England and France to Face Off in World Cup Third-Place Match Today
England and France will compete for bronze in Miami today, both having suffered their first defeats in the semifinals.
Today in Miami, England and France will meet in the World Cup third-place match. Both teams lost their semifinals – France 0-2 to Spain, England 1-2 to Argentina – marking their first losses of the tournament. The winner will take home bronze medals.
Path to the Bronze Match
France topped their group with wins over Senegal (3-1), Iraq (3-0), and Norway (4-1). In the knockout stage, they kept clean sheets: 3-0 against Sweden, 1-0 against Paraguay, and 2-0 against Morocco. England started with a 4-2 win over Croatia, a 0-0 draw with Ghana, and a 2-0 win over Panama. They then beat DR Congo 2-1, Mexico 3-2, and Norway 2-1, with Jude Bellingham scoring twice against Norway.
Top Scorers
France captain Kylian Mbappé has scored eight goals and provided three assists in this tournament. He is competing with Lionel Messi for the all-time World Cup goals record – Messi has 21 goals, one more than Mbappé. For England, Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane have each scored six goals.
France and England also met in the 2022 World Cup quarterfinals, with France winning 2-1. France has medaled in the last two tournaments: silver in 2022 and champions in 2018. England has not won a medal since 1966, when they became champions.
The final on Sunday will feature Argentina vs. Spain. This is the first World Cup with 48 teams, hosted by Mexico, the USA, and Canada. The 12 groups produced 32 knockout teams: the top two from each group and the eight best third-placed teams. The match in Miami kicks off at midnight Latvian time and will be broadcast on TV6 and the Go3 platform.
