France and England lock horns for the third-place medal

England and France will be desperate to respond after failing to reach the final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with the coveted trophy eluding them in North America.

France were heavy pre-tournament favourite, but was comprehensively outplayed by Spain.

Before their semi-final defeat, first in the tournament, France had lived up to the favourite tag throughout the competition, having won all their games. 

Reigning European champions Spain deserved to progress beyond Les Bleus as the 2018 winners were simply out-thought and out-played in the last four.

Didier Deschamps will have to settle for at least fourth after failing to adjust his tactics to address the Spanish threat. 

The third-place clash scheduled for Florida will be Deschamps’ final game in charge. It is expected that France will be motivated despite missing out on the title.

After failing to hold on to their lead before Argentina came back into the game, England will also be motivated to leave the tournament on a high, having failed again to fulfil their potential on the biggest stage. 

Thomas Tuchel’s team had won their group and quietly progressed through the tournament, and found themselves on the precipice of the final. They suffered a repeat of 2018 as they were sent packing by the world champions.

After getting the lead in the 55th minute, the Three Lions resorted to a cautious approach that ultimately proved costly, as they could not stop Argentina from coming from behind to win with their back five.

With Lionel Messi at his best, the world champions piled on the pressure in the final 10 minutes of that semi-final in Atlanta and got rewarded with two goals.

Tuchel will need to win this game, which could serve as revenge against the team that eliminated England in 2022.

As the game offers some consolation, the rivalry will be too fierce for this to be a casual encounter.