The England team will face France in the third-place match of the 2026 World Cup after stopping in the semi-finals together. The "Three Lions" lost to Argentina 1-2 due to a decisive goal in injury time, while France lost 0-2 to Spain.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, coach Thomas Tuchel said that no player really wants to play in the third-place match.
No one of our players, nor does any player of the French team want to play this match," the German strategist shared.
According to Tuchel, all teams participating in the World Cup aim to win the championship. Therefore, having to play one more match after losing in the semi-finals is not easily accepted in terms of spirit.
Everyone wants to play in the final. We have dedicated everything to achieve that. Every team comes here with the goal of winning the World Cup, but that's football," he said.
However, the 52-year-old coach affirmed that the England team will still enter the match with a professional spirit and determination to achieve positive results. He sees this as an opportunity for the whole team to close their journey at the 2026 World Cup with a good performance, and at the same time show gratitude to the fans who have accompanied them throughout the tournament.
For the England team, this is the second consecutive time the team has stopped in the semi-finals of a major tournament in a context of high expectations. Meanwhile, the French team also did not achieve their goal after losing to Spain.
The third-place match between England and France is therefore seen as an opportunity for both teams to somewhat soothe their disappointment, before closing the 2026 World Cup campaign.
