Frances HoweUpdated July 19, 2026 — 7:05am,first published 6:41am7.05amGOAL! Declan Rice gives England an early leadBy Wearing the captain’s armband, Declan Rice has opened the scoring for England in the third minute. It’s the first genuine shot on goal and Rice converts it after striding solo up the centre of the pitch while Marcus Rashford throws France’s defence off with a decoy run. Rice barely celebrates but it’s exactly how England want to start this third-place play-off. England 1-0 France, 3 minutesDeclan Rice scores in the third minute.Getty Images7.01amKick-off in MiamiBy We have lift off in Miami as both teams, maybe somewhat begrudgingly, vie for third place. England 0-0 France, 1 minute6.58amThe teams are outBy Both teams are out, anthems have been sung. The match is minutes away. Let us know who you have as favourites in the poll below.A French fan in Miami Stadium. AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell6.57amWho will claim third place?By 6.55amWhat is Jordan Henderson doing on the bench?By He’s got a bloody broken wrist!Which he broke in a freak injury he sustained while celebrating England’s Round of 16 win over Mexico. Despite not playing a minute of that match, Henderson got a yellow card from the sidelines and a trip to hospital for wrist surgery.Jordan Henderson warming up before the match.Getty ImagesThe 26-year-old sustained the injury when he climbed over an advertising sideboard to celebrate with his team. He tripped instead, landing on his wrist and had to be stretchered off the pitch amid the post-match celebrations. He underwent surgery at the Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute, which is about a 10-minute drive from their team hotel in the suburb of Prairie Village, Kansas.6.41amCan Mbappe still win the golden boot?By Yes, he can. Here’s how:Lionel Messi and Mbappe currently share eight goals each in this tournament – equal most, so far. But Messi has one more assist to his name which bumps him to the top of the leaderboard ahead of the final matches for both players.To make matters even more interesting, is the competition between the men to become the all-time top World Cup goalscorer. During this tournament, Messi equalled and then surpassed the record set by Miroslav Klose of 16 goals with Mbappe close on his heels now. If Messi doesn’t score any goals in the final against Spain tomorrow, Mbappe will need to score one goal to claim the golden boot for the tournament and two to claim the all-time record. That’s assuming Bellingham and Kane have a quiet match, which could be likely if they’re both starting on the bench. 6.33amKane, Bellingham start on the bench, Mbappe to lead out France againBy England’s Jude Bellingham and captain Harry Kane will start on the bench while Kylian Mbappe starts for France as they face off in the third-place match in Miami, with both coaches fielding heavily reshuffled lineups.Harry Kane starts on the bench for England.Buda MendesMbappe is looking to claim the tournament Golden Boot and leapfrog Lionel Messi as the World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer. While his coach, Didier Deschamps will be at the helm for the last time before Zinadine Zidane takes over as coach. France are fielding their reserve defence as they look to prevent England from claiming their best World Cup finish since winning the whole thing in 1966.Mbappe warms up in Miami.Getty Images6.25amWelcomeBy Good morning and welcome to the penultimate day of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This tournament has aged me, and I’m assuming that if you’re up this early to watch the third-place play-off, that you’re looking worse for wear too. If you’re an England or France supporter, I hope you’ve recovered somewhat since your teams crashed out of the tournament. Regardless of either side’s desire to be here this morning, we have another match to play. Hopefully, it’s a good one. The teams have arrived this morning at Miami Stadium to prepare for kick-off at 7am (AEST).Jude Bellingham has arrived at Miami Stadium.AP Photo/Marta Lavandier1 of 1