Франц болон Английн шигшээ багууд дэлхийн аваргын хүрэл медалийн төлөө Майами хотын Хард Рок цэнгэлдэх хүрээлэнд долдугаар сарын 18-ны бямба гарагт тулна. Хагас шигшээд Испанид хожигдсон Франц болон Аргентинд ялагдсан Английн хувьд энэ нь тэмцээнээ нэр төртэй өндөрлөх сүүлчийн боломж юм.
Францын хувьд хагас шигшээд 2:0-ээр хожигдсон нь хүнд цохилт болсон ч Килиан Мбаппе алтан шаахайн төлөөх өрсөлдөөнд тэргүүлэгчидтэй мөр зэрэгцэн яваа нь тоглолтын гол интриг хэвээр үлдээв. Дасгалжуулагч Дидье Дешам 14 жил удирдсан багийнхаа сүүлийн тоглолтод гарааны бүрэлдэхүүндээ өөрчлөлт оруулж, нөөц тоглогчдодоо боломж олгох төлөвтэй байна.
Английн хувьд хагас шигшээд Аргентинд хожигдсон нь сэтгэл зүйн хувьд хүнд туссан ч дасгалжуулагч Томас Тухель багийнхаа нэр хүндийг сэргээх зорилготой байна. Жүүд Беллингхэм, Харри Кэйн нарын ачаалал ихтэй тоглогчдыг амрааж, Коби Мэйнү, Олли Уоткинс зэрэг сэлгээний залуусыг турших магадлалтай.
Түүхийн хувьд энэ хоёр баг дэлхийн аваргын тавцанд өмнө нь гурван удаа таарсан бөгөөд Франц сүүлийн жилүүдэд илүүрхэх хандлагатай байгаа юм. Францчууд довтолгооны статистик үзүүлэлтээрээ энэ тэмцээний хамгийн өндөр амжилттай баг хэвээр байгаа тул бямба гарагийн тоглолтод гоол ихтэй, сонирхолтой тулаан өрнөх төлөвтэй байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүй эх сурвалжийг харах
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Is this the game that no player or team wants to be part of? Probably. It is between the two sides who fell one match short of reaching the World Cup final, so that would be understandable.
That final is between Spain and Argentina on Sunday, but first, on Saturday, their defeated semi-final opponents, France and England respectively, face off in what FIFA is calling the tournament’s “Bronze final” but to most other people is the third/fourth-place play-off.
There will be some intrigue, though. The Golden Boot, awarded to the tournament’s top scorer, is still up for grabs with Kylian Mbappe of France level on eight goals with Argentina’s Lionel Messi and England pair Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham not far behind on six each.
It will also be a chance to see some of the players in the French and English squads who have not featured much, or at all, in the tournament, plus it can act as a send-off for France manager Didier Deschamps, who steps down after 14 years in charge when their World Cup ends, as well as giving England counterpart Thomas Tuchel the chance to regain some positivity after the agonising nature of that defeat by Argentina.
Here, we take a closer look at this game and where it might be decided…
What’s the key info I need to know?
Round: World Cup third-place play-off
World rankings: France (FIFA ranking: third) vs England (fourth)
Venue: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, Florida
Date: Saturday, July 18
Kick-off: 2pm PT / 5pm ET / 10pm BST
How did France get here?
Until Tuesday, France were regarded by many as the best team at this World Cup. Deschamps’ side breezed through a tricky-looking group, saw off Sweden and Paraguay in the early knockout rounds, then put in a commanding display against Morocco in the quarter-finals.
Everything looked to be in place: Mbappe had eight goals in six games; Bayern Munich playmaker Michael Olise was pulling the strings; Ousmane Dembele was finding the kind of form that won him the 2025 Ballon d’Or. Even the midfield, seen by some as an area of weakness before the tournament, was performing well. And in Deschamps, France had a manager well-versed in negotiating World Cup semi-finals.
Then, against Spain in the semi-final, it all fell apart. The French attack, so potent previously, did not function. William Saliba, their best defender, went off before half-time with a back problem. Left-back Lucas Digne was given the run-around by Lamine Yamal. They were so thoroughly outplayed that the eventual 2-0 scoreline actually flattered them.
