2026 World Cup: France v England: Rivalry renewed in third place playoff

Everything can wait! The 2026 FIFA World Cup’s penultimate match is the Third Place Playoff, which will see old foes France and England renew their rivalry.

Les Bleus and the Three Lions suffered respective defeats to Spain and Argentina, but this bronze medal match offers a chance at redemption. Here’s the breakdown as France and England battle for bronze in Miami.

Head-to-head

Matches played 32
France wins 10
England wins 17
Draws 5
France goals 41
England goals 72

France and England have met in 32 matches, with the Three Lions winning 17 matches compared to 10 for Les Bleus, while five games have been drawn. The teams’ most recent meeting was in the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, with France winning 2-1 thanks to goals from Aurelien Tchouameni and Olivier Giroud.

Players to watch

France – Kylian Mbappe

Tournament stats

- Appearances: 7
- Goals: 8
- Assists: 3
- Yellow/red cards: 1/0

Though this World Cup will end in disappointment for Mbappe (regardless of the result of this Third Place Playoff), he could yet win the Golden Boot and/or Golden Ball, given his outstanding performances.

If he can rack up a few more goals and put in another strong showing, personal accolades could yet follow.

England – Anthony Gordon

Tournament stats

- Appearances: 6
- Goals: 1
- Assists: 4
- Yellow/red cards: 0/0

After his fine performances through the knockout rounds – including his goal against Argentina in the semifinal – Gordon has proven himself as a reliable and elite performer for England. He will hope to cap off a fine tournament with a strong showing in Miami on Saturday.

Key stats

14.6 – France have the highest xG (expected goals) at the World Cup, with 14.6 in their seven matches thus far.
7 – Despite scoring eight goals, Kylian Mbappe has also missed the most ‘big chances’ – seven – at the tournament.
6 – Both Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham have scored six goals each – the first time that one team has two players on six or more goals in World Cup history.
26 – England have created 26 big chances at the World Cup, a number bettered only by France (27).

Tactical battle
In the third-place playoff, Didier Deschamps’ France will likely blend structure with attacking freedom, using a balanced, resilient system that becomes lethal once ahead, allowing stars like Mbappé to exploit space. With this his final game, expect controlled intensity and sharp transitions.

Thomas Tuchel’s England, however, are more methodical: built on structured possession, positional discipline and territorial control. Yet recent criticism of his over-cautious in-game management suggests a tension between control and risk.

The tactical battle hinges on whether Tuchel imposes control or Deschamps manipulates moments and punishes hesitation.