On the night of Sunday, July 19, the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens will host the third-place match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In this consolation final, two top national teams, who were tipped to reach the main match of the quadrennial tournament, will clash – France and England.
Disaster a Step Away from the Dream
Both teams suffered heavy defeats in the semi-finals. The French, with Kylian Mbappé, could do nothing against the tight press of Spain (0:2), while the English managed to squander a lead against Argentina in the final minutes (1:2). Despite the fact that the match for "bronze" is often called a game that no one wants to play, the opponents lack no motivation.
The End of the Deschamps Era
For France, this match will be a historic moment and the finale of the Didier Deschamps era. The head coach is leaving his post after the tournament and has a chance to complete his set of awards from the last three World Cups (after "gold" in 2018 and "silver" in 2022). For England, under Thomas Tuchel, this is an opportunity to break an unpleasant tradition. The "Three Lions" have played in World Cup third-place matches twice in history and lost both times (in 1990 and 2018).
The Battle for the "Golden Boot"
This match will be decisive in the fight for the title of the tournament's top scorer. While Lionel Messi (8 goals) prepares for the final, Kylian Mbappé, who has the same number of goals, has a chance to win the "Golden Boot" outright. The English leaders – Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane – also have a chance. Both have 6 goals, so to win the award, they need to score a hat-trick against Mike Maignan, which will be very difficult against the numerically weakened but still solid French defense (without the injured William Saliba).
Where to Watch the Match
A live broadcast of the match in Ukraine will be available on the Megogo media service (channel "Megogo Football 1"). The pre-match studio will start at 23:20, and the opening whistle of the Venezuelan referee Jesús Valenzuela will sound exactly at 0:00 Kyiv time. Vadym Skycho and Vadym Shevyakin will commentate on the consolation final.
