Who: France vs England
Contents: 2026 FIFA World Cup – Third Place Match
Location: Miami Stadium, Miami, Florida, USA
When: Saturday 5pm (21:00 GMT)
How to follow: Get everything ready on Al Jazeera Sports from 18:00 GMT before the live text commentary stream.
France and England, recovering from heartbreak, face off in a World Cup match neither of them wanted. In the third-place match, only a bronze medal was awarded.
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In-form France, firm favorites to win the World Cup for the third time, lost to powerhouse Spain in the semi-finals, while England’s 60-year wait for a major trophy continued after a brutal late defeat to Argentina.
The day before the world watches the all-important final, France and England will meet one last time in North America, hoping to end a disappointing game on a positive note – if that happens.
Al Jazeera will tell you everything about the third place match.
Deschamps resigns, Mbappé’s silver lining is Golden Boot
There aren’t many chances to win the third-place match, and France, who have won two of the three third-place matches, knows how uninteresting this match can be.
But Saturday’s game has plenty of reason for them to rematch. This is because it will be the last game for coach Didier Deschamps to lead the French national team.
Deschamps, who lost his mother during the group stages, was France manager for 14 years, during which time he led France to the 2018 World Cup title, the 2022 final and this year’s semi-finals.
The 57-year-old Les Bleus has established himself as one of the world’s most consistent forces over the past decade and, in the current circumstances, finishing third might be the best way to end his esteemed career.
Besides parting ways with the coach, there are probably other reasons to be happy within the French camp. Captain and star striker Kylian Mbappé has the chance to take home the Golden Boot and equal or break the competition’s all-time goalscoring record.
Mbappe, the current Golden Boot holder, is second in this year’s race behind Lionel Messi, with both of them tied on eight goals, with the Argentine’s four assists ahead of Mbappe’s three. The Frenchman also tied the record for most World Cup goals (21), just one shot behind Messi.
If Mbappe beats Messi to win the award, the 27-year-old will become the first player to win the Golden Boot twice.
Scary game no one wants to play
It’s rare to see a World Cup team say they aren’t looking forward to playing on the sport’s biggest stage.
But competing for a third-place finish in soccer isn’t like competing for a podium in track and field. For most teams, especially the better teams in England and France, it’s a few brief moments of comfort.
Even though the player is so close, it feels far away.
“Neither our players nor the French players want to play in this game,” England manager Thomas Tuchel said after the defeat to Argentina. “They want to get to the final and we did everything we could to achieve that. Everyone plays to win the World Cup and that’s the way it is.”
France’s Deschamps felt similarly, saying he had no choice but to play.
“We are not where we wanted or expected. Disappointment is consistent with our ambitions, but we have to accept it,” he added.
France 2026 World Cup Results
France 3-1 Senegal (group stage) France 3-0 Iraq (group stage) Norway 1-4 France (group stage) France 3-0 Sweden (round of 32) Paraguay 0-1 France (round of 16) France 2-0 Morocco (quarter-finals) France 0-2 Spain (semi-finals)
England 2026 World Cup Results
England 4-2 Croatia (group stage) England 0-0 Ghana (group stage) Panama 0-2 England (group stage) England 2-1 Democratic Republic of the Congo (round of 32) Mexico 2-3 England (round of 16) Norway 1-2 England (quarter-finals) England 1-2 Argentina (semi-finals)
England vs France predictions
The Opta supercomputer won matches within 90 minutes in 50.7% of 25,000 pre-match simulations, choosing France as favorites to secure third place.
The next most likely outcome is an England win (25.6%), closely followed by a draw at 90 minutes (23.7% chance).
England vs France: Kick-off time and where to watch
UK: Red Button 1, BBC iPlayer, BBC One (10pm BDT) France: beIN Sports, M6, M6+ (11pm CET) US: Fox, Fox One, Peacock, Telemundo App and Network, Universo (5pm EDT)
To see the TV listings for your country, visit the FIFA TV listings schedule here.
England vs France: head-to-head
This is the fourth time France and England have met at the World Cup, with the Three Lions winning the first two matches (2-0 in 1966 and 3-1 in 1982), but France won 2-1 in their most recent encounter in the quarter-finals in 2022.
Overall, England have won only one of their last nine matches (D2 L6) against France, winning 2-0 in a friendly in November 2015.
France vs England: Team news
France are without William Saliba (back) and Bryce Samba (calf), while England’s Jordan Henderson (wrist) is injured and Reece James (muscle) is doubtful.
With the title no longer within reach, both teams are expected to make significant rotations and give game time to players who have played less, but Mbappé is expected to start for France as they aim to win the Golden Boot.
England’s Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, who have scored six goals each, will also play from the start and could be looking to win the award one last time.
France’s expected lineup
(4-2-3-1): Menyan (goalkeeper). Gast, Lacroix, Konate, T. Hernandez. Zaire Emery, Kante. Olise, Cherki, Due. mbappe
England’s expected line-up
(4-3-3): Henderson (goalie); Charova, Guehi, Stones, Spence. Mainu, Anderson, Rogers. Maduke, Kane, Rashford
