IN A WORLD CUP! 5-3!”

Shortly into stoppage time, Fletcher called out a referee being in the way of a play.

“The referee is in the way again! The referee is in the way again!… Good lord. What’s the phrase? He’s got one job…”

Darren Fletcher always tells it like it is. ⚽🎙️😄 #WorldCup

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— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing.bsky.social) July 18, 2026 at 4:20 PM

Fletcher: “The referee is in the way again! The referee is in the way again!

Hargreaves: “You can’t be there. He’s got to be behind the ball.”

Fletcher: “Good lord. What’s the phrase? He’s got one job.”

France answered England with a goal just over five minutes into stoppage time.

Fletcher: “DEMBÉLÉ DROPS THE SHOULDER, HITS THE SHOT, HE SCORES! 5-4! WE HAVEN’T FINISHED YET! THERE’S STILL TIME FOR FRANCE!”

Jude Bellingham finally put it away for England with an unbelievable effort to score a goal.

Fletcher: “Bellingham with a stepover, Bellingham with a cutback, Bellingham’s going to win it surely… BELLINGHAM! 6-4! TEN GOALS IN THE GAME! AND ENGLAND’S NUMBER TEN DECIDES IT! WHAT A MATCH!”

This was the final match of the tournament for the Fletcher-Hargreaves Fox booth, and they certainly made the most of it.

About Matt Clapp

Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.

He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.

View all posts by Matt Clapp