The 2026 World Cup — 3rd Place Playoff | OneFootball

The most pointless game in world football... and England are part of it. The World Cup semi-finals losers play for the dubious honour of determining who is the worst loser of the two: France or England.

With any luck, it will be all change and Jordan Pickford will be relieved of his duties, meaning an early night is in order.

Saturday 18 July 2026

Reader Comments (64)

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And indeed Pickford is dropped for Dean Henderson:

England: D Henderson; Quansah, Konsa, Guehi, Spence; Rice, Eze; Saka, Rogers, Rashford; Toney

Subs: Pickford, O'Reilly, Stones, Anderson, Kane, Bellingham, Chalobah, J Henderson, Burn, Gordon, Watkins, Madueke, Trafford, James.

It's game 69 of the season for Rice... while Everton's excuse for their abysmal finish to the season was that they were all tired because they had to play as many as 40 games. What utter rubbish.

Goodnight!

Alan McGuffog 3 Posted 18/07/2026 at 21:19:23

I think for a few seasons in the mid-sixties we had this in the FA Cup.

It was played amidst widespread apathy, as I recall.

Jim Bennings 4 Posted 18/07/2026 at 22:04:50

Christy

Lol, Rice just made you eat humble pie my friend.

In truth Rice been poor in this tournament yes but outside Bellingham in most of them and Kane, nobody has stood out for me.

Christy Ring 5 Posted 18/07/2026 at 22:30:40

Jim, how did Rice make me feel humble pie?

He was crap in the last two games and they're playing for 3rd place.

Just saying, Jim.

Alan McGuffog 6 Posted 18/07/2026 at 22:32:05

Game being played as a friendly. Agreement in place not to hurt one another in a dead rubber.

Sensible.

Jim Bennings 7 Posted 18/07/2026 at 22:35:09

Chill, Christy -- just a joke.

On a different note, I'm just sad that more games haven't been hosted in Mexico. The only true fervent football nation out of the three hosts.

Andrew Ellams 8 Posted 18/07/2026 at 22:35:38

Are the French surrendering here?

David West 9 Posted 18/07/2026 at 22:36:40

Think playing in the Arsenal midfield is a bit different to playing in the Everton midfield.

Chasing shadows half the season with your passes bouncing off your big dope front men's shin, protecting a 1-0 Lead for 70 minutes, with no right-back, a left-back who shits his undies if you give him the ball. Playing with the ball for 80-90% of a season is half as hard as trying to win games with 20% possession.

Not taking anything away from Rice, he's probably relishing it after being flogged by Moyes.

Mark Ryan 10 Posted 18/07/2026 at 22:39:18

The French are on the beach and we think this game matters.

Andrew Ellams 11 Posted 18/07/2026 at 22:41:59

Not sure Deschamps would want to go out like this, Mark.

Christy Ring 12 Posted 18/07/2026 at 22:43:26

Jim, all good, my friend.

Just a pity they didn't have the same freedom against Argentina.

Jim Bennings 13 Posted 18/07/2026 at 22:45:04

France getting embarrassed a bit here.

The game may be irrelevant but still...

David West 14 Posted 18/07/2026 at 22:49:39

It means nothing though, add in a bit of pressure and their arses go.

One thing though, England have players who can keep the ball, so why didn't he use them when it mattered???

John Collins 15 Posted 18/07/2026 at 22:52:09

Defensive manager takes the handbrake off:

4-0

Mark Ryan 16 Posted 18/07/2026 at 22:55:21

None of these French superstars wants to pick up an injury before their Holibobs and they could not give a fuck. The commentator is getting a semi but we needed to win in the semi.

The game is a friendly and Deschamp won't give a toss. His job is gone and he won't care less. Les Blues won't feel blue for long they'll all be on a beach somewhere earning £200,000 a week taking in the rays, happy days.

Christy Ring 17 Posted 18/07/2026 at 22:56:17

Saka, Eze, Rashford and Toney starting, does it say anything?

Alan McGuffog 18 Posted 18/07/2026 at 22:56:21

The way that the English lad was allowed to turn for the for the fourth goal. Does anyone think he would have been allowed to do that in a competitive game?

