France vs England: 2026 World Cup Third-Place Match Details
France faces England in the 2026 World Cup third-place playoff on Saturday, July 18, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, kicking off at 5:00 p.m. ET. The match airs on FOX and Telemundo in the United States, with streaming on FOX One.
When is the third-place match, and where is it played?
France and England meet in Match 103 of the expanded 48-team World Cup, officially called the “Bronze Final,” a day before the Argentina-Spain final. Both sides reached this fixture after semifinal defeats: France lost 0-2 to Spain, and England fell 2-1 to Argentina. The venue, Hard Rock Stadium, has a capacity of 65,650 and normally serves as home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.
What time does the match start?
Kickoff is fixed at 5:00 p.m. ET (2:00 p.m. PT) in the United States, which converts to 10:00 p.m. in the UK and 11:00 p.m. in France. For fans in Marrakesh and across Morocco, that same 5:00 p.m. ET kickoff falls at 11:00 p.m. local time, matching the UK-adjacent time zone. Broadcast coverage on FOX begins roughly one hour before kickoff.
Which channel broadcasts the game?
FOX carries the English-language broadcast in the United States, with Telemundo handling Spanish-language coverage, while streaming options include FOX One and FoxSports.com. English fans can watch on BBC and ITV via BBC iPlayer and ITVX, while French viewers can tune in to TF1 via TF1+.
Context and Background
England, under its current head coach, exits the tournament after a hard-fought semifinal loss to Argentina under Lionel Scaloni. At the same time, Didier Deschamps’ France fell to Luis de la Fuente’s Spain. Notably, this match marks Deschamps’ final game in charge of the French national team, adding an emotional subplot to an otherwise consolation fixture. For more on how both teams reached the semifinals, see our World Cup 2026 knockout stage recap.
Reactions and Impact
Kylian Mbappe’s continued pursuit of the Golden Boot title adds extra intrigue to the match, since he remains tied with Lionel Messi atop the 2026 World Cup scoring charts entering this final fixture of his tournament. Fans and media across France and England have framed the game as a chance for pride and a scoring milestone rather than pure competition, given both nations’ higher ambitions coming into the tournament.
What Comes Next?
The winner claims the bronze medal and third place in the official 2026 World Cup standings, just a day before Argentina and Spain contest the final at MetLife Stadium. Whichever result unfolds, Saturday’s match marks the end of international careers or tenures for key figures, most notably Deschamps’ exit as France boss after this World Cup cycle.
