Pre-match information
The French once dreamed of the final match at the 2026 World Cup, to become the third team in history to reach 3 consecutive World Cup finals, after West Germany (1982, 1986, 1990) and Brazil (1994, 1998, 2002).
But that dream broke down at the most important moment, at a time when Les Bleus seemed to dominate everything.
The English were very close to that final match at MetLife Stadium, but then, as many say, coach Thomas Tuchel's wrong decisions pushed them to face the opponent across the English Channel in the penultimate match of the 2026 World Cup – the bronze medal match.
For many players who have removed their silver medals immediately after being awarded (in a final they participated in), playing the third-place match at the World Cup is redundant and unnecessary.
But experts and fans still hope about what Mr. Tuchel said - "the players will take the field with the most professional attitude", so that they can dedicate a match worthy of their name.
This is also an opportunity for many reserve players of the 2 teams in this World Cup to show themselves, and there are still individuals with rivalry goals, such as Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane in the race for the Golden Boot.
In history, the French team has played 3 third-place matches at the World Cup – winning against West Germany 6-3 in 1958, losing to Poland 2-3 in 1982, winning against Belgium 4-2 after extra time in 1986. With England, they lost both matches against Italy (1-2 in 1990) and Belgium (0-2 in 2018).
