Disappointed France and England meet for third place in the World Cup
France and England prepare for a third-place showdown in Florida following semifinal losses to Spain and Argentina.
Disappointed France and England meet for third place in the World Cup
France and England will face each other in the World Cup third-place match on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida. Both nations entered the match after falling one game short of the final following losses in the semifinals.
The sentiment from both camps is one of reluctance. England coach Thomas Tuchel stated, None of our players, and none of the French players, wants to play the third-place match
, adding that they wanted to play in the final instead. France coach Didier Deschamps echoed this feeling, suggesting the best thing for France and England would be for this match not to exist.
The road to the consolation match was bleak for both sides. France, a favorite to win the trophy, was beaten 2-0 by Spain on Tuesday. England followed a day later, falling 2-1 to Argentina on Wednesday. The Three Lions had led 1-0 in the 55th minute following a goal by Anthony Gordon, but surrendered goals in the 85th minute and the second minute of stoppage time to Enzo Fernández and substitute Lautaro Martínez.
Tuchel has faced widespread criticism for his tactical approach against Argentina, with reports that England played passively on offense and loaded the back end rather than seeking a two-goal lead. While Tuchel admitted the squad was too passive and said,
he also maintained he had no regrets and trusted his instincts during the match."If it’s easier that someone takes the blame, I take the blame,"
Thomas Tuchel, England coach, via AP
For France, the match serves as the final game of Didier Deschamps' 14-year tenure as head coach. Under his leadership, the team won the 2018 World Cup, finished as runners-up in 2022, and lost the 2016 European Championship final. Defender Ibrahima Konate noted that the players want to pay back our head coach
with one last victory.
Individual accolades remain a motivator. Kylian Mbappé and Argentina's Lionel Messi are tied for the Golden Boot with eight goals each. Messi holds the tiebreaker with four assists compared to Mbappé's three. Mbappé, who has 20 career World Cup goals, remains available for Saturday after training in Fort Lauderdale on Friday. Other contenders include England's Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, who have six goals each, and France's Ousmane Dembele with five.
Harry Kane, who turns 33 on July 28, declined to speculate on whether this would be his final World Cup appearance, citing that he takes things year by year
and pointed to the continued high-level performance of 39-year-old Messi.
Both managers have signaled that they will make changes to their regular lineups for the match. England may see more involvement from players such as Kobbie Mainoo, Trevoh Chalobah, Marcus Rashford, and Bukayo Saka. Forwards Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney have seen limited action, totaling only seven minutes of play plus added time. Jarrell Quansah returns to the rotation after a two-match suspension, but Reece James is likely to miss the match due to injury.
France will be without Arsenal defender William Saliba, who requires surgery for a back injury. Maxence Lacroix is expected to earn his first start in his place. France enters the match having scored 16 goals and conceded four throughout the tournament, while England has scored 14 and conceded eight.
A victory would represent England's best World Cup result since 1966. The team has lost its two most recent third-place play-offs in 2018 and 1990. France has won two of its three previous third-place matches, dating back to 1958.
The match will be played on Saturday night with a 10 p.m. Kick-off, preceding the championship game between Argentina and Spain on Sunday in New York.
