FIFA World Cup

Third place play-off

FRA France France - ENG England England

France France

England England

Miami Stadium(Sold out)

Jesus Noel Valenzuela Saez

Full-time: France 4-6 England

The whistle goes on an incredibly entertaining match in Miami! England bossed the first half and went into the changing rooms 4-0 up, but France came out fighting in the second period and sensationally cut the deficit to 4-3, with a record-breaking Mbappé grabbing the encounter by the scruff of the neck. A Saka penalty - his third goal of the match - and a wonderful solo goal by Bellingham ensured that England would finish third at a World Cup for the first time, but huge credit should also go to Olise and Co. for making a game of it.

End of second half

Full-time

90'

+ 8

And that'll do it for England!

Bellingham scores the tenth goal (!) of the match with a brilliant solo effort, sealing England's third-place finish in the process!

90'

+ 8

Jude Bellingham

GOAL!

4:6

Goal probability

Goal probability determines the likelihood that the ball will land in the goal from every position on the pitch. The value is based on large amounts of data from previous years; factors such as shot angle, distance to goal and opponent pressure - as well as mathematical models.

39 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

7.14 m

90'

+ 6

France are not done yet!

Upamecano feeds Dembélé down the right, and the skilful forward runs through on goal, cuts past his man and curls it into the net! Amazing stuff.

90'

+ 6

Ousmane Dembélé

GOAL!

4:5

Assist:D. Upamecano

Goal probability

17 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

13.27 m

90'

+ 3

Substitution

Trevoh Chalobah

Marc Guéhi

90'

+ 1

Seven mins of added time

Neutrals won't want this game to end, but we're now into the first of seven minutes of injury time.

90'

+ 1

Substitution

Jules Koundé

Malo Gusto

87'

Saka scores!

Saka slots the penalty into the net for his hat-trick and England have a 5-3 lead - what a crazy game!

87'

Bukayo Saka

GOAL!

3:5

Penalty

Goal probability

77 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

11 m

85'

Penalty to England

Gusto brings down Spence and the ref has no hesitation in awarding the spot-kick.

83'

Quansah off

The Bayer Leverkusen defender is replaced by James.

83'

Substitution

Reece James

Jarell Quansah

81'

The madness continues

At the other end, Olise looks certain to score, but concludes a beautiful passing move by sweeping the ball just wide! Incredible!

80'

England go close

Bellingham makes an instant impact, bursting into the box and forcing Maignan into action. On the follow-up, Watkins' attempt is blocked.

79'

Tuchel shuffles the pack

Clearly concerned about what he is watching, the German tactician brings on Bellingham and Anderson.

79'

Substitution

Jude Bellingham

Eberechi Eze

79'

Substitution

Elliot Anderson

Ivan Toney

75'

So close to 4-4!

Gusto tees up Olise, whose first-time effort spins just wide of the left-hand post!

71'

Back at it

That's the hydration break over; play is underway again.

4-3!!

The rollercoaster continues, as France get a third and cut the margin to one goal. Mbappé - who else? - fires home to being Les Bleus right back into the match and become the all-time leading goalscorer at the World Cup! And with that, it's time for the hydration break.

66'

Kylian Mbappé

GOAL!

3:4

Assist:M. Olise

Goal probability

17 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

13.93 m

64'

Dembélé hits his shot straight at Henderson

The former Dortmund forward does everything right until his shot, which he taps tamely at the England 'keeper. A big chance!

61'

Olise fires wide

There's been a complete status reversal here compared to the first half, with France now threatening every time they attack. On this occasion, Olise drives forward, but the Bundesliga star drags his shot wide of the left post!

60'

Maignan saves from Toney

Toney gets up high and aims a powerful headed effort goalwards, but Maignan pulls off an outstanding diving save!

57'

Dembélé draws a good stop from Henderson

Dembélé sprints clear and tests Henderson, but he's deemed to be offside. France continue to push, though.

Barcola grabs another!