Now, they must recalibrate for a match they didn’t expect to be playing in. The only real consolation, if they win, will be finishing on the ‘podium’ for a third consecutive World Cup after lifting the trophy in 2018 and being runners-up four years ago.
Jack Lang
How did England get here?
In the literal sense, courtesy of an extremely disappointing 2-1 semi-final defeat to Argentina. England led through Anthony Gordon’s second-half goal, but conceded twice late on after Tuchel ceded territory and momentum with a succession of negative substitutions.
Across the tournament as a whole, they finished top of their group, beating Croatia and Panama and drawing with Ghana.
They then came from behind to beat DR Congo 2-1 in the round of 32, with Kane scoring twice, survived a tough examination at altitude at the Azteca, with a Jude Bellingham double and a Kane penalty enough to beat Mexico and qualified for that semi-final by overcoming a 1-0 deficit against Erling Haaland’s Norway, winning 2-1 after extra time.
Seb Stafford-Bloor
Tuchel and his assistant Barry during the defeat to Argentina (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
How to watch on TV
United States: 2pm PT / 5pm ET: Fox Sports One (English), Telemundo (Spanish)
Canada: 2pm PT / 5pm ET: TSN / RDS
Mexico: 3pm CST: Televisa Univision / TV Azteca
United Kingdom: 10pm BST: BBC One
What should we expect from France?
Some countries — those for whom making a World Cup semi-final might be regarded as an achievement in itself — place a good deal of importance on third-place play-offs. It is hard to imagine France doing so in Miami. The disappointment of the Spain game is too acute, the prestige of finishing third rather than fourth too negligible for us to expect them to go at this match with all they have left.
The most likely scenario would involve Deschamps giving some throwaway World Cup minutes to those players who have not featured a great deal across the previous seven games at this tournament. Given that he has barely rotated his team, there are a lot of those. Expect to see Rayan Cherki, Marcus Thuram, Maghnes Akliouche, Jean-Philippe Mateta, N’Golo Kante, Warren Zaire-Emery and a few other lesser-spotted squad members.
The exception to the rule might be Mbappe. Yes, winning the World Cup has gone, but he is still very much in the mix for the Golden Boot, the trophy for the top goalscorer at the tournament. There is also the World Cup’s overall goalscoring record; he sits one behind Messi (21 to 20) and will be motivated to add to his career tally.
Jack Lang
What should we expect from England?
As with the French, rotation most likely. The previous twice they have played in this fixture — in 1990 and 2018 — England have not treated it with any great importance. That’s a shame; hopefully, it’s not the case here.
Given the shift in the mood after the Argentina defeat and the conversation about Tuchel’s future, this is an opportunity to end the tournament with a good performance against stellar opposition and remind everyone that, overall, this has been a positive World Cup for England.
If that does happen, expect it to be delivered by some of the lesser-used members of the squad. Kobbie Mainoo has not been used in any of the first seven games. Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney have barely had a kick between them. Eberechi Eze has not had much of an opportunity, either. Declan Rice has been walking wounded throughout the tournament and Kane also looked physically spent by the end of the semi-final; the chances of either playing in this game have to be remote.
So, expect an unfamiliar England team and some experimentation.
Seb Stafford-Bloor
Toney, left, has barely been used this tournament, so could feature up front instead of Kane (Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images)
Who is the star player for each team?
Thankfully for the neutral, both squads are stacked with star players. At times, Olise has looked the best player in the tournament when pulling the attacking strings for France, while current Ballon d’Or holder Dembele can spark something out of nothing.
Still, France’s main man is undoubtedly their captain Mbappe, who will surely be desperate to play here in order to pull away in the Golden Boot race. Currently level with Messi on eight goals (the Argentinian has the tiebreaker of more assists, four to three), a couple more on the scoresheet in Miami might soothe Mbappe’s personal pride despite his nation’s semi-final disappointment.
England have a couple of their own stars in the race for the Golden Boot, with Kane and Bellingham (six goals apiece) head and shoulders above their team-mates in their importance to Tuchel’s side.
You could argue that Bellingham has had the more influential tournament of the pair, popping up with crucial goal-doubles against both Mexico and Norway in the knockout rounds. Given the gargantuan burden they have carried on their shoulders over the first seven matches, you would suspect one (or both) will be rested on Saturday — but that does not detract from the fact they are England’s most important players when the chips are down.
