Miami, July 16 (IANS) Beaten semifinalists France and England face off in the third-place match in the 103rd match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 at the Miami Stadium in Miami, eyeing a consolation prize that will elevate some of the hurt caused by missing the top prize.
France succumbed to a superior Spain side in the first semifinal, while England failed to capitalise on their lead and went down to defending champions Argentina on Tuesday night.
The bronze final will also be Kylian Mbappé’s last chance to add to his eight goals and overhaul Lionel Messi to win the Golden Boot, while Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham — on six goals each — can also stake their claim for the award.
With Mbappé in his usual ferocious mood whenever a World Cup comes around, France made a blistering start to the tournament. They cruised to an impressive 3-1 victory over Senegal in their opening game, followed by a dominant 3-0 win over Iraq, before topping Group I by thrashing Norway 4-1.
France were similarly ruthless in the knockout stage, earning an imposing 3-0 win over Sweden before overcoming stiff challenges from Paraguay and then Morocco to make it to the last four. Didier Deschamps’ side had high hopes of reaching a third successive final and repeating their triumph of 2018, but Spain had other ideas, winning the semi-final tie in Dallas 2-0.
England, meanwhile, had a more eventful journey through the tournament. The Three Lions powered to a 4-2 win over Croatia in their first game, then came back down to earth with a goalless draw against Ghana, but still topped Group L by beating Panama. They were given an almighty scare by Congo DR in the Round of 32 before Kane’s inspirational second-half double saw them through.
Then came an enthralling and spirited 3-2 win over co-hosts Mexico in the last 16 and another comeback win over Norway after extra time in the quarter-finals. Old enemy Argentina awaited in the semis, and this time it was England who were on the wrong end of a dramatic turnaround.
France are preparing for their fourth appearance in the bronze final, having taken the medal in 1958 against West Germany and in 1986 against Belgium, while missing out to Poland in 1982. England will play for the bronze medal for the third time, having previously lost out to Italy in 1990 and Belgium in 2018.
England and France have met each other on 32 occasions, and three of them have been at the World Cup. England won a group stage game in 1966, 2-0 with a double from Roger Hunt. They were victors again in the first group stage in 1982, running out 3-1 winners thanks to two goals from Bryan Robson and one from Paul Mariner. Their last encounter came in the quarter-finals of the 2022 tournament in Qatar, when France won 2-1, Aurelien Tchouameni and Oliver Giroud scoring either side of a penalty from Kane, who then missed the target from a later spot-kick.
–IANS
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