A heartbroken France and a deflated England will return to the pitch one final time at the FIFA World Cup 2026 when they meet in the third-place playoff, officially being called the bronze final. Both sides suffered agonising defeats in their respective semi-finals earlier this week.
France entered the tournament as one of the favourites and lived up to expectations during the group stage. Didier Deschamps’ side carried that momentum into the knockout rounds. However, France’s hopes of reaching a third consecutive World Cup final were dashed by Spain, with Mikel Oyarzabal converting from the penalty spot before Pedro Porro sealed a 2-0 victory for La Roja.
England’s road to the last four was far more dramatic. The Three Lions began with an entertaining 4-2 win over Croatia but were held to a goalless draw by Ghana in their second group match. A victory over Panama ensured they finished on top of Group L.
The knockout stage tested England’s resilience. They survived a major scare against DR Congo in the Round of 32, with Harry Kane producing an inspirational second-half brace to turn the tie around.
England then edged past co-hosts Mexico in a thrilling 3-2 contest before coming from behind once again to defeat Norway after extra time in the quarter-finals. Their remarkable run came to an end in the semi-finals against defending champions Argentina.
Third Place Play-off Match
France will be making their fourth appearance in a FIFA World Cup third-place playoff. Les Bleus won the bronze medal in 1958 by defeating West Germany and repeated the feat in 1986 against Belgium, while they finished fourth after losing to Poland in 1982.
England are appearing in the bronze-medal match for the third time. Their previous attempts ended in defeat, with losses to Italy in 1990 and Belgium at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
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Match Time, Venue
The match between England and France will be played at the Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, Florida, USA, with kick-off at 2.30 am IST on Sunday.
Match Referee
Jesús Valenzuela Sáez will be the referee for this contest.
Head to Head
- Matches Played: 32
- England wins: 17
- France wins: 10
- Draws: 5
Form Guide (last five matches, most recent first):
- England: L-W-W–W-W
- France: L-W-W-W-W
England
- Possible Starting 11: Dean Henderson; Trevoh Chalobah, Marc Guehi, John Stones, Djed Spence; Kobbie Mainoo, Eliot Anderson, Morgan Rogers; Noni Madueke, Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford
- Substitutes: Jordan Pickford, Reece James, Ezri Konsa, Jarell Quansah, Nico O’Reilly, Dan Burn, Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Eberechi Eze, Ivan Toney, Ollie Watkins, Bukayo Saka, Anthony Gordon
- Coach: Thomas Tuchel
France
- Possible Starting 11: Mike Maignan; Malo Gusto, Maxence Lacroix, Ibrahima Konate, Theo Hernandez; Warren Zaire-Emery, N’Golo Kante; Michael Olise, Rayan Cherki, Desire Doue; Kylian Mbappe
- Substitutes: Robin Risser, Brice Samba, Lucas Digne, Lucas Hernandez, Jules Kounde, Dayot Upamecano, Manu Kone, Adrien Rabiot, Aurelien Tchouameni, Maghnes Akliouche, Bradley Barcola, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Marcus Thuram
- Coach: Didier Deschamps
Players to Watch
The upcoming match will be the final chance for Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane to add to their respective goal tallies of eight goals and six goals respectively and finish the tournament with their heads held high. The two skippers have been the key players of their squads in this World Cup campaign and will again play an important role as the two sides aim for the consolation win.
How To Watch Live Telecast?
The England vs France FIFA World Cup 2026 match will be televised live in India on Unite8 Sports 1, Unite8 Sports 1 HD, Unite8 Sports 2 and Unite8 Sports 2 HD television channels.
How To Watch Live Streaming?
The England vs France FIFA World Cup 2026 game will be streamed live on the ZEE5 app and website in English, Malayalam, Bangla and Hindi.
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