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France, England battle for World Cup bronze in Miami

Collage of France's forward #10 Kylian Mbappe on July 04, 2026. and England's forward #09 Harry Kane on July 01, 2026. (AFP Photo)
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Collage of France's forward #10 Kylian Mbappe on July 04, 2026. and England's forward #09 Harry Kane on July 01, 2026. (AFP Photo)
July 18, 2026 10:15 AM GMT+03:00

Kickoff is set for 5:00 p.m. local time (00:00 GMT+3) at Miami Stadium on Saturday, July 18, with Venezuelan official Jesus Valenzuela taking charge of the match.

Thomas Tuchel, Manager of England, during a Press Conference ahead of the Bronze Final match between France and England in Florida, July 17, 2026 (AFP Photo)
Thomas Tuchel, Manager of England, during a Press Conference ahead of the Bronze Final match between France and England in Florida, July 17, 2026 (AFP Photo)

England eyes best World Cup result in 60 years

England coach Thomas Tuchel said a win over France would represent the country's best World Cup result in six decades.

Speaking at a news conference in Miami, the 52-year-old acknowledged a gap between England and teams such as Spain and Argentina, who advanced to the final.

"We have a small gap to close. I think it's almost reflected in these countries' expectations of winning the World Cup and reaching the final. We haven't been able to do that.

We wanted it, we dreamed of it, we fought for it, and we competed for it," Tuchel said, adding that England currently sits fourth in the FIFA rankings after reaching the semifinals.

Tuchel praised France's counterpart, Didier Deschamps, as a figure who has won as both a player and a coach, saying England would nonetheless aim to beat him.

He described England's semifinal defeat to Argentina as painful, noting the team led 1-0 until the 85th minute before losing 2-1 to a Lionel Messi-inspired opponent. He said responsibility for the outcome rested with him as manager.

Thomas Tuchel, Manager of England, during a Press Conference ahead of the Bronze Final match between France and England at Miami Stadium on July 17, 2026. (AFP Photo)
Thomas Tuchel, Manager of England, during a Press Conference ahead of the Bronze Final match between France and England at Miami Stadium on July 17, 2026. (AFP Photo)

Bronze medal is another 'target'

England midfielder John Stones said the squad's attention remained partly on the Argentina match, describing a mix of frustration and pride in how the team performed across the tournament.

"Bronze medal, another target we need to focus on. It's something we haven't achieved before. Whether that will make us happy or not, that's a hard question to answer," Stones said, adding that the team believed it could go all the way before the semifinal exit.

#24 Enzo Fernandez, #09 Harry Kane and #20 Alexis Mac Allister during the 2026 World Cup football tournament semi-final match in Atlanta, US, July 15, 2026. (AFP Photo)
#24 Enzo Fernandez, #09 Harry Kane and #20 Alexis Mac Allister during the 2026 World Cup football tournament semi-final match in Atlanta, US, July 15, 2026. (AFP Photo)

Fourth World Cup meeting between sides

France and England have met three times in World Cup history. England won 2-0 as hosts in 1966 and 3-1 at the 1982 tournament in Spain, while France won the two nations' most recent meeting, a 2-1 quarterfinal victory at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

#10 Kylian Mbappe kicks the ball past #24 Marc Cucurella and #05 Marcos Llorente during the 2026 World Cup semi-final match in Arlington, US, July 14, 2026.  (AFP Photo)
#10 Kylian Mbappe kicks the ball past #24 Marc Cucurella and #05 Marcos Llorente during the 2026 World Cup semi-final match in Arlington, US, July 14, 2026. (AFP Photo)

Road to the semifinals

France topped Group I unbeaten, defeating Senegal 3-1, Iraq 3-0, and Norway 4-1. The team went on to beat Sweden 3-0 in the round of 32, Paraguay 1-0 in the round of 16, and Morocco 2-0 in the quarterfinals before losing 2-0 to Spain in the semifinal.

England finished atop Group L with seven points, beating Croatia 4-2 and Panama 2-0 while drawing 0-0 with Ghana.

The team defeated the Democratic Republic of Congo 2-1 in the round of 32, hosts Mexico 3-2 in the round of 16, and Norway 2-1 in the quarterfinals before conceding late goals in a 2-1 semifinal loss to Argentina.

Seventh match at Miami Stadium

Saturday's match will be the seventh played at Miami Stadium during the tournament. The 65,000-capacity venue has hosted four group-stage matches, one round-of-32 match and one quarterfinal.

July 18, 2026 10:15 AM GMT+03:00
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