JAKARTA - The French and English national football teams meet in a prestige match and a battle for third place in the 2026 World Cup at the Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, Florida, USA, Sunday (19/7) at 04.00 WIB.
As reported by ANTARA based on data on the FIFA website, Saturday, July 18, the third place match brought together the two European giants after both were eliminated in the semi-finals or failed to advance to the final round. France had to admit Spain's advantage with a score of 0-2, while England was stopped by Argentina with a final result of 1-2.
Now both teams are trying to end the tournament with a bronze medal, while maintaining their prestige on the world football stage.
For France, this match also has emotional meaning because it is Didier Deschamps' last match as national team coach.
Deschamps insists his squad still has a responsibility to give their best performance despite failing to reach the final.
Defender Ibrahima Konate also said the players wanted to dedicate the win to the coach.
Kylian Mbappe is confirmed to be in good condition and still has the opportunity to add to his collection of goals in the tournament's golden boot competition.
In the English camp, Harry Kane admitted he was disappointed after the dramatic defeat against Argentina, but insisted his team would bounce back and try to end the tournament with a win.
Manager Thomas Tuchel is expected to make a number of rotations, while still maintaining the main framework of the team.
Historically, France has a more impressive record at the World Cup with two championship titles in 1998 and 2018, and two other finalists in 2006 and 2022. Meanwhile, England has only lifted the trophy once, when they were the hosts in 1966.
However, both countries have been consistent in being the main challengers in the last few editions of the World Cup.
The meeting between France and England is always tight. In their last duel at the 2022 World Cup, France won 2-1 in the quarterfinal.
Both teams are also populated by many players who appear at the highest level of European competition, so it is expected to present a high-intensity match again. Les Blues are predicted to be slightly more favored thanks to the depth of the squad and the motivation to give a sweet farewell to Deschamps.
However, England or The Three Lions still have chances through the creativity of Jude Bellingham and Kane's sharpness. The match is expected to be open with both teams playing more offensively than the semi-final match.
Estimated line-up.
France: Mike Maignan; Jules Kounde, Dayot Upamecano, Ibrahima Konate, Theo Hernandez; Aurelien Tchouameni, Rayan Cherki, Adrien Rabiot; Ousmane Dembele, Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise.
England: Jordan Pickford; Djed Spence, John Stones, Marc Guehi, Dan Burn; Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Elliott Anderson; Bukayo Saka, Harry Kane, Anthony Gordon.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