Mark Carey
Is there any history in this match-up?
England beat France 2-0 en route to World Cup glory in 1966 and then repeated the dose in a 1982 group game, when Bryan Robson scored one of the fastest goals in tournament history after just 27 seconds. The third World Cup meeting between the sides took place four years ago, in Qatar, and ended in heartbreak for the English: Harry Kane scored one penalty but missed another late in a 2-1 defeat at the quarter-final stage.
There have also been five England-France matches at the European Championship (three draws, two French wins). Indeed, factor in friendlies and the rivalry has skewed France’s way in recent years: just one of the past nine encounters (a 2015 friendly) has gone England’s way.
Jack Lang
Where will the game be won and lost?
This one feels trickier to call, considering that both managers are expected to ring the changes.
The strength in depth of France’s squad means that their starting XI will still be of the highest quality, but it is hard to imagine that Mbappe, Olise, Dembele and Barcola will all be running riot at the same time across Deschamps’ front line. Still, if any one of them did start — plus rotational options of Desire Doue or Cherki — then England’s defence will need to stay on high alert for runs in behind and trickery in wide areas.
To counteract France’s own speed going forward, it would not be surprising to see Tuchel double down on directness and pace himself in attack. Star men Bellingham and Kane look like they desperately need a rest, so might that mean a starting berth for Marcus Rashford and Noni Madueke, and possibly Watkins running the channels from centre-forward?
This game could feasibly end up racking up a big scoreline if both managers elect to go with some zany selections. The fact that anything could happen should make this an entertaining — albeit futile — watch.
Mark Carey
Who do our experts think will win?
Mark Carey: France, 4-2 Things could very easily get out of hand if both sides are heavily rotated. Taking the foot off the gas after a semi-final defeat is normal, so there might be a few more gaps to exploit in a high-scoring game. Ultimately, France have more attacking quality across the pitch, whoever Deschamps picks.
Jack Lang: France, 3-1England have looked exhausted for about two weeks now. And if it does turn out to be two second-string sides facing each other, I would expect France’s back-up players to do the business.
Seb Stafford-Bloor: France, 3-1 Both will rotate, of course, but for France that involves fielding a far more gifted set of players. Mbappe is also still in the running for the Golden Boot, so Deschamps’ captain presumably has a high chance of starting. There’s something for a patched-up England defence to look forward to!
Carl Anka: France, 3-0The main subplot here is Mbappe’s desire to beat Messi to the Golden Boot. He’s one assist behind, so may be fired up to score against an England team that’s likely to include some walking wounded. This should be a straightforward French victory.
Amelie Claydon: France, 3-1 England’s semi-final defeat was the more shattering. Ahead until the 85th minute, then beaten in stoppage time. France will have an extra recovery day and were outplayed by Spain in their semi, which may be easier to mentally reset from. Bronze-medal games are usually open, so the French attack should exploit England.
Greg O’Keeffe: France, 2-0Fresher, refocused and having beaten England in that previous meeting in Qatar four years ago, France will have that extra edge in a game with a tempo which should suit them stylistically more than the opposition’s power-based play.
How might they line up?
Tell me one thing about France that’s going to make me look clever to my friends
France might have gone down at the final hurdle, but their underlying attacking numbers were the best of any of the four semi-finalists. Deschamps’ side have logged the most shots on target (50), the most take-ons (181) and the most expected goals (14.7). Unsurprisingly, a large share of those shots have come from Mbappe’s favoured left side of the pitch.
Despite their disappointment at not making a third straight World Cup final, they will be keen to sign off in style with a few more goals for good measure. With Mbappe still seeking the Golden Boot, you would not bet against it.
Tell me one thing about England that’s going to make me look clever to my friends
England now hold a record no footballing nation would wish to boast about.
Per Opta, only two sides have ever scored first in a World Cup semi-final and not gone on to reach the final. On both occasions, that team has been England — in 2018 against Croatia and now against Argentina.
The reason that their defeat on Wednesday stung so much was that it was such a familiar story. England fans have seen their side relinquish leads too often in the high-stakes contests at the sharp end of major tournaments.
Mark Carey
Essential reading before kick-off
