The French national team’s campaign at the 2026 FIFA World Cup ended in heartbreak after falling short despite entering the tournament as one of the favorites. A semifinal defeat to Spain denied Les Bleus a place in a third straight World Cup final and instead sent them into Saturday’s third-place playoff against England. Now, ahead of the clash with the Three Lions, French coach Didier Deschamps has made the team’s intentions crystal clear as they look to end the tournament on a winning note.
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“I have a duty for this game,” the French coach Deschamps said at the pre-match press conference. “It is not a friendly match. It is a third-place playoff. The players, staff, and I have the duty to reach this last objective. It is less important than the final. England does not want to play this game, and neither do we. But here we are,” he explained (translated from French).
The France boss also stressed that representing the national team leaves no room for complacency despite the disappointment. “We have to set our eyes on that goal to be third and make this final goal a reality. We have this duty when wearing this jersey,” he added (translated from French).
The comments from the 57-year-old reflected the tough reality surrounding one of the FIFA World Cup’s most debated fixtures. The third-place playoff forces 2 losing semifinalists back onto the field just days after their semifinal loss.
The comments from the 57-year-old reflected the tough reality surrounding one of the FIFA World Cup’s most debated fixtures. The third-place playoff forces the two losing semifinalists back onto the field just days after their defeats.
Instead of preparing for the final, both soccer nations must quickly recover from painful semifinal losses.
Interestingly, the very first FIFA World Cup in Uruguay in 1930 did not include any third-place clash. The US and Yugoslavia lost their respective semis but never faced each other afterward.
Yet, from the 1954 World Cup onward, the third-place match became a regular part of the FIFA World Cup.
Even ahead of today’s match in Miami, the coach of the England National team, Thomas Tuchel, made his feelings clear about the fixture. “None of our players and none of the French players want to play this match,” he added.
Yet, the two soccer giants will meet once again despite their reluctance. For France, the match still carries significance beyond a bronze medal.
Ibrahima Konate wants to win the match to honor Didier Deschamps
The third-place playoff in Miami will mark the final game of Didier Deschamps’ reign as France manager. The 57-year-old confirmed last year that he would step down once his contract expires at the end of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
His farewell comes after another painful defeat to Spain, marking France’s third consecutive loss to La Roja in a major semifinal following Euro 2024 and the UEFA Nations League.
The Frenchman leaves behind one of the most successful coaching spells in the country’s rich soccer history. He guided his nation to the 2018 FIFA World Cup title in Russia and also led them to the final in Qatar four years ago.
Former Real Madrid manager and French soccer icon Zinedine Zidane will replace Deschamps after the tournament.
Speaking ahead of his final game in charge, Deschamps also struck an emotional note. “In my head, I know that it is my last match. I don’t want anybody to cry. The end is near, but life goes on,” he said.
France defender Ibrahima Konate admitted the squad was still hurting after the semifinal defeat but insisted they wanted to give their departing coach the perfect send-off.
“None of us wanted to play for this third place, but we have no choice,” Konate said.
“We want to pay back our coach. He did so much for the France team. We must be grateful to him for that, and we need to do everything we can to win this game, to get this chocolate medal, this bronze medal,” the 27-year-old added.
Besides giving Deschamps a winning farewell, France also has an individual milestone to chase. Kylian Mbappé heads into the third-place playoff joint-top of the tournament’s scoring charts with Lionel Messi on eight goals, giving him another chance to strengthen his Golden Boot bid before Argentina’s captain features in the World Cup final.
With the match set to bring Deschamps’ remarkable tenure to an end, France will be hoping to close out the tournament with one final victory.
