England and France will meet in the 2026 FIFA World Cup third-place playoff after both sides fell short in the semi-finals.
Pre-tournament favourites France saw their hopes of lifting a third World Cup title dashed after a 2-0 defeat to Spain, while England’s dream of reaching the final ended with a 2-1 loss to defending champions Argentina.
Despite missing out on the final, both European heavyweights will have one last opportunity to finish the tournament on a high by claiming third place.
England struggled to assert themselves against Argentina, with Thomas Tuchel’s side losing control of midfield for large parts of the contest. Although they threatened from wide areas, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham were unable to find the space needed to make a decisive impact.
France also failed to reproduce the attacking form that had seen them emerge as one of the tournament’s most prolific sides. Spain effectively nullified Didier Deschamps’ attack, while Ousmane Dembele endured a quiet outing. Michael Olise and Bradley Barcola were also unable to exploit space on the counterattack.
