France and England meet at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on 18 July 2026 for the World Cup third place playoff, both having fallen at the semifinal stage. France lost 0-2 to Spain while England went down 1-2 to Argentina. A win for France would mean their third bronze medal after 1958 and 1986, for England it would be an improvement on fourth place finishes in 1990 and 2018. There is also the Golden Boot to consider: Mbappé leads with eight goals, ahead of Kane and Bellingham on six each, meaning this match could settle one of the tournament's individual prizes even if it settles nothing about qualification.
Didier Deschamps takes charge in what will be his 26th and final World Cup game as France manager, while Thomas Tuchel leads England. France arrived at the semifinals in strong shape, winning five straight games including victories over Senegal (3-1), Iraq (3-0), Norway (4-1), Sweden (3-0), Paraguay and Morocco in the knockouts. The semifinal loss to Spain was something of a surprise given how clinical they had looked in attack, though they struggled to generate much against a well organised Spanish defence. England were quietly impressive, getting through with wins over Croatia (4-2), Mexico (3-2) and Norway after extra time plus an early 0-0 draw with Ghana. Their comeback ability was one of the stories of the tournament, even if defensive vulnerabilities came back to hurt them against Argentina.
France are without William Saliba (back issue) while Brice Samba picked up a training injury that should not affect the starting XI, though minor backline rotation remains possible. England miss Reece James (muscular problem) and Jordan Henderson (wrist), while Jarell Quansah returns from suspension. Bellingham faces a potential disciplinary concern after an incident following the semifinal defeat, though he is expected to be available. Both managers will rotate to some degree but neither is likely to treat this as a dead rubber given what is still at stake individually.
France look set to line up with Maignan in goal behind Koundé, Konaté, Lacroix and Theo Hernández, with Koné and Zaïre-Emery in midfield supporting Cherki, Olisé and Doué behind Mbappé. England could deploy Pickford behind Spence, Konsa, Guéhi and O'Reilly, with Rice and Anderson anchoring midfield alongside Rogers, Bellingham and Gordon behind Kane.
Deschamps drew criticism for being too conservative against Spain, a team that found France easier to contain once the transitions stopped working. That sits awkwardly with what Cherki, Olisé and Doué can do when given room (cutting inside, combining in tight spaces, occasionally delivering early crosses) and whether Deschamps actually lets them do it here is the defining tactical question for France. England under Tuchel are well organised in a low defensive block, though their shape came apart badly against Argentina and managing Mbappé when he drops deep to receive will be the puzzle Tuchel's centre backs spend the evening trying to solve. Beyond that: Mbappé versus the England backline, Kane versus the French centre backs, Bellingham against whoever Deschamps deploys to stop him. Those are the battles that will shape the game. What makes Mbappé's situation so interesting is the Golden Boot specifically. Two goals clear at the top of the standings, he arrives with a personal reason to run at this defence that goes beyond national pride and that kind of motivation tends to show.
France and England have met around 32 times, with France leading recent encounters after England won just one of the last nine. In their three prior World Cup meetings England won 2-0 in 1966 and 3-1 in 1982 before France got their revenge with a 2-1 win in the 2022 quarterfinal, Tchouaméni and Giroud scoring either side of a Kane penalty. France have also had an extra day to recover ahead of this one. The match is broadcast on BBC in the UK and FOX in the US.
Mbappé chasing the outright Golden Boot and Kane and Bellingham two goals behind him means the individual stakes are high enough that neither side will be going through the motions. England's dead ball delivery has been consistent throughout the tournament and Kane, if he can get into the right positions at corners and free kicks, will be a threat. France have the better of the recent head to head record and Mbappé's hunger to add to his tally makes them the likelier side to get in front. But England have come back repeatedly when it has mattered and the pattern of this tournament suggests four goals is not out of the question. 2-2.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
