France vs England — match result and stats (Jul 19, 2026)

At the pre-match press conference ahead of the France-England third-place playoff at the 2026 World Cup, France's head coach discussed the semi-final loss to Spain and the upcoming game — his last in charge after 14 years with the national team. He said the third-place match is not a formality, insisting the squad has a duty to see the tournament through despite the disappointment of elimination.

He explained that Adrien Rabiot's withdrawal in the semi-final was forced, as William Saliba's injury had flared up and Rabiot himself admitted at the break he could not play at full intensity due to the risk of a second yellow card. He dismissed reports of a dressing-room clash with players at halftime against Spain as untrue, and declined to blame the referee for the defeat, instead pointing to Spain's technical superiority on the day.

The coach confirmed Kylian Mbappe is available to play but would not reveal starting lineup details, noting rotation is likely due to injuries and individual player circumstances. He defended Michael Olise and Desire Doue, saying a dip in form late in a debut tournament is normal and that both need more time to adjust to the pressure of the stage.

He declined to respond to criticism of his six-year legacy, saying he neither reads nor listens to such commentary.

Didier Deschamps held his farewell press conference after France's third-place match against England at the 2026 World Cup, his final game in charge after 14 years leading Les Bleus. He admitted the first half was a disaster, saying France could have conceded on virtually every attack, which prompted him to lose his temper at halftime.

He praised the second-half response, saying his players showed pride and character to almost complete an improbable comeback, still creating late chances before ultimately losing to a better team on the night. Deschamps declined to single out any player over the "inadmissible behavior" Adrien Rabiot alluded to, instead taking responsibility himself for his squad rotation and starting choices.

He singled out captain Kylian Mbappé for special praise, calling him an exemplary leader throughout the tournament, and also spoke warmly about Dayot Upamecano's difficult but ultimately strong night. Deschamps said he takes pride in having kept the national team at the top level for so long, including a World Cup title, and thanked the media for their respectful coverage across his 14-year tenure.

He said he now plans to rest with his family and become a "silent supporter" of France without revealing his next move, while naming Zinedine Zidane as his likely successor.

Speaking after England's third-place win over France, Thomas Tuchel called it the country's best World Cup finish since 1966, but stressed the squad can't feel fully satisfied since they had set the final and the title as their goal 18 months ago, so the disappointment will linger. He praised the players' resilience given a shorter rest period, matches at altitude and in heat, and playing a spell with ten men, saying the reaction after the painful Argentina game was exactly what the team needed to show.

Tuchel singled out Bukayo Saka, who scored a hat-trick, calling him a key player and explaining that leaving him out of the semi-final was about managing his workload and opting for Morgan Rogers' physicality rather than any loss of confidence in him. He revealed captain Jordan Henderson gave an emotional pre-match speech that helped the squad put the bronze medal into the right perspective.

Asked about rebuilding trust with fans, Tuchel said he doesn't believe trust was lost but took full responsibility for the substitutions and tactical changes that didn't work against Argentina. He confirmed Harry Kane suffered a sharp back injury in the final training session and was unfit to play.

Tuchel also paid warm tribute to departing France coach Didier Deschamps, calling him a role model, and noted England's tournament-high 20 goals as encouragement heading into the Nations League, while flagging set-piece and corner conversion as areas to improve.