After stopping in the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup, France and England will face each other in the third-place match with the goal of closing the tournament with a consolation victory.
The French team entered the World Cup with great expectations but could not overcome Spain in the semi-finals. The 0-2 defeat ended coach Didier Deschamps' team's dream of reaching the World Cup final for the 3rd consecutive time, and also extended the series of unfavorable results against La Roja in recent years.
Although unable to compete for the championship, Les Bleus still have one final goal to win third place. This will also be the match that closes Didier Deschamps' 14-year journey leading the French national team before he leaves the team after the tournament.
On the other side, England also brought many regrets after the semi-final match with Argentina. The Three Lions took the lead thanks to Anthony Gordon's goal but let the opponent come back in the final minutes with goals from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez.
This result caused Thomas Tuchel to receive much criticism for choosing a too cautious playing style after his team had an advantage.
History is also not on the Three Lions' side. Since the beginning of the 21st century, England has only defeated France 2 times in 7 encounters, and suffered 5 defeats, including a 1-2 defeat in the 2022 World Cup quarter-finals.
In addition, the foggy country team also lost empty-handed in the third-place match of the 2018 World Cup against Belgium.
World Cup 2026 schedule on July 19:
4:00 AM: France vs England
