France and England meet in the 2026 FIFA World Cup third-place match on Saturday, July 18, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. ET from Miami Stadium.
France won all six of its matches before the semifinal loss to Spain, outscoring opponents by a combined 16-2. Kylian Mbappé led the way with eight goals, tied with Argentina’s Lionel Messi for the tournament lead, and added three assists. Michael Olise chipped in a tournament-high five assists of his own.
England went 5-1-0 before its own semifinal exit against Argentina. Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham each scored six goals and added an assist, and each recorded two braces along the way. Kane scored twice against Croatia on June 17 and again against DR Congo on July 1. Bellingham did the same against Mexico on July 5 and against Norway on July 11.
The third-place match has been part of the World Cup since 1934, the second-ever men’s tournament, except for 1950. Croatia beat Morocco, 2-1, in the last third-place game, back in 2022.
Below are the details on how to watch.
France’s transition defense against Jude Bellingham’s late runs is the key battle.
France still looks most dangerous when games open up.  Kylian Mbappé has 8 of France’s 16 goals in this World Cup, which means England cannot afford sloppy turnovers or broken midfield spacing when France breaks forward. The real pressure point is what happens just behind that first wave, because Bellingham has matched England’s team record with 6 non-penalty goals and keeps arriving into scoring spots after the initial action starts.
England are built to create those second-phase moments. Harry Kane and the wide service around him can pin France’s back line, and if that forces Aurelien Tchouameni and the center backs to collapse, Bellingham gets the pocket he wants. France has the stronger pure scoring punch, but England’s best path in play is turning those transition moments into a midfield runner arriving free.
Watch the space at the top of France’s box after England’s first pass into attack, because that is where this match can tilt.
The Manchester City attacking midfielder is full of promise for the French team but played only limited minutes at this World Cup due to playing behind Michael Olise. If Deschamps is going to change things for the third-place game, Cherki would be a good place to begin, as he is likely anxious to make a positive impression and build a case for more minutes in the coming years.
The Paris Saint-Germain winger is another testament to the depth of this French team. As one of the most accomplished young players in the world, with two Champions League titles under his belt by the age of 20 (he turned 21 just before the start of this tournament), he is not a regular starter for France. At this tournament, he only started three of Frances first seven games. In those starts, he scored against Norway and assisted against Morocco. He could thrive in this third-place game if it becomes wide open, as is likely. Like Cherki, he is a big part of the teams future.
The Tottenham fullback has played in all of Englands seven games and has made two starts. Defensively, he was strong off the bench in helping preserve the wins over Mexico and Norway in the knockouts. He might be rewarded with a start in this game to try to handle the powerful French attack.