Yes, it's nice to see us play well... but it's largely due to France not giving a fuck.

Les Callan 19 Posted 18/07/2026 at 22:59:06

Piece of piss when the opposition can’t be arsed.

Alan McGuffog 20 Posted 18/07/2026 at 23:15:13

The so-called pundits are pretending this is a real game.

So that they can start their "our brilliant squad will walk the Euros" bullshit.

David West 21 Posted 18/07/2026 at 23:26:56

11 men behind the ball now in a 3rd-place non-game.. rattled England now.

Dan burn incoming: 4-3

Bill Gall 22 Posted 18/07/2026 at 23:28:30

Didn't England know there are two halves of a football game??

Ian Horan 23 Posted 18/07/2026 at 23:29:22

It will be interesting to hear what the pundits say about Henderson's performance!!!

Mark Ryan 24 Posted 18/07/2026 at 23:29:36

I'm pleased that France are now at least trying a bit.

It's made for a better game.

David West 25 Posted 18/07/2026 at 23:31:21

Shit themselves. France just come out and said, "Oh, you're actually taking it seriously? Okay then..." and took the piss out of England.

If this wasn't a joke game, they'd be out of sight of England.

Pete Hughes 26 Posted 18/07/2026 at 23:31:42

You can bet your life if Pickford was in goal here he would be slaughtered over these 3 goals England have conceded?

Bill Gall 27 Posted 18/07/2026 at 23:33:13

The best thing about this game is fortunately Pickford is not in goal.

Chris Leyland 28 Posted 18/07/2026 at 23:33:20

England concede 3 goals for the first time since… the last time Henderson started instead of Pickford.

And the last time before that they conceded 3 was when Pope started ahead of Pickford.

And before that it was when Ramsdale started instead.

Can you spot the pattern yet?

Robert Birks 29 Posted 18/07/2026 at 23:33:32

At least Henderson is good... 👍😊😊😊😊😊

I meant shite

Don Alexander 30 Posted 18/07/2026 at 23:39:51

I haven't watched a lot of the World Cup games but this match exemplifies so much of what is brazenly obvious when it comes to considering the lack of commitment, courage, skill and cohesion in teams that's long since permeated so-called "professional" football in the past 30 years or so.

Easily 4-0 up at half-time against a team that showed none of the four characteristics I value, we then collapse en masse to concede three -- maybe because they introduced world-beating substitutes for the second half -- but Digne was one of them (!)

Am I right?

Derek Thomas 31 Posted 18/07/2026 at 23:45:31

A game for losers played by losers. If you win, who cares? No good turning in a performance now loser, shoulda done it when it mattered.

Anyway, who did you beat -- an even bigger loser than you, big deal.

Mike Powell 32 Posted 18/07/2026 at 00:05:04

No interest in England...

If they lose, it will be Pickford's fault -- even though he is not playing. Fuck them.

Alan McGuffog 33 Posted 18/07/2026 at 00:08:24

Very enjoyable... but a game without a tackle.

Si Cooper 34 Posted 19/07/2026 at 01:22:28

David (9), thanks for that.

Saved me having to type it out.

Si Cooper 35 Posted 19/07/2026 at 01:28:43

Alan (33), bit unfair that comment. Sometimes there was no decent opportunity to put a tackle in because the movement and passing was so good.

Seemed to me that a lot of the England players were simply playing without the pressure of the occasion restricting them.

Eric Myles 36 Posted 19/07/2026 at 04:08:49

I see the BBC ratings are as poor as ever where our goalie is concerned.

England Player Ratings

Steve Brown 37 Posted 19/07/2026 at 06:50:09

Comedy ratings, Eric, how the hell would Burns be rated higher than Jordan?

Those who can, do; those who can't, write.

Jack Convery 38 Posted 19/07/2026 at 06:59:06

Joke.

Eric Myles 39 Posted 19/07/2026 at 08:15:24

Didn't even look at any other players Steve.

The Joke is:

Henderson plays 1 game, makes 1 decent save and conceeds 4 goals = 6

Pickford kept England in the competition with his numerous saves (5 against Argentina alone) kept 2 clean sheets and conceded 9 goals total, never more than 2 in any game = 6.

