England play France to conclude their World Cup 2026 campaign down in Miami in the bronze final.
The game that nobody wants to play will see the Three Lions attempt to pick themselves up after being floored by Argentina’s late show in Atlanta.
The aftermath has seen Thomas Tuchel’s reputation shredded by parts of the media and fans, including President Donald Trump mentioning his strategy following Anthony Gordon’s opener.
France, too, must lift it to conclude the glittering Didier Deschamps reign, with Kylian Mbappe also determined to win the golden boot in a hard-fought battle with Lionel Messi.
Follow all the latest updates and build-up to the match, which is often a high-scoring, free-flowing affair, in our live blog below:
England v France – World Cup 2026 bronze final
- England battle France for third place in Miami | KO 10pm BST, live on BBC One
- Under-fire Tuchel set to make changes after devastating Argentina loss
- Deschamps set to bid farewell after 14-year reign with Les Bleus
- Mbappe (8 goals, 3 assists) targeting golden boot over Messi 8 goals (4 assists)
- England v France team news and predicted line-ups
England v France latest odds
17:18 , Jack Rathborn
France 5/6
Draw 3/1
England 14/5
Didier Deschamps on Kylian Mbappe availability and race for golden boot
17:10 , Jack Rathborn
"Whether they play or not, I have the duty as a head coach to do everything I can to reach tomorrow's objective," said Deschamps.
"I hope that we do, and we must display all the efforts to do so.
"It is one game. I have some keys in my possessions. Some players might play, others due to personal reasons will want to play.
"I do not want to betray any discussions I had with the players. I do not have all the elements but, yes, I will substitute some players."
Think you had it bad? I watched England lose to Argentina in Buenos Aires
17:00 , Jack Rathborn
Ever felt lonely? Imagine one of seven English journalists in a park just outside Buenos Aires when Argentina have just knocked your side out of the World Cup.
Imagine being seven glum faces in a sea of blue and white delirium with 150,000 locals going mad whilst the man on the microphone leads the hordes in a chant of “Messi, Messi!”
Same old story for England fans of a certain vintage but a different way to watch a game of football for sure. Over a quarter of a century covering the England rugby team has had its share of peaks and troughs. Fifty years of supporting the England football team has been pockmarked by despair – and there was more of it to come in South America as Thomas Tuchel’s men bowed out of the tournament.
Think you had it bad? I watched England lose to Argentina in Buenos Aires
The deeper question England must answer after latest World Cup failure
16:50 , Jack Rathborn
England might have gone out of the World Cup with the kind of performance that would cause deep introspection in other countries, but there was none of it from the Football Association.
After a bland public statement about how “the players and Thomas gave it everything”, there were strong private indications that no consideration was being given to change - or much else. The FA are all in, even more assured that Tuchel is the manager to finally guide England to victory at a home Euro 2028. The deeper arguments about the future are for another day but, even in this moment, there is actually a real danger in Tuchel’s spell being broken with the players.
He was specifically appointed because of his reputation as a tactical genius who is a “winner”, well versed in getting teams over the line. And yet here were the most rudimentary tactics possible, that have cost the players a chance at history, amid inferred criticism about their “belief”.
The deeper question England must answer after latest World Cup failure
Argentina players privately stunned by Thomas Tuchel’s defensive approach to World Cup semi-final
16:40 , Jack Rathborn
Argentina were stunned by England’s response to taking the lead in their World Cup semi-final and were shocked by the defensive nature of Thomas Tuchel’s substitutions, having specifically prepared themselves for the introduction of pace in the second half.
The Independent understands Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni was braced for the introduction of one of Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke, if not both. Scaloni and his staff were aware that their side’s main vulnerability is when a game is stretched, leaving them vulnerable to speed in behind.
Argentina players remarked afterwards that they feared this exact scenario following Anthony Gordon’s 55th-minute goal, only to gradually realise that England were dropping deeper and deeper.
Argentina players privately stunned by Thomas Tuchel’s defensive approach
Why Thomas Tuchel’s colossal England mistake is far worse than anything Gareth Southgate did
16:30 , Jack Rathborn
As Thomas Tuchel sought to explain England’s self-inflicted collapse, he spoke with a bullishness that lamentably wasn’t apparent in his big, failed tactical gambit against Argentina.
There was first the hint that his team had to recede as if they were Cape Verde because the players didn’t have the necessary belief.
There was then the potential inference that any critical reading of this elimination was result-based rather than from any reading of the game, despite the evidence of how that game evolved and the fact he was specifically appointed at great expense for the end result.
