How have France, England fared in World Cup third-place playoffs? All you need to know before bronze-medal encounter

Neither France nor England wanted to face off in a third-place playoffs match at the FIFA World Cup 2026. Coming into the tournament as favourites to win title, France were flawless until Didier Deschamps men fell short in front of Spain in the semifinals.

On the other hand, England were aiming to end their 60-year World Cup drought, but were undone by Argentina's late comeback despite leading by a goal for majority of the game. And instead of playing in Sunday's final, England and France will face each other in a consolation match.

“None of us wanted to play in this game for third place,” France defender Ibrahima Konate said during the pre-match presser. “But we don't have a choice to play. France and England have a big story together. And yeah, we are looking forward for the game tomorrow, and let's see what will happen.”

France had been ruling world football since 2018. After winning the 2018 final in Russia, Kylian Mbappe and Co lost to Argentina in a gut-wrenching final in 2022 in Qatar. This is not the first time France are playing in a third-place playoffs encounter.

France & England's World Cup 3rd-place playoffs record

For the record, France are making their fourth appearance in a third-place playoff match in a World Cup, winning two of their three games so far. The first time France played in a World Cup third-place playoff match was in 1958, beating West Germany 6-3. They lost to Poland 2-3 in 1982 before winning against Belgium four years later.

On the other hand, England are still searching for their first win in a third-place playoff match. The Three Lions lost to hosts Italy 1-2 in 1990 and then fell short to Belgium in 2018 by a 0-2 margin. While there won be trophies for the winners, but will get bronze medals for finishing third.

Additionally, the third-placed side will be getting $2 Million more than the fourth-placed side. The third-place playoff match in the World Cup was introduced by FIFA in 1934 in Italy. However, it disappeared in 1950 before returning four years later in Switzerland.

Since the 1954 World Cup, the third-place playoff match remained a constant fixture. The inaugural edition in 1930 didn't had a third-place playoff match. Instead the losing semifinalists - United States and Yugoslavia - were ranked based on their overall tournament records. The USA finished third while the fourth place went to Yugoslavia.

France vs England match details

Didier Deschamps' farewell game

The game will also mark as the farewell encounter for France head coach Deschamps after 14 years leading the squad. Konate said the French players want to “pay back our head coach” with one last win. For the unknown, Deschamps is the third man on the planet to win the FIFA World Cup both as a player and as a coach.

Before Deschamps, Brazilian Mário Zagallo (won as a player in 1958 and 1962, and as a manager in 1970) and Germany's Franz Beckenbauer (won as a player in 1974, and as a manager in 1990). Deschamps won the World Cup as a player in 1998, and as a manager in 2018.

Get all updates fromFIFA World Cup 2026 here, along withFIFA World Cup 2026 Complete Schedule andFIFA World Cup 2026 Points Table.