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Mbappé and Doué. Bellingham and Kane. A World Cup title is not at stake, 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 in the tournament’s third-place match on Saturday at the Miami Stadium. Both teams are coming off heartbreaking semi-final disappointments but will be looking to turn the page to build momentum for the upcoming UEFA Nations League matches and ultimately Euro 2028.
On Tuesday, France were thoroughly outplayed in a 2-0 loss to Spain, who take on 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 following day, England suffered their own heartbreak as they took a 1-0 lead over Argentina, only to see La Albiceleste rally with two late goals for a 2-1 victory.
Those defeats 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 vs. England
(Photo by FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
The third-place match has been a long tradition for the WC, although it is typically played in a context of disappointment. There are exceptions, such as at the 1994 World Cup, when Sweden defeated Bulgaria in a match between teams excited to have just reached the semi-finals. The same could be said in 2002, when Türkiye defeated South Korea in the best World Cup run for both teams. In those matches there was a very positive atmosphere among teams and players.
However, this game will not be like those editions because both France and England had ambitious goals to win this tournament. Winning this game is a small consolation for these teams and their fans. Also, the conditions for the game will be difficult as both teams will be playing in the heat of South Florida on short rest. It remains to be seen what approaches Didier Deschamps and Thomas Tuchel will take.
France vs. England: Les Bleus’ key stories
(Photo by Maja Hitij – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
For France, there are two important storylines.
First, this will be the last French game, head coach Didier Deschamps. As a player, Deschamps won the World Cup in 1998 and the EC in 2000 for France. As the national team’s manager since 2012, he won the World Cup in 2018, the Nations League in 2020-21 and was runner-up at the World Cup in 2022. He will now look to end his highly successful spell with his 122nd victory in charge.
The other story for France is Kylian Mbappé’s race to become the tournament’s leading goalscorer and perhaps overtake Lionel Messi’s record for most World Cup goals. Mbappé has eight goals in this tournament, which is tied with Messi at the top of the Golden Boot race. On the career mark, Mbappé has 20 World Cup goals compared to 21 for Messi.
The third-place game is historically high-scoring and open. It typically makes for a fun game to watch as most teams attack aggressively. For England fans, it will be particularly welcome news as Tuchel has faced a wave of criticism for how he got overly defensive against Argentina after taking the lead early in the second half. Any team that tries to get into an open and attacking game with France risks disaster, but England can take that chance without serious consequences.
It’s not the game either team prefers to play, but it should be fun and offer silverware for the winner.
France vs. England: Three Lions’ Key Storylines
For England there is more at stake. A win in this game would give the Three Lions their best World Cup finish since winning 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 had wins over a solid Croatia team, a strong Norwegian squad and a Mexico team that is very good at home. A win over France would be an impressive feat, even if it comes in third place.
For the three lions, there is also a strong eye towards 2028, when together with Scotland, Wales and Ireland they will host the EC. Playing at home would greatly increase their chances of winning their first European Championship title and its major tournament since 1966, when they also hosted the event. A win over France could be the first step in what is an important two years for the program.
Tuchel will have to make some important decisions regarding his lineup. England will be playing on short rest after only losing to Argentina on Wednesday. Before that game, England had hard fought and draining victories over Mexico in Mexico City and then in extra time against Norway.
It is likely that several typical starters could begin the game on the bench. The last thing Tuchel needs is to risk injury as the players prepare to return to their clubs for preseason. Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon and Declan Rice have worked exceptionally hard recently and could be seen as talented replacement options.
Players to watch
Manchester City’s attacking midfielder is full of promise for the French side, but played only limited minutes at this World Cup due to playing behind Michael Olise. If Deschamps wants to change things for the third spot, Cherki would be a good place to start as he is likely to be keen to make a positive impression and build a case for more minutes in the coming years.
The Paris Saint-Germain winger is another testament to the depth of this French team. As one of the most talented young players in the world, with two Champions League titles under his belt at the age of 20 (he turned 21 just before the start of this tournament), he is not a regular starter for France. At this tournament, he started only three of France’s first seven matches. In those starts he scored against Norway and assisted against Morocco. He could thrive in this third-place battle if it 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 made two starts. Defensively, he was strong off the bench to help preserve wins over Mexico and Norway in the knockouts. He may be rewarded with a start in this game to try and deal with the powerful French attack.
In a game that should be offensively heavy, Rogers should have a chance to show what he can do. The Aston Villa forward assisted Anthony Gordon’s goal against Argentina and worked well with Jude Bellingham. Rogers typically plays on the outside when Bellingham is on the court, but moves centrally when Bellingham is not playing. In this game, he could hold the keys to the offense if Bellingham is used as a sub.
