Preview: England and France end their World Cup tournaments in the bronze final in Miami | OneFootball

The second-to-last game of this World Cup sees the two losers of the semi-finals, England and France, go head-to-head in a game that offers both sides a chance to recover some pride.

Tipped by many to be the World Cup final, both sides were surprisingly lacklustre in their semi-final defeats to Spain and Argentina, who will contest the final on Sunday.

France headed into this tournament as clear favourites; their superior strength and depth in attack combined with the winning knowledge and mentality of manager Didier Deschamps made it seem almost unthinkable that Les Bleus wouldn’t put a third star on their shirt. Breezing past a tricky group stage that consisted of Norway and Senegal, France then blitzed past Sweden and found a way against a rugged and resolute Paraguay side.

Afterwards, they faced Morocco, who some thought might have the know-how and ability to stop this relentless French machine, but they put up a meek fight, and the in-form Mbappe made the difference as they cruised to a 2-0 victory.

They then came up against Spain in what arguably should have been the final as the two best European nations went head to head, but it was much less even than that. France didn’t show up, their attack looked toothless, and they failed to gain control in midfield at any point as Spain were brilliant.

La Roja’s relentless keeping off the ball and dominating the tempo nullified the French attack, and a penalty from Mikel Oyarzabal and a smart finish from Pedro Porro made the difference as Spain cruised to their second ever World Cup final.

This will be Deschamps’ final game in charge of the French national team, and the two-time World Cup winner would have certainly liked to bow out in more apt circumstances.

As for England, they came into this tournament as a relative unknown with manager Thomas Tuchel, who took over from Gareth Southgate in October of 2024. A few interesting squad selections marred the build-up to the tournament, but England were still favourites from the start.

A strong second-half display against Croatia, where the Three Lions could’ve had at least five or six second-half goals, they then disappointed against a Ghana side before just getting over the line against Panama in their final group game.

England then faced Congo in the round of 32, where they went behind on the ninth minute and struggled all the way until the 75th minute where they were rescued by Harry Kane, who netted two brilliant goals in the last 15 minutes to drag England over the line.

After that they faced the daunting task of taking on Mexico in the round of 16 at the Azteca. The Mexicans had lost just four times in the history of the Azteca and were eager to trounce a top side in front of their home fans. In a World Cup classic that had multiple penalties and a red card, England triumphed 3-2 in one of the great results in England’s World Cup history, considering the circumstances.

A date with Norway awaited them, where England once again struggled. Thanks to a Jude Bellingham brace (his second in as many games), they were able to overcome a Norwegian side who had more than enough chances to beat England, including taking the lead through Schjelderup and having a goal disallowed through a contentious VAR decision.

A historic date with the old enemy awaited England as Argentina stood in their way of their first World Cup final since 1966. In a game of few chances for the first hour, England took the lead with Antony Gordon’s smart finish and looked in the driving seat to make the final. However, a huge shift in momentum and positioning killed England.

Goals from Enzo Fernandez and Lautauro Martinez (both assisted by Messi) sent the Argentines through and the English home. From the Gordon goal to the final whistle, England averaged just 12% position and managed a measly three successful passes. A stark contrast to what Tuchel had prophesied when appointed in October 2024 and a bitter, disappointing way to bow out of a tournament the FA were desperate to win.

Both teams will make multiple changes for this one, with both managers voicing their displeasure at the idea of the game even existing. It’s been a gruelling and long tournament for both teams, and the idea of an extra-game isn’t ideal. It will be the first time England and France have faced each other since France knocked England out of the last World Cup in the quarter-final.

England have appeared in the third-place play-off before, where they lost to Belgium, having been knocked out of the 2018 World Cup by Croatia in similar heartbreaking circumstances. France haven’t appeared at one for over 40 years and will be bitterly disappointed they’re not featuring in the much more anticipated game on Sunday.

England v France will kick off at 8:00pm UK time.