Ludicrous.

Expect Henderson to be up for save of the tournament ?

Paul Griffiths 40 Posted 19/07/2026 at 08:29:39

Chalobah, replacement call up, multiple options including Garner who can play at right back, and he plays all of 5 minutes. Asshole Tuchel.

Dave Abrahams 41 Posted 19/07/2026 at 08:52:05

Eric (39),

The joke is that you took this game as a serious one!

Ian Jones 42 Posted 19/07/2026 at 09:28:11

Back to the first comments on Rice and his performances. It was widely reported he'd been ill with a virus.

Not easy playing with a virus at the best of times.

Tony Abrahams 43 Posted 19/07/2026 at 10:17:57

I watched the second half and if there wasn’t that many tackles getting put in it was probably because the ball was getting moved on so quickly. Especially by the French, who played some lovely mesmerising football at times.

There was a great tackle on Watkins, that started the move for the French, first goal, but the key thing for me was the position of Watkins, battling for possession in the last minute, on the half way line.

What a fantastic goal by Bellingham, but something that would have never been allowed to happen if Harry Kane, had been playing from the off.

When I go to Bramley Moore, next month, I know that there will be loads of times in a game when Everton, will be under the cosh and they will be playing with eleven men behind the ball, all within thirty yards of our goal.

Why? How much real thought process is behind this? Seriously but if you want to run the clock down, surely you have got a better chance of doing this by keeping a player on the half way line at all times, especially when you’re playing against opponents who are chasing the game?

John Collins 44 Posted 19/07/2026 at 10:29:00

Just read an article.

3rd Place. Success or failure.

I know what they call that in France, Spain etc but it certainly would not be "sucess"

Tony Abrahams 45 Posted 19/07/2026 at 10:31:38

Ian, you could argue Declan Rice is getting stick off a lot of great footballers, who have never been anywhere near a World Cup, semifinal, or you could listen to what those former great players are saying and actually agree with them.

Rice is a top player, different than Rodri, (who I thought was the best midfielder in the world before his injury problems) but equally as effective in his own right. (All opinions)

The biggest difference must be how we are taught to play football in this country, from an early age, compared to a lot of other countries imo.

I’ve written before about how a Barcelona coach was walking past a few parents who were watching their children playing in a football tournament a few years ago and asked “are you English?” How did you know asked one of the parents? Because the only kids who warm up in the goal, are the English, was the reply!

Things are changing but I see way too many boring drills nowadays (each to their own, it’s all opinion) but there is possession of the football, and dangerous possession of the football, and when I watch Rodri, he plays like he his the centre piece of a clock.

An outlet in the middle of the pitch, is not something in most football coaches vocabulary, imo.

Something to build on John? Tuchel has said things that need real thorough reflection on, imo, and this is without trying to absolve him from Wednesday night’s capitulation because it was clear he never had another plan which equates to him not trusting his squad enough for whatever reasons

John Collins 46 Posted 19/07/2026 at 10:34:49

Do you know the one about the special boots the Ajax Acadamy had produced for the kids, Tony?

Back in the days they produced a conveyor belt of stars.

Tony Abrahams 47 Posted 19/07/2026 at 10:50:22

I have never heard about that story John, but I think there is a lot to be learned from studying that Ajax academy mate.

I base it on Steven Pienaar, who was imo, one of the cleverest little footballers I’ve ever watched play for Everton. (opinions again!)

The reason I loved watching him play was because he had terrific movement and always offered his teammates an outlet because he constantly always came towards the ball.

Movement, speed of thought, and taking your opponent into areas that they don’t really want to go. If Pienaar, had been a little bit quicker, he would have been one of the best little players in the world, imo, because he was such a clever little player, and he his someone I’d love to see teaching our kids how to play football nowadays.

John Collins 48 Posted 19/07/2026 at 10:56:45

Pienaar and similar players should be the head of our coaching system Tony imo. We need to indoctrinate their style of football into the club.

Ajax in youth football had special boots produced for the kids. Paper thin leather, the thinking was the kids could learn to feel the ball with their feet, allowing them to get their heads up more.

