Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- France and England face off in the World Cup third-place match after both suffered semifinal defeats this week.
- The Bronze Final has averaged nearly four goals per game in recent tournaments, promising an open contest.
- Both teams are expected to rotate heavily, with several fringe players getting rare opportunities on the biggest stage.
After both were heartbreakingly beaten in their respective semifinals earlier in the week, France and England must take part in the match no one wants to be involved in. This will be England's third time in a World Cup third place playoff (they've lost both previous third place outings). As for France, they've secured third place twice (wins against West Germany in 1958 and Belgium in 1986 and a loss against Poland in 1982).
And while this may be a low-stakes match, that doesn't mean it won't be entertaining. The past 12 Bronze Finals, as it has now been rebranded, have produced 46 goals, an average of 3.8-per-game. And that should be on the cards on Saturday evening in South Florida.
How to watch France vs. England
Match | Predictions | Time | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
France vs. England | France to win | 5 p.m. ET | FOX |
France vs. England preview and prediction
- Prediction: France 2-1 England; Kylian Mbappé to score and Ollie Watkins 2+ shots.
- Watchability rating:Â 1/5 (You must be a seriously committed fan)
If you had asked a lot of people on Tuesday morning who would be in the World Cup Final, a sizeable contingent would have predicted France vs. England. Instead, both were on the wrong end of upsets, and their punishment is to be involved in this fixture.
Before Tuesday, France had appeared simply unstoppable, scoring 16 goals and conceding only two, swatting aside everybody in their path. Against Spain, les Bleus put in a shockingly lifeless performance and were easily beaten 2-0 in Texas. Now though, Didier Deschamps' 185th and final match in charge will be a battle for bronze, rather than the prize they arrived in American aiming for.
As for England, 60 years of hurt goes on. The Three Lions went in front against Argentina on Wednesday through Anthony Gordon, but seemingly decided to sit back, trying to hold on for dear life for almost the entirety of the second half. Well, they paid the price, conceding twice in the final four minutes, blowing their shot at glory. Thomas Tuchel has subsequently been slaughtered by the British media and public alike. That is now two semifinal and two final defeats for England across the past five tournaments; it is now not unfair to label this team serial nearly men.
So, how do both approach this third-place play-off? Well, we're likely to see a lot of the players who've seen very few minutes, or in some cases none at all, throughout this tournament. For France, that includes Malo Gusto, Warren Zaïre-Emery, N'Golo Kanté, Rayan Cherki, Maghnes Akliouche and Jean-Philippe Mateta. Meantime, with Kylian Mbappé one behind Lionel Messi in the all-time World Cup goal-scorers list, expect him to insist on starting, looking to rack up the goals.
On the England side, their XI is likely to feature peripheral figures Trevoh Chalobah, Dan Burn, Kobbie Mainoo, Eberechi Eze, Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney. This is all to say, it is pretty impossible to forecast what will happen at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday in a game no one wants to be involved in.
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