France faced England in Miami Gardens on July 18, 2026, in the World Cup third-place match, making seven changes to the lineup that lost 2-0 to Spain in the semi-finals. Didier Deschamps, in his final game as head coach, rested several regular starters and gave opportunities to less frequently used players. Before kickoff, he framed the fixture as a professional obligation: “We do have a match for the third place playoff, and there’s a duty.”
Kylian Mbappé remained basic to the attack, alongside Rayan Cherki. Michael Olise and Désiré Doué also featured. Warren Zaïre-Emery joined the midfield, while Malo Gusto and Ibrahima Konaté featured in a reshuffled defence, alongside Maxence Lacroix and Théo Hernandez. Only four players from the semi-final retained their places in the starting eleven: Mike Maignan and Adrien Rabiot, as well as Olise and Mbappé. France made further changes at halftime, bringing on Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola, followed by Dayot Upamecano and Lucas Digne.
The match kicked off at 23:00 French time and ended with England winning 6-4. Bukayo Saka scored a hat trick for England, while Mbappé struck twice for France in the second half. His goals included a 66th-minute finish assisted by Olise. Mbappé entered the game tied with Lionel Messi on eight tournament goals; Messi held the reported tiebreak advantage, with four assists to Mbappé’s three. Mbappé’s brace took his total to 10, moving him ahead of Messi in the Golden Boot race, even as France finished fourth.
The result brought Deschamps’ tenure to a close after he led France to the 2018 World Cup title and the 2022 final. Zinedine Zidane was subsequently appointed by the French Football Federation as his successor on a four-year contract, opening a new chapter for Les Bleus. His first squad selections introduced seven players. They included Guillaume Restes and Jérémy Jacquet, as well as Andy Diouf and Lucas Da Cunha. Esteban Lepaul and Jean Butez were also selected, along with Leny Yoro. The transition has already drawn attention to the next phase of French football, as highlighted in coverage of Zidane's upcoming role.
Third-place matches can give teams a chance to test squad depth, but the 2026 playoff became a high-scoring contest rather than a cautious exhibition. For England, the win secured the bronze medal; for France, it closed the tournament and Deschamps’ long run in charge. The match put the spotlight on the players given starting opportunities and the coaching transition that followed the World Cup.
