World Cup 2026: Why you should still care about England v France third-place play-off
BBC • • sports
Key Points:
- England's men's football team will play a third-place play-off against France on Saturday, following their loss to Argentina in the World Cup semi-final, extending the tournament for Thomas Tuchel's side.
- The match holds significance for the Golden Boot race, with France's Kylian Mbappe and Argentina's Lionel Messi tied on eight goals, and England's Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham also in contention, though a hat-trick would likely be needed for an English player to win.
- A victory in the third-place play-off would mark England's best World Cup finish since their 1966 triumph, improving on previous third-place losses in 1990 and 2018.
- This game represents the last opportunity to watch competitive international football for nearly a month, as the Premier League and EFL seasons begin mid-August and England's next international match is not until late September.
- Despite the disappointment of missing out on the final, the third-place match offers fans a chance to see top-level football and witness the final stages of individual awards competition.
