2026 World Cup / France vs England: Probable line-ups for the third-place play-off

18.07.26 FT World Cup

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France and England face off this Saturday for third place at the World Cup. Discover the elevens Didier Deschamps and Thomas Tuchel are expected to field.

After being knocked out in the semi-finals by Spain and Argentina, France and England will meet on Saturday at 9pm GMT for the third-place play-off of the 2026 World Cup. The stakes are to clinch third place, but also to end the tournament on a high note after both suffered elimination.

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For his final match in charge of Les Bleus, Didier Deschamps is likely to shake up his starting eleven. With William Saliba and Brice Samba both ruled out through injury, the coach could hand Warren Zaïre-Emery his first World Cup start, while Kylian Mbappé will be targeting the Golden Boot.

France: Maignan – Gusto, Konaté, Lacroix, T. Hernandez – Zaïre-Emery, Rabiot – Olise, Cherki, Doué – Mbappé (capt.).

Thomas Tuchel, meanwhile, is set to keep several of his key men despite the absence of Jordan Henderson. Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham are expected to start as the Three Lions look to claim the bronze medal.

England: Pickford – Quansah, Burn, Guéhi, O’Reilly – Anderson, Bellingham – Saka, Rogers, Rashford – Kane (capt.).

Mahdi Zakaria LAZRI |

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Football web writer creating digital sports content with a focus on news, analysis and stories that reflect passion, accuracy and objectivity.

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