India, July 18 -- France entered the FIFA World Cup 2026 as one of the favorites and once again lived up to expectations by reaching the semi-finals. Les Bleus cruised through the group stage and then beat Sweden, Paraguay and Morocco in the knockout rounds. However, their dream of lifting a third World Cup title came to an end after a 2-0 defeat to Spain in the semi-finals.

Now, France will face England in the third-place play-off at Miami Stadium, aiming to end the tournament with a bronze medal. The fixture also carries extra significance for captain Kylian Mbappe, who has one final opportunity to overtake Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race.

With Didier Deschamps set to leave his role after the tournament before Zinedine Zidane tak...