The World Cup 2026 third-place play-off kicks off today: France vs England, 5pm ET at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, live on Fox, Peacock and Telemundo in the US and BBC One in the UK. Beyond the bronze medal, two storylines give the game weight neither losing semifinalist wanted it to have.

Mbappe's Last Chance at the Golden Boot

Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi enter the day tied atop the Golden Boot standings on eight goals each, with Messi holding the tiebreaker on assists (four to Mbappe's three). Messi's tournament is over after Argentina's run to the final, so his tally is frozen -- but Mbappe still has 90-plus minutes to score and overtake him outright. Erling Haaland sits on seven; Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, both in England's squad today, are tied on six. A Mbappe goal (or two) this afternoon would settle the race before Sunday's final kicks off.

Deschamps' Farewell

Today is also Didier Deschamps' last match in charge of France, closing a 14-year spell as head coach that included the 2018 World Cup title, the 2022 final, and this tournament's run to the semifinals before Spain's 2-0 win in Arlington ended it.

Team News

  • France: William Saliba (back) and Brice Samba (calf) are out. Mbappe is expected to start. Projected XI: Maignan; Gusto, Lacroix, Konate, T. Hernandez; Zaire-Emery, Kante; Olise, Cherki, Doue; Mbappe.
  • England: Jordan Henderson is out with a wrist injury; Reece James is a doubt with a muscle issue. Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham -- both on six goals for the tournament -- are competing for a starting spot, with only one of the two expected to start alongside the front line. Projected XI: Pickford; Chalobah, Guehi, Stones, Spence; Mainoo, Anderson, Rogers; Madueke, Kane, Rashford.

The Numbers

Opta's supercomputer gives France a 50.7% chance to win in regulation, England 25.6%, with a 23.7% chance the match is level after 90 minutes (the third-place match goes to extra time and penalties if needed, same as any knockout fixture).

What's Next

The winner and loser both finish their World Cup today; the tournament itself wraps up tomorrow with Argentina vs Spain in the final, 3pm ET at MetLife Stadium, preceded by FIFA's closing ceremony at 1:30pm ET. See our final preview and closing ceremony guest list. For the bracket and every verified result, see our match hub.

Sources & Further Reading