Raymond Fox 49 Posted 19/07/2026 at 11:41:05

It's hard to know what to make of that game, in the first half England wanted to win I think it's fair to say more than France, I think the French players thought they would easily win and didn't take us too seriously.

Second half the French players must have had their backsides kicked because they were much better and looked up for it.

Credit where it's due though, England played very well and there were some good performances. Spence's value doubled -- I'd say he looked a proper player.

Raymond Fox 50 Posted 19/07/2026 at 11:58:17

English players have historically lacked that little bit of close control that some parts of the worlds teams possess. I think the main reason is our Leagues play more quick and physical than many others but I think the gap is narrowing.

What's noticeable now is the amount of black players in Englands squad and League teams, I think on the whole they are naturally more athletic than most of us whites.

Tom Bowers 51 Posted 19/07/2026 at 12:02:11

Well we cannot get too enthused about the result of this game.

It was a mishmash of teams from the outset showing that the result wasn't that important after the disappointment for both sides after the semi-finals.

Generally it was more like an exhibition game but the whole competition underlined how so many small countries have advanced with their international players.

There were so many competitive games involving minnows that turned out to be more interesting than expected.

As I said when it started England have never had such a quality base to choose from and Tuchel could have picked another twenty players who would have served well.

With top class personnel like Pickford, Kane and Bellingham to add to a group of players who showed their best form it was no surprise to almost make the final.

However, Tuchel screwed up when push came to shove and he bottled it in the Argie game blaming the English squad's DNA. What a load of cobblers !!!

Christy Ring 52 Posted 19/07/2026 at 12:11:34

I have to laugh, the BBC give Rice a 7, and then say he was carrying an injury, that's why he hasn't been at his best? He played in every game, utter bullshit.

Saka said he was fully fit, but Tuchel said he preferred to play Rodgers against Argentina, and he's not even a winger?

Alan McGuffog 53 Posted 19/07/2026 at 12:32:05

My Spurs mate's take on last night:

"It was like SoccerAid. All it needed was Vernon Kay up front and some fat bastard from Eastenders in goal!"

John Collins 54 Posted 19/07/2026 at 13:43:33

Raymond 50.

They are better dancers as well 😁

Eric Myles 55 Posted 19/07/2026 at 16:59:11

Dave #41,

I didn't even watch it.

Eric Myles 56 Posted 19/07/2026 at 17:07:48

555 John #54.

My Dad would have given a reason that can't be printed in this day and age!

Dave Abrahams 57 Posted 19/07/2026 at 17:08:54

Eric (55) Sensible Chap.

I didn’t watch it myself because I knew if either team won 6-0 it was far too late to make a blind bit of difference— far too little much too late.

John Collins 58 Posted 19/07/2026 at 17:11:08

They've also got bigger Blackpool rocks, Eric.

John Collins 59 Posted 19/07/2026 at 17:12:56

Dave,

Just read an article about teams building around one superstar.

Alfredo Di Stefano. "No player is better than a team playing together"

Sounds like he had no ego, mate.

Eric Myles 60 Posted 19/07/2026 at 17:17:19

I won't watch tonight either, Dave, but I will be up at 02:00 to wake up the wife so she can watch, and then I'll go back to sleep again.

Dave Abrahams 61 Posted 19/07/2026 at 17:37:59

John (59),

That's why I love team players -- they'll sacrifice their talent for the good of the team.

Di Stefano learned his football from his dad, who was a professional footballer, and playing in the rough and ready streets where he was born, that was the best place to learn all the tricks of the game.

Mike Gaynes 62 Posted 19/07/2026 at 17:38:25

Dave #57, sorry you missed it.

Helluva game. A wild and totally enjoyable ride.

Dave Abrahams 63 Posted 19/07/2026 at 17:45:50

Mike (62),

I'm glad you enjoyed it and I don't begrudge the pleasure you got out of it. Being honest, it had to be better than if it was a real game because it looks like none of the usual bad traits of the modern game were used.

Unfortunately, you won't see many, if any, games like that especially in the World Cup... but in the long run, it was a meaningless game like most friendlies are.

John Collins 64 Posted 19/07/2026 at 17:59:38

Me too Dave.

Brought up properly by the sounds of it mate.