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Mbappé and Doué. Bellingham and Kane. A World Cup title isn’t at stake, but two heavyweights still face each other.
France and England will look to end their respective 2026 FIFA World Cup campaigns on a high note when they play in the tournament’s third-place match on Saturday at Miami Stadium. Both teams are coming off heartbreaking disappointments in the semi-finals, but will look to turn the page to build momentum for the upcoming UEFA Nations League matches and, eventually, Euro 2028.
On Tuesday, France was comprehensively outplayed in a 2-0 loss to Spain, which will face Argentina in the World Cup final. France’s elite offensive 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 when they took a 1-0 lead over Argentina, only to see the Albiceleste come back with two late goals to win 2-1.
Those losses now set the stage for Saturday, and here’s everything you need to know about the World Cup bronze medal game.
How to watch France against England
(Photo by FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
The match for third place has been a long tradition at the World Cup, although it is usually played against a backdrop of disappointment. There are exceptions, such as in the 1994 World Cup, when Sweden defeated Bulgaria in a matchup between teams that were excited to have reached the semifinals. The same could be said in 2002, when Türkiye defeated South Korea in the best World Cup run for both teams. In those games there was a very positive atmosphere between teams and players.
This match, however, will not be like those editions because both France and England had ambitious goals to win this tournament. Winning this game offers little consolation to these teams and their fans. Additionally, game conditions will be difficult as both teams will play in the South Florida heat with a short break. It remains to be seen what approaches Didier Deschamps and Thomas Tuchel will take.
France vs England: the key stories of Les Bleus
(Photo by Maja Hitij – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
For France, there are two key stories.
First of all, this will be the last match against France under head coach Didier Deschamps. As a player, Deschamps won the World Cup in 1998 and the European Championship in 2000 for France. As coach of the national team since 2012, he won the World Cup in 2018, the Nations League in 2020-21 and was runner-up in the World Cup in 2022. He will now look to cap his successful tenure with his 122nd victory in charge.
The second story 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 goals in the World Cup. Mbappé has eight goals in this tournament, which places him tied with Messi at the top of the race for the Golden Boot. In his career, Mbappé has 20 goals in World Cups, compared to Messi’s 21.
The match for third place is historically open and with many goals. It’s generally a fun game to watch as most teams attack aggressively. For England fans, that will be especially welcome news as Tuchel has faced a wave of criticism for how he became too defensive against Argentina after taking the lead early in the second half. Any team that tries to enter into an open, offensive battle with France risks disaster, but England could take advantage of that opportunity without serious consequences.
It’s not the game either team would prefer to play, but it should be fun and offer positives to the winner.
France vs England: the key stories of the three lions
For England, the stakes are higher. A win in this game would give the Three Lions their best World Cup result since they won the tournament in 1966. A win over 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 beat a strong Croatia, a strong Norway team and a Mexico team that is very good at home. A victory over France would be an impressive feat, even if it comes in a third-place match.
For the Three Lions, there is also a big eye on 2028, when they will co-host the European Championship alongside Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Playing at home would greatly increase their chances of winning their first Euro title and their major tournament since 1966, when they also hosted the event. A win over France could be the first step in two important years for the program.
Tuchel will have to make some important decisions regarding his lineup. England will play on a short break after losing to Argentina on Wednesday. Before that match, England had hard-fought and grueling victories over Mexico in Mexico City and then in overtime against Norway.
It is 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 all worked exceptionally hard recently and could be seen as talented replacement options.
Players to watch
The Manchester City attacking midfielder shows great promise for the French team, but he only played limited minutes in this World Cup due to playing behind Michael Olise. If Deschamps is going to turn things around for the third-place match, Cherki would be a good starting point, as he will likely be eager to make a positive impression and create a case for more minutes in the years to come.
The Paris Saint-Germain winger is another testament to the depth of this French team. As one of the most successful young players in the world, with two Champions League titles under his belt by the age of 20 (he turned 21 just before the start of this tournament), he is not a regular starter in France. In this tournament, he only started three of France’s first seven games. In those early days he scored against Norway and assisted against Morocco. He could thrive in this third-place match if he becomes wide open, as is likely. Like Cherki, he is a big part of the team’s future.
The Tottenham full-back has played in all seven of England’s games and has started two. Defensively, he was strong off the bench to help preserve victories over Mexico and Norway in the round of 16. He could be rewarded with a start in this game to try to handle 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 attacker assisted Anthony Gordon’s goal against Argentina and worked well with Jude Bellingham. Rogers normally plays outside when Bellingham is on the field, but moves to the center when Bellingham is not playing. In this game, he could have the keys to the attack if Bellingham is used as a substitute.
