Overview
After the disappointment in the semi-finals, England and France entered the World Cup 2026 third-place match reluctantly, reflecting the fact that this is still the most controversial match in the tournament.
The World Cup third-place match has long been a controversial topic. For many players and coaches, this is a match that no team really wants to participate in after the championship dream is shattered.
Therefore, the starting lineups of the two teams are likely to clearly reflect the psychology of prioritizing saving energy, giving opportunities to reserve players rather than the determination to win a bronze medal.
France entered the semi-finals as a bright candidate but was completely deadlocked by Spain's defense system and midfield control ability.
Coach Didier Deschamps' team only created 0.31 expected goals (xG), the lowest level in their World Cup history, before accepting a 0-2 defeat.
Meanwhile, England was very close to the final. Anthony Gordon put the "Three Lions" ahead of Argentina in the second half, but Thomas Tuchel's team suddenly retreated deep after the opening goal.
In about 30 minutes from the time they took the lead until Enzo Fernandez equalized, England only controlled the ball about 12%. This created an opportunity for Argentina to control the game and come back to the final.
Although the professional value of the third-place match is always controversial, this is still an opportunity for some stars to close the World Cup with memorable milestones.
Harry Kane is likely to have his last appearance in the World Cup arena. With 14 goals, the England captain is ranked fifth in the list of top scorers in the history of the tournament, equal to Gerd Muller and only one goal behind Ronaldo Nazario.
On the other side, Kylian Mbappe has scored 20 goals at World Cups, only one goal behind Lionel Messi. The French striker still has many opportunities to surpass this record in the future, but each match at the World Cup always has a special value.
For Deschamps personally, the match against England also means closing a glorious era.
He won the World Cup as a player in 1998 and as a coach in 2018, becoming one of the very few figures in football history to achieve that special achievement.
Although the gold cup is no longer within reach, the third-place match is still an opportunity for Deschamps to close his journey with the French team with a victory, before giving way to his successor.
Head-to-head record
This is the fourth time England and France have faced each other at World Cups. In the previous three encounters, England won 2 matches (2-0 in 1966 and 3-1 in 1982), before France won 2-1 in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup.
Considering all competitions, England has only won one of their last nine encounters with France (2 draws, 6 losses). The only victory of the "Three Lions" was a friendly match with a score of 2-0 in November 2015.
Notably, they have gone through 4 consecutive matches without a win against France in official tournaments (2 draws, 2 losses), since the 3-1 victory at the 1982 World Cup.
Score prediction: France 1-0 England
The match between France and England takes place at 4:00 AM on July 19 (Vietnam time).
