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Mbappé and Doué. Bellingham and Kane. A World Cup title isn’t on the line, but two heavyweights still face off.
France and England will look to end their respective 2026 FIFA World Cup campaigns on a high note when they play the tournament’s third place match on Saturday at Miami Stadium. Both teams are coming off heartbreaking semi-final disappointments, but will look to turn the page to build momentum for upcoming UEFA Nations League matches and potentially Euro 2028.
On Tuesday, France was largely dominated in a 2-0 loss to Spain, who will face Argentina in the World Cup final. France’s elite attacking players were never able to get into the game, as Spain had all the answers in their airtight system.
The next day, England suffered their own heartbreak as they took a 1-0 lead over Argentina, only to see the Albiceleste rally back with two late goals for a 2-1 victory.
These losses now set the stage for Saturday, and here’s everything you need to know about the World Cup bronze medal match.
How to watch France vs England
(Photo by FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
The third-place match is a long-standing World Cup tradition, although it is usually played against a backdrop of disappointment. There are exceptions, like in the 1994 World Cup, when Sweden beat Bulgaria in a match between teams delighted to have reached the semifinals. The same could be said in 2002, when Turkey beat South Korea in the best World Cup for both teams. During these matches, there was a very positive atmosphere between the teams and the players.
This match will however not be like these editions because France and England had ambitious objectives to win this tournament. Winning this game offers little consolation to these teams and their fans. Additionally, game conditions will be tough as both teams will be playing in the South Florida heat with a short rest. It remains to be seen what approaches Didier Deschamps and Thomas Tuchel will take.
France vs England: the key intrigues of the Blues
(Photo by Maja Hitij – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
For France, there are two key scenarios.
First of all, this will be head coach Didier Deschamps’ last match against France. As a player, Deschamps won the World Cup in 1998 and the European Championships in 2000 for France. As national team coach since 2012, he won the World Cup in 2018, the Nations League in 2020-21 and was a World Cup runner-up in 2022. He will now look to cap off his highly successful tenure with his 122nd victory in charge.
The second storyline for France is Kylian Mbappé’s race to become the tournament’s top scorer and, perhaps, surpass Lionel Messi’s all-time record for most World Cup goals. Mbappé has eight goals in this tournament, tied with Messi at the top of the race for the Golden Shoe. In his career, Mbappé has 20 World Cup goals compared to 21 for Messi.
The match for third place is historically open and marked by high scores. This is generally a fun game to watch as most teams attack aggressively. For England fans, this will be particularly welcome news as Tuchel faced a wave of criticism for the way he became too defensive against Argentina after taking the lead early in the second half. Any team that attempts to engage in an open, offensive battle with France risks disaster, but England could take this chance without serious consequences.
This isn’t the game either team would prefer to play, but it should be fun and provide some positives for the winner.
France versus England: the key storylines of The Three Lions
For England, the stakes are much higher. A victory in this match would give the Three Lions their best World Cup result since winning the tournament in 1966. A victory against France would also be one of the team’s best wins in years.
(Photo by Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
In this tournament, England had victories against a strong Croatia team, a strong Norway team and a very good Mexico team at home. A victory against France would be an impressive feat, even if it comes in a third-place match.
For the Three Lions, eyes are also on 2028, when they will co-host the European Championships with Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Playing at home would significantly increase their chances of winning their first European title and major tournament since 1966, when they also hosted the event. A win against France could be the first step in two important years for the program.
Tuchel will have to make important decisions regarding his composition. England will play on a short rest after losing to Argentina on Wednesday. Prior to this match, England had won hard-fought and grueling victories against Mexico in Mexico City and then in overtime against Norway.
It’s likely that several typical starters could start the game on the bench. The last thing Tuchel needs is to risk injury as players prepare to return to their clubs for pre-season. Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon and Declan Rice have worked exceptionally hard recently and could be considered talented replacements.
Players to watch
The Manchester City attacking midfielder is full of promise for the France team but has played few minutes at this World Cup due to his role behind Michael Olise. If Deschamps wants to turn things around for the third place game, Cherki would be a good place to start, as he’s likely eager to make a positive impression and build his case for more minutes in the years to come.
The Paris Saint-Germain winger is another testament to the depth of this France team. As one of the most accomplished young players in the world, with two Champions League titles to his name at the age of 20 (he turned 21 just before the start of this tournament), he is not a regular starter for the French team. During this tournament, he started only three of France’s first seven matches. During these starts, he scored against Norway and provided an assist against Morocco. He could thrive in this third-place matchup if he becomes wide open, as is likely. Like Cherki, he plays an important role in the team’s future.
The Tottenham full-back played in all seven of England’s matches and made two starts. Defensively, he was strong off the bench and helped preserve wins against Mexico and Norway in the round of 16. He could be rewarded with a start in this match to try to manage the powerful French attack.
In a game that should be offensively heavy, Rogers should get a chance to show what he can do. The Aston Villa striker contributed to Anthony Gordon’s goal against Argentina and worked well with Jude Bellingham. Rogers typically plays outside when Bellingham is on the court, but moves to center when Bellingham is not playing. In this game, he could have the keys to the offense if Bellingham is used as a backup.
