The bronze medal winner at the FIFA World Cup will be determined on the night of July 18 to 19. France and England will take to the pitch at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
According to İdman.Biz, the match will kick off at 01:00 Baku time. Venezuelan referee Jesus Valenzuela has been appointed to officiate the game. He will be assisted by compatriots Jorge Urrego and Tulio Moreno.
Both teams travelled to North America in pursuit of the main trophy, so the third-place match is unlikely to completely ease their disappointment. France lost 0-2 to Spain in the semifinal. Didier Deschamps' team were unable to cope with their opponents' control of possession and failed to reach the final for the first time in three World Cups.
England, meanwhile, came even closer to the decisive match. After Anthony Gordon's goal, the Three Lions led Argentina until the 85th minute, but then conceded to Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez, losing 1-2. It was Thomas Tuchel's first defeat in 15 competitive matches as England head coach.
France and England have met 32 times ahead of their clash in Miami. England hold the overall advantage with 17 victories, compared with France's 10, while five matches ended in draws. The teams have faced each other three times at the World Cup: England won 2-0 in 1966 and 3-1 in 1982, while France prevailed 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup. The World Cup head-to-head record therefore stands at 2-1 in England's favour.
The match will carry special significance for France, as it will be Didier Deschamps' final game as head coach. He has led the national team since 2012, winning the 2018 World Cup and reaching the final in 2022. The meeting with England will be his 187th match in charge. Deschamps has recorded 121 victories, the highest total of any coach in the history of the French national team.
The coach himself admitted that neither side wanted to take part in the "bronze final", but stressed that the players were obliged to finish the tournament in a respectable manner. Defender Ibrahima Konate also said the team wanted to win for their departing coach.
Both managers may make significant changes to their starting line-ups. Deschamps revealed that several players were injured and unavailable, although he did not name them. Kylian Mbappe is fit to play, but his place in the starting XI is not