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France face Argentina or England in World Cup bronze match after Spain defeat

France will contest the 2026 World Cup third-place match on Saturday after losing to Spain in the semi-finals. They face either Argentina or England, with Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi level on eight goals apiece heading into the final rounds.

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France face Argentina or England in World Cup bronze match after Spain defeat
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France will play for third place at the 2026 World Cup on Saturday, 18 July, at Miami Stadium after their semi-final defeat to Spain ended an otherwise flawless run through the tournament. Their opponents will be the loser of Wednesday’s semi-final between Argentina and England.

Prior to the Spain loss, France had won all six of their group and knockout fixtures, outscoring opponents 16–2. Kylian Mbappé has been the standout performer, scoring eight goals — level with Argentina’s Lionel Messi for the tournament’s top scorer — and adding three assists. Winger Michael Olise leads all players with five assists, the most of any individual at the 2026 tournament.

The third-place match is a long-standing World Cup fixture, introduced at the 1934 edition — the second men’s World Cup — and held at every tournament since, with the exception of 1950. The most recent bronze-medal game saw Croatia defeat Morocco 2–1 at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The match kicks off at 5:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, 18 July at Miami Stadium in Miami, Florida.

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