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France and England must put the pain of missing out on the World Cup final behind them when they face off at the Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday night to see who finishes third in the tournament.
France were favourites to win the World Cup after an impressive group stage, but were ultimately outclassed by Spain 2-0 in their semi-final.
Meanwhile, England were pegged back from a goal up to lose 2-1 in agonising fashion late on to defending world champions Argentina.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions, as well as which platforms offer the best world cup welcome bonuses.
France vs. England key stats
- France had won all previous six World Cup games in normal time before losing to Spain.
- England have won just four of their seven World Cup matches after 90 minutes (D2, L1).
- England have won just one H2H this century (D2, L5).
France vs. England preview: Les Bleus to take third?
| France | vs | England |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | FIFA Ranking | 4 |
| Kylian Mbappe (105) | Most Caps | Harry Kane (121) |
| Kylian Mbappe (64) | Most Goals | Harry Kane (85) |
| 908 | Total Caps | 947 |
| 116 | Total Goals | 163 |
| 1 | Uncapped Players | 0 |
France missed the chance to reach a third successive World Cup final after an unusually abject performance against Spain in the semi-final.
It was the first time they did not win and also fail to score at the tournament, with their attacking superstars failing to click.
William Saliba also came off with an injury in a further blow to Les Bleus, and is unlikely to feature here.
It will be Didier Deschamps' final game in charge, and so it will be interesting to see if he picks his strongest available team to try and bow out in style, or give other players who have not featured as much a chance to impress.
Thomas Tuchel has the same dilemma after England were cruelly denied the chance to reach a first World Cup final since winning it for the first and only time in 1966.
The German's tactics were questioned after sitting deep and absorbing Argentina's pressure at just a goal up, while bringing on extra defenders from the bench.
It ultimately backfired as the Three Lions crashed out to the Seleccion – bringing back bad memories of the 1986 and 1998 World Cups.
Jordan Henderson remains the only injury absentee for England while Jarell Quansah is available after suspension, but players like Kobbie Mainoo and Trevoh Chalobah who have yet to have minutes at the World Cup may get a chance to feature.
France vs. England form guide & betting tips
| France | vs | England |
|---|---|---|
WWWWL |
Form | WWWWL |
| 10 | Goals For | 10 |
| 3 | Goals Against | 6 |
WWL |
World Cup 2026 | WWL |
Whispers predicts: France 2-1 England
France are favourites with bookies for victory here, and we are backing France to win at 13/10 (2.30) as they have shown more consistency than England at the World Cup, and their wealth of attacking talent could make the difference.
England's Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham both boast six goals each though, and with an albeit tiny chance of winning the Golden Boot as a consolation, they will be determined to get on the scoresheet.
Spain showed that France's defence can be vulnerable and with Saliba's injury added, BTTS – Yes at 4/7 (1.57) is likely to come through.
Equally, Kylian Mbappe is also chasing the Golden Boot, and is only behind Lionel Messi by virtue of having fewer assists.
Given his exceptional goalscoring record at World Cups in general too, Mbappe to score anytime at 11/10 (2.10) is our final pick.
Overall, we are predicting a 2-1 France win, which is available at 17/2 (9.50).
> BTTS – Yes at 4/7 (1.57) | Likelihood: Probable
> Mbappe to score anytime at 11/10 (2.10) | Likelihood: Possible
> France to win at 13/10 (2.30) | Likelihood: Possible