France have their tails up now - from 4-0 to 4-2 in just a few minutes. Barcola drives through on goal and slots the ball coolly past Henderson! That's his third goal of the World Cup.

54'

Bradley Barcola

GOAL!

2:4

Assist:K. Mbappé

Goal probability

25 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

10.49 m

France get one back!

Olise feeds Mbappé, and he offers France a way back into the match...and takes the lead in the Golden Boot race in the process! The Bayern man, meanwhile, is now tied with Brazilian great Pele's all-time record for the most assists at a World Cup, set in 1970.

48'

Kylian Mbappé

GOAL!

1:4

Assist:M. Olise

Goal probability

22 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

10.97 m

46'

Subs on both sides

Unsurprisingly, Deschamps has made four half-time changes, bringing in Barcola, Dembélé, Upamecano and Digne. Tuchel has also made a switch, replacing Rashford with Watkins.

46'

The whistle goes for the start of the second half

Referee Sáez gets the second period underway.

Kick-off!

45'

+ 5

Substitution

Bradley Barcola

Désiré Doué

45'

+ 5

Substitution

Ousmane Dembélé

Rayan Cherki

45'

+ 5

Substitution

Ollie Watkins

Marcus Rashford

45'

+ 5

Substitution

Dayot Upamecano

Ibrahima Konaté

45'

+ 5

Substitution

Lucas Digne

Théo Hernandez

Half-time: France 0-4 England

A vibrant and hugely effective first-half performance by England has them four goals up at half-time in Miami. Rice, Konsa and Saka (2) did the damage versus a flat French side who will need to come up with something special in the second half if they are to avoid a heavy defeat in Didier Deschamps' swansong.

Half-time

England running riot

Saka, who has been a constant thorn in the shaky French defence, grabs his brace with a clinical finish! 4-0!

45'

+ 1

Bukayo Saka

GOAL!

0:4

Assist:E. Eze

Goal probability

12 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

16.47 m

45'

Four mins of injury time

Will we get another goal before half-time? France could certainly use one, and if England get one, it could be all over.

It's 3-0!

Only the most optimistic of England fans would have predicted that they would be three goals to the good after 37 minutes. After an absolute stramash in the box involving Rashford and Saka, the latter-named player eventually puts Maignan out of his misery by slamming the ball into the net.

37'

Bukayo Saka

GOAL!

0:3

Assist:M. Rashford

Goal probability

17 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

13.08 m

35'

Mbappé denied by Henderson!

The fleet-footed Frenchman dances his way into the box and shoots, but Henderson makes a good save.

34'

Rashford shoots from long range

Rashford nutmegs Zaire-Emery and hits a piledriver from well outside the box, but Maignan is equal to it.

Olise with some nice touches

Olise is starting to see a bit more of the ball. Can he drag France back into this match?

26'

Back underway

The break is over and the ball is rolling again.

23'

Wide from Mbappé

Mbappé tries to curl one in from distance, but it flies well wide of the left-hand post! And that takes us up to the first-half hydration break.

21'

Although the teams have created a similar number of chances...

...England have been far more clinical.

Goal attempts

2off target

1on target

3off target

1on target

England double their lead!

Rice's corner finds Konsa, who rises to make it 2-0! England's fantastic start to this bronze final continues.

18'

Ezri Konsa

GOAL!

0:2

Assist:D. Rice

Goal probability

16 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

7.54 m

17'

Saka breaks clear

Saka beats the offside trap and cuts inside. He looks like he might score, but Lacroix does brilliantly to make the block.

15'

Great footwork by Mbappé

The Frenchman skips past two England defenders and sends in an inviting cross, but there's no-one there to capitalise!

11'

Cherki tests Henderson

Cherki lets fly with his left, but the England 'keeper - in for Pickford today - makes a solid parry.

Spence stops Mbappé

Mbappé looks for a second like he might have a chance of sprinting clean through on goal, but the speedy Spence recovers well and snuffs out the danger.

Rashford goes close!

