Two teams that came within a goal of playing for everything now meet to play for almost nothing. England and France face off Saturday in the 2026 World Cup third-place match at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, a 5:00 p.m. ET kickoff on Fox that sits between heartbreak and the long flight home.
Both sides lost their semifinals. Argentina knocked England out 2-1, with Lionel Messi afterward telling BBC Sport that reaching a second consecutive final “is not by chance.” Spain stunned France to reach Sunday’s final, where they’ll meet the reigning world champions.
England manager Thomas Tuchel said his side “could not get momentum back” after Argentina’s equalizer, and he defended his tactical decisions in what BBC described as a tense news conference. U.S. President Donald Trump even weighed in, questioning Harry Kane’s second-half “defensive” role in the loss — because apparently that’s where we are now.
For France, Saturday carries extra weight. It will be Didier Deschamps’ final match in charge of Les Bleus. He’s stepping down after the tournament, and Zinedine Zidane is the rumored successor, per Yahoo Sports. Deschamps has managed France since 2012, leading them to the 2018 World Cup title and the 2022 final. A bronze medal in 90-degree Miami heat isn’t the send-off anyone drew up, but it’s the one he’s got.
Third-place matches are a strange animal. The pressure’s gone, the trophy’s already spoken for, and you’re asking millionaires to sprint in South Florida summer weather for a consolation prize. Yahoo Sports noted the ingredients are there for an open, entertaining game — two rosters stacked with attacking talent and zero reason to park the bus. The same article acknowledged the flip side: two demoralized squads with one foot on the plane could produce a snoozer.
England’s run to the semifinal included a quarterfinal win over Norway — who had themselves knocked out Brazil behind two Erling Haaland goals — and a group-stage victory over Mexico. France’s path to the final four was less documented in available coverage, but their semifinal exit to Spain was characterized by BBC as a shock, suggesting Deschamps’ side had been favored.
The tournament itself has been a sprawling, messy, fascinating production across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. BBC catalogued controversies from high ticket prices to hydration breaks to political interventions, including a Falklands banner displayed by the Argentina team that drew White House defense and Downing Street calls for a FIFA investigation. The U.S. co-hosts were eliminated by Belgium amid a red-card drama and a suspended ban for Folarin Balogun that prompted Trump to request FIFA review the decision.
Sunday’s final pits European champions Spain against World Cup holders and Copa América winners Argentina — a matchup BBC framed as potentially decisive in the 2026 Ballon d’Or race. Messi, who missed a penalty against Egypt before Argentina’s 3-2 comeback in the quarterfinals, said he felt he had “let everyone down” before rallying his side. He and a young Lamine Yamal were once photographed together when Yamal was a baby — a image Messi called “crazy” to revisit now that they’ll face each other on the sport’s biggest stage.
But first, the appetizer nobody ordered. England and France in Miami, playing for third, playing for pride, and for one of them, playing to send a legend out the right way.
- Yahoo Sports — What soccer games are today? Breaking down World Cup schedule for July 18
- BBC Sport — World Cup 2026 coverage