France and England will battle for the 2026 FIFA World Cup bronze medal today, Saturday, July 18, as both sides attempt to end disappointing semifinal exits with a consolation victory. The two European giants head into the third-place playoff at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens after suffering painful defeats……
France and England will battle for the 2026 FIFA World Cup bronze medal today, Saturday, July 18, as both sides attempt to end disappointing semifinal exits with a consolation victory.
The two European giants head into the third-place playoff at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens after suffering painful defeats earlier in the week, with both teams admitting they would rather have been preparing for the final.
England manager Thomas Tuchel acknowledged the unusual nature of the fixture but said his team would still treat it as a competitive World Cup match.
“Nobody wants to be in this game,” Tuchel said. “All of these four teams wanted to be in New York, but it is an official World Cup game.”
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The match is expected to be played in difficult conditions, with temperatures in South Florida forecast to produce a heat index above 95 degrees Fahrenheit at the 5 p.m. ET kickoff.
Both managers are expected to make significant changes to their starting lineups, although France forward Kylian Mbappe could feature as he looks to finish the tournament strongly.
Mbappe enters the match among the leading scorers at the 2026 World Cup with eight goals, one behind Lionel Messi’s all-time World Cup scoring record, and could add to his tally against England.
The game will also mark the final appearance for France head coach Didier Deschamps, who is stepping down after a remarkable 14-year tenure that included guiding Les Bleus to World Cup glory in 2018.
France defender Ibrahima Konate said the team wants to honour Deschamps by securing victory in his final match in charge.
“We want to pay back our coach,” Konate said. “He did so much for the France team. We must be grateful to him for that and we need to do everything we can to win this game.”
France vs England: Kick-off Time and Venue
The World Cup third-place playoff between France and England will kick off at 10 p.m. WAT.
The match will be played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Expected Lineups
England Starting XI
Goalkeeper: Dean Henderson
Defenders: Ezri Konsa, Marc Guehi, Djed Spence, Jarell Quansah
Midfielders: Declan Rice, Morgan Rogers, Eberechi Eze
Forwards: Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, Ivan Toney
France Starting XI
Goalkeeper: Mike Maignan
Defenders: Malo Gusto, Ibrahima Konate, Theo Hernandez, Maxence Lacroix
Midfielders: Adrien Rabiot, Warren Zaire-Emery, Rayan Cherki
Forwards: Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise, Desire Doue