The ball falls to Rashford in the box, and his snapshot is well blocked by Gusto. The ensuing corner comes to nothing. England look dangerous every time they go forward right now.

French reponse

France attempt a brief foray into England's half, but Mbappé's shot is blocked and the move peters out.

England take the lead!

Rice shows the way after less than three minutes in Miami - the captain picks up a loose pass by Doué, drives forward and slams the ball past Maignan! Great start by Thomas Tuchel's men.

Declan Rice

GOAL!

0:1

Goal probability

3 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

23 m

Heat a factor?

The current temperature in Miami is 31C, which is likely to have an effect on the pace of the game.

And we're off!

Les Bleus get the FIFA World Cup bronze final underway!

Kick-off!

The anthems are playing to a packed stadium

Kick-off is fast approaching!

The players are out warming up

We've got about 20 mins till kick-off in Miami!

Tuchel: "We're trying to close the gap"

Thomas Tuchel, speaking to US television a few moments ago: "We feel there's still a slight gap between us and the top three teams, and today we're going to try to close that gap."

0:47

Watch: 'Magnificent' Michael Olise

More on that France team

Didier Deschamps has also made a host of changes, retaining only Mike Maignan, Adrian Rabiot, Michael Olise and Kylian Mbappé from the line-up he selected to face Spain.

More on that England team

Thomas Tuchel has made a whopping seven changes to the England XI which started the semi-final defeat to Argentina. The big news is the absence of Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, who will have to attempt to boost their Golden Boot stats as impact substitutes. Elsewhere, Jarrell Quansah returns after his two-match ban.

Starting line-up: England

Formation:4-1-4-1

England subs

Pickford, Trafford, Gordon, James, Madueke, Watkins, Jordan Henderson, Burn, Anderson, Kane, O’Reilly, Bellingham, Chalobah, Stones

Starting line-up: France

Formation:4-2-3-1

France subs

Samba, Risser, Digne, Upamecano, Kounde, Kone, Dembele, Tchouameni, Thuram, Barcola, Kante, Saliba, Lucas Hernandez, Mateta, Akliouche

France's Bundesliga connections

As well as current stars Michael Olise and Dayot Upamecano, France's squad also contains a number of players who previously graced German football. Lucas Hernandez spent four successful seasons with Bayern, winning the Champions League in 2020. Ibrahima Konaté and Maxence Lacroix were fan favourites at RB Leipzig and Wolfsburg respectively before moving on, while Manu Koné and Marcus Thuram enjoyed spells at Gladbach. Jean-Philippe Mateta found the net regularly in his time at Mainz, and Ousmane Dembélé earned the Bundesliga Rookie of the Season award during his eye-catching stint in Dortmund.

Quansah available again after ban

After receiving a red card in England's round-of-16 clash with Mexico and a subsequent two-match suspension, Bayer Leverkusen's Jarell Quansah is available for selection again today. If picked, the defender would earn his sixth cap for the Three Lions.

1:35

Watch: The best of Upemacano in 2025/26

Enjoy some of the robust centre-back's highlights for Bayern this past season.

A bit of history

England have played in the bronze final twice before and lost both times - to Italy in 1990 and to Belgium in 2018. France, meanwhile, have contested third place on three occasions, but Les Bleus, in contrast, emerged victorious twice, defeating West Germany at Sweden 1958 and Belgium at Mexico 1986. Their sole defeat came at the hands of Poland in 1982.

0:59

Watch: Olise laying it on a plate for Kane!

Watch Michael Olise set up Harry Kane for eight memorable Bayern Munich goals.

Individual accolades still to play for

Michael Olise can still either equal or overtake Pelé's World Cup assist record. He sits on five at the moment, with the Brazilian's record being six. Harry Kane (pictured, r.) is still in with a chance of winning the golden boot too; he sits on seven goals at the moment, with Kylian Mbappé slightly ahead on eight and Lionel Messi (pictured, l.) leading the way with nine.

