---
title: "France meet England in a third-place playoff, and Deschamps says goodbye"
description: "Beaten in the semi-finals, France and England meet in Miami on Saturday to decide third place at the World Cup, a match neither wanted to be in. For France's Didier Deschamps it is a farewell after more than a decade in charge, with Zinedine Zidane waiting to take over."
category: "Sports"
category_url: https://newsparlor.com/category/sports
author: "Maya Coleman"
published: 2026-07-18T07:34:00.000Z
updated: 2026-07-18T07:34:00.000Z
canonical: https://newsparlor.com/article/france-england-world-cup-third-place-playoff
tags: ["world-cup", "france", "england", "football", "deschamps"]
---
# France meet England in a third-place playoff, and Deschamps says goodbye

Beaten in the semi-finals, France and England meet in Miami on Saturday to decide third place at the World Cup, a match neither wanted to be in. For France's Didier Deschamps it is a farewell after more than a decade in charge, with Zinedine Zidane waiting to take over.

It is the fixture no team wants: the World Cup third-place playoff, contested by the two sides that fell at the final hurdle before the final. On Saturday in Miami, that consolation match brings together France and England, both still smarting from semi-final defeats, in a game freighted with more meaning off the pitch than on it.

France arrive after a [2-0 loss to Spain](https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/7/18/world-cup-france-england-third-place-playoff-deschamps-zidane-coach), who produced a commanding performance to reach the final. England were beaten 2-1 by Argentina, undone by late goals. On Sunday, Spain and Argentina will meet for the trophy; France and England are left to play for third, a placing that offers pride and little else.

## Deschamps bows out

The match carries real weight for one man. It is set to be Didier Deschamps' last as France's head coach, closing a tenure that began in 2012 and included winning the World Cup in 2018. Few managers have shaped a national team for so long or so successfully, and his departure marks the end of an era for the French game.

Waiting to succeed him is [Zinedine Zidane](https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/7/18/world-cup-france-england-third-place-playoff-deschamps-zidane-coach), Deschamps' team-mate in the France side that won the 1998 World Cup and one of the most celebrated players in the sport's history. Zidane has long spoken of his wish to manage his country, and is widely expected to take charge after the tournament.

## Little appetite, some incentive

Neither camp has hidden its ambivalence. England's manager, Thomas Tuchel, acknowledged that few players on either side wanted to play the fixture, and Deschamps admitted his team were not where they had hoped to be. Both are expected to rotate their squads, resting some who carried the load through the tournament and handing minutes to others.

There are still threads of intrigue. Kylian Mbappé goes into the game among the leaders in the race for the Golden Boot, awarded to the tournament's top scorer, giving France's forward a personal reason to play. Both teams also carry knocks from a long campaign, with several regulars in doubt.

## More than a dead rubber

The third-place match is often dismissed as a formality, and in truth it settles nothing of great consequence. Yet for the players it is still a World Cup appearance, watched by a global audience, and for France it is the last act of a defining coaching era before a storied successor steps in.

Kick-off in Miami is on Saturday evening local time, a day before Spain and Argentina contest the final. For two disappointed favourites, it is a chance to end a bruising week on a small high, and, for Deschamps, to take his leave on the game's biggest stage.