“Of course, the responsibility is on the coach and if it doesn't go well, it is easy to say it was wrong,” he said.
Why Tuchel’s colossal England mistake is far worse than anything Southgate did
Thomas Tuchel blames England’s ‘DNA’ following World Cup semi-final defeatdn
16:10 , Jack Rathborn
““If it happens then it has to be changed,” Tuchel said when asked if it is possible to change the English mentality. “But I’m not sure, I always try to think in football terms, in football matters. I haven’t seen the data yet but I think right after the goal, the momentum swings completely in ball possession, chances and it drops dramatically.
“We got too passive within our structure. I tried to help, not to become more passive with a back five but to be more active, to be quicker out to the wingers, not to open up the gaps between the back four.
“We encouraged everyone to step out, to be more active within the structure, but we just struggled. We couldn’t find any duels any more which was why we dropped deeper and deeper, which was never the plan but it happened.
“We needed to get back on the ball otherwise you cannot break the pressure and you cannot get the momentum back.
“I think ball possession plays a crucial role. It’s maybe not in our DNA like it is in the Spanish DNA or Argentinian or Brazilian DNA to take the ball, control the game and the ball, which is also a big problem.”
How could England look at Euro 2028 under Thomas Tuchel? The six recalls and one major change required
16:00 , Jack Rathborn
Thomas Tuchel wants to carry on as England manager. The FA want him to continue. They can try and portray it as part of a journey. His contract lasts for another two years and a home European Championships could always be more winnable than a World Cup on the other side of the Atlantic. In 2028, England need not fear defeat to Argentina.
But it was not merely the semi-final setback in Atlanta that underlined the need for England to be different in two years’ time. Tuchel’s Plan B – retreat and hang on for dear life – backfired against Argentina, but his broader style of play may require refining. If Spain win the World Cup, it will underline the sense that possession matters. England’s share in this tournament – 54 per cent – is far lower than Spain’s 63.
How could England look at Euro 2028? The six recalls and one major change required
Donald Trump questions Thomas Tuchel’s tactics in World Cup loss: ‘Harry Kane on defence?’
15:50 , Jack Rathborn
Donald Trump has remarkably become the latest person to question Thomas Tuchel’s tactics in England’s World Cup semi-final defeat.
“You have a great player in England, who I played golf with,” Trump said on Friday, at a Fifa reception in the same city. “You know that, right? He is Harry, who’s been fantastic.
“I think they perhaps made a mistake when they made him a defensive player,” Trump continued, referring to the England captain’s role as a striker, and Tuchel’s defensive moves, which led every player to get behind the ball.
“What do I know about soccer?” Trump added. “They took the lead, and they took their best player, and they put him on defence. Then somehow...
“We got to be a little offensive, right? But no, I’m not gonna call it... Look, what do I know about coaching?
“I thought that was a little unusual, but Harry is a great guy actually.”
England v France – Three Lions train before World Cup 2026 bronze match
15:40 , Jack Rathborn
World Cup 2026 team of the tournament: The Independent’s best XI from historic event
15:30 , Jack Rathborn
The 2026 World Cup is at its final furlong. After all the build-up and a thrilling five weeks of the very highest sporting drama, there are now just two matches left.
Spain and Argentina contest the final in New Jersey on Sunday, with both having come through their semi-finals against France and England respectively.
European champions Spain were ultra-impressive in dismantling France and stopping their attacking firepower, while Lionel Messi’s Argentina side again launched a stunning comeback, scoring twice in eight minutes to beat a distraught England 2-1 on Wednesday, as they eye a second consecutive triumph on the world stage.
As for France and England, they face each other in tonight’s bronze final - the match nobody wants to play in. But having reflected on the past 102 games, we’ve decided on our best players, fitted into a 4-3-3 formation.
Here is the Independent’s World Cup team of the tournament.
World Cup 2026 team of the tournament: The Independent’s best XI
World Cup 2026 Golden Boot standings
15:20 , Jack Rathborn
1. Lionel Messi (Argentina), 8 goals (4 assists) - 712 minutes played
2. Kylian Mbappe (France), 8 goals, (3 assists) - 666 minutes played
3. Erling Haaland (Norway), 7 goals (0 assists) - 537 minutes played
= 4. Jude Bellingham (England), 6 goals (1 assist) - 678 minutes played
= 4 Harry Kane (England), 6 goals (1 assist) - 732 minutes played
6. Ousmane Dembele (France), 5 goals (2 assists) - 595 minutes played
England v France – Les Bleus train before World Cup 2026 bronze match
15:00 , Jack Rathborn
Bronze final? How about World Cup’s most pointless match? Why Fifa should bin off third-place play-off
14:50 , Jack Rathborn
The unique allure and jeopardy of World Cup matches, the exclusivity of such seismic occasions every four years, are undoubtedly the tournament’s greatest asset. It’s what stirs the senses, arouses tension, triggers drama. And yet, heading into this weekend’s final furlong, the World Cup’s penultimate match continues to be a showdown that nobody – players, fans, broadcasters – really cares about.
Why Fifa should bin off pointless World Cup third-place play-off
Pep Guardiola ‘had verbal agreement’ to become England boss as Thomas Tuchel exit clauses revealed
14:40 , Jack Rathborn
Pep Guardiola had a “verbal agreement” to become England boss before Thomas Tuchel was appointed and may still be interested in the role.
Questions have been raised over Tuchel’s future after England’s bitterly disappointing World Cup exit at the hands of Argentina in the semi-final, with many criticising the German’s tactics in a game that saw the Three Lions succumb to a late comeback after leading.
There are calls for Tuchel to be sacked by the FA with many pointing to Guardiola, fresh off leaving Manchester City at the end of last season, as a dream replacement.
Guardiola ‘had agreement’ to become England boss as Thomas exit clauses revealed
How England’s World Cup dream unravelled to leave one agonising regret
14:30 , Jack Rathborn
It is customary, at times like this, to mention 1966. Amid England’s repeated inability to replicate the scenes at Wembley six decades ago, however, it may be pertinent to note 1966 was the last World Cup before the introduction of substitutes. England’s defence of their title ended in 1970 after Sir Alf Ramsey’s decision to take Bobby Charlton off against West Germany. If nothing else, it is no longer the most infamous substitution an England manager has made in a World Cup in North America. When Ezri Konsa came for Anthony Gordon in Atlanta, it helped propel Argentina into the final.
Thomas Tuchel may note the only three previous managers to take England to a World Cup semi-final – Ramsey, Bobby Robson and Gareth Southgate – all ended up knighted. It is not only his German passport that suggests he need not save a date in his diary for a trip to Buckingham Palace.
How England’s World Cup dream unravelled to leave one agonising regret
Thomas Tuchel responds after Donald Trump criticism
14:15 , Jack Rathborn
"Do you use Donald Trump as your witness for the case? Just asking. I view them in the same way, we were too passive, got too passive, if you're asking if I regret my decision, then no, I don't regret my decisions, I felt we became too passive,” Tuchel said when questioned on Trump’s criticism, with the US President stating that the German coach might have “made a mistake when they made him [Kane] a defensive player” in the closing stages of the Argentina match.
“The momentum switches in the match, I tried to help my team, I tried to support, I was trusting my instincts, my intuition, my experience, my competitiveness. I took the decision in order to help the team get the result. We didn't get the result, of course, I take the responsibility.
“The decisions are made under stress. The decisions are made in-game, in-life coaching, I would regret it if I didn't help, if I didn't react, but I have no regrets over my decisions."
England v France predicted line-ups
12:40 , Jack Rathborn
France XI: Maignan; Kounde, Konate, Lacroix, T. Hernandez; Kone, Zaire-Emery; Cherki, Olise, Doue; Mbappe.
England XI: Pickford; Spence, Chalobah, Guehi, O'Reilly; Rice, Mainoo; Madueke, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane.
England v France team news
12:39 , Jack Rathborn
France are without William Saliba due to a back injury sustained in the semi-final - Maxence Lacroix will likely deputise again. Back-up keeper Brice Samba is also absent.
For England, there are doubts over Reece James’ fitness again after he was withdrawn following treatment against Argentina, while Jordan Henderson is also out with his broken wrist. Jarell Quansah is available again after his two-match suspension, while Tuchel will likely give those who haven’t played any minutes a World Cup run-out - like Mainoo and Chalobah. Jude Bellingham may wind up with a suspension for slapping Valentin Barco.
England v France – World Cup 2026 bronze match
12:19 , Jack Rathborn
Welcome to the Independent’s coverage of the Fifa World Cup 2026 bronze final: England v France.
Thomas Tuchel has been hammered for his tactics in the devastating semi-final defeat to Argentina.
Now, a chance to salvage some credit from a bitter end to a wild ride this summer.
But France are bidding farewell to Didier Deschamps after 14 years in charge. Stick with us for all the build-up and team news in Miami.