Deschamps hoping to go out on a high

This will be Didier Deschamps' final game as France boss before stepping down from his position as head coach. He delivered the 2018 World Cup and 2020/21 UEFA Nations League trophies while in charge, as well as taking them to the Euro 2016 and 2022 World Cup finals.

Ibrahima Konaté on the bronze medal match

“We wanted to play the final, but we are still representing France and it is the dream of many people to wear the shirt, the jersey, and sing the Marseillaise therefore we need to respect the jersey we’re wearing.”

John Stones on bouncing back from Argentina defeat

"We were all on the same path and the same wavelength, the same belief that we could get to the very end of this and believe that we could win it and I think everyone felt that. That's why to go out in a semi-final hurts even more because we believe so much and didn't get to where we believe we should be. I think France coming round so quick is another good focus for us to go and get a bronze medal. Something that I've not been able to do."

Didier Deschamps on facing England

“We aren’t headed to the match we were hoping for, but we still have a match to play and we have a duty to fulfil. When you wear the France shirt, it’s not just about what you get, it’s also about giving back. It’s the standard I set for myself, for my staff and for the players too. We have a responsibility towards every France fan who has followed us and shared in our ups and downs. As a head coach, together with my staff, we will do everything to win. I hope that we’ll succeed, but the most important thing is to give it our all."

Thomas Tuchel on facing France

"It is a big game against one of the very best teams in the world. It's a moment to show that we are actually made of what we showed through the whole tournament. There is no doubt about that."

The venue

The Bronze Final is set to take place at Miami Stadium. The 65,000-capacity venue in Miami Gardens has hosted six Super Bowls and is home to the NFL's Miami Dolphins. So far this summer, it has staged six World Cup matches, with today's clash being its seventh - and final - of the tournament. Having defeated Norway 2-1 at the venue in the quarter-finals, England have fond recent memories of playing in Florida.

Kane vs. Olise

This match will also see two Bayern stars, and two of the best performers of the tournament in Harry Kane and Michael Olise face off. While Kane has six goals to his name, Olise leads the assists chart with five.

Deschamps' final game

This will be the final match of Didier Deschamps' reign as France head coach. Following his appointment in 2012, Les Bleus have won the World Cup (in 2018), reached another final, a semi-final and a quarter-final. They have also participated in a UEFA Euro final (2016), a semi-final and a round of 16 encounter.

Tuchel discusses third-place play-off

England head coach Thomas Tuchel has been discussing this match in the build-up. "None of our players and none of the French players want to play this match," he said. "They want to play the final. We gave everything to achieve that. Everyone plays to win the World Cup, but that’s how it is. We have one less day of recovery than France, but we will do it with professionalism. The important thing for us is to bounce back and react. That’s what you have to do at the highest level of sport and that’s what we'll do."

Goals galore?

France (16) and England (14) are the second and third highest scoring teams at this tournament, with France also having had the most shots on target of any other team so far (50).

Head-to-head

Of the 32 games that have taken place between these two nations, France have won 10 to England's 17. Their last meeting came during the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where France won 2-1 thanks to goals from Olivier Giroud and Aurélien Tchouameni, while Harry Kane (pictured, r.) scored England's only goal but also missed a penalty.

How they got here: France

Les Bleus were beaten 2-0 by a dominant Spain side in their semi-final, who were once again outstanding defensively. Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro scored the goals to end France's World Cup hopes, with Michael Olise and Dayot Upamecano unable to stop their side slipping to defeat.

How they got here: England

The Three Lions' World Cup dreams were shattered by Argentina, who came from behind to beat them 2-1 late on in their semi-final. Anthony Gordon gave England the lead with a close range finish, a reward for what had been a composed performance up until that point. However, Argentina rallied in the closing stages, with Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez scoring late goals to complete the turnaround for the defending champions.

Hello and welcome!

Thank you for joining us for live coverage of this FIFA World Cup 2026 bronze medal game between France and England at Miami Stadium (kick-off 11pm CEST).