England and France meet in the FIFA World Cup 2026 third-place play-off at the Miami Stadium on Saturday, with the two European heavyweights looking to end their campaigns on a positive note after painful semi-final exits. England were beaten 2-1 by defending champions Argentina, while France were beaten 2-0 by Spain, leaving both sides to battle it out for the bronze medal.Although the game in third place may not be the goal of any of the team, it still offers a chance to end the tournament with a podium finish, restore pride and possibly influence the Golden Boot race.
England lead the all-time rivalry
History favors the Three Lions, who have won 17 of the 32 meetings between the two countries. France registered 10 victories, while five matches ended in draws. England also beat Les Bleus 66-41 in those encounters.However, the overall record tells only part of the story. England’s dominance largely came in the early decades of international football, with most of their victories coming between 1923 and 1949. In the modern era, France have enjoyed the upper hand, with England only managing one win in their last nine meetings, a 2-0 friendly victory in November 2015. World Cup history favors England, but recent memories of World Cup belongs to France.The two sides have met three times in the FIFA World Cup. England won the first two encounters, beating France 2-0 during their triumphant campaign in 1966 before recording a 3-1 victory in the group stage of the 1982 World Cup.France, however, claimed the most important recent meeting, beating England 2-1 in the quarter-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar to end the Three Lions’ hopes of lifting the trophy. That result also extended England’s long wait for a competitive win against France. The Three Lions have not beaten Les Bleus in a major tournament since the 1982 World Cup, a drought that now stretches to 44 years.