France vs England in Miami (Photos; IANS)
England and France meet in the 2026 World Cup third-place match at Miami on Saturday, with both European heavyweights aiming to end their campaigns on a positive note after their agonizing semi-final exit.
England suffered a 2-1 defeat to defending champions Argentina, while Spain beat France 2-0, leaving the two teams competing for the bronze medal.Although a third-place play-off may not have been either team’s goal, it still offers a chance to finish the tournament with a podium finish, restore pride and perhaps influence the Golden Boot race.
England leads the competition of all time
History favors the Three Lions, who won 17 of the 32 meetings between the two countries.
France achieved 10 victories, while five matches ended in draws. England also outperformed the French team by a score of 66-41 in those matches.However, the overall record only tells part of the story. England’s dominance came largely in the early decades of international football, with most of their victories coming between 1923 and 1949. In the modern era, France has enjoyed the upper hand, with England having managed just one win in their last nine meetings, a 2-0 friendly victory in November 2015. World Cup history favors England, but recent memories belong to France.The two teams have met three times in the FIFA World Cup. England won their first two matches, beating France 2-0 during their triumphant campaign in 1966, before winning 3-1 in the group stage of the 1982 World Cup.
However, France achieved the most important encounter of recent times, beating England 2-1 in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, ending the Three Lions’ hopes of lifting the trophy. This result also extended England’s long wait for a competitive win over France. The Three Lions have not beaten France in a major tournament since the 1982 World Cup, a drought that now extends to 44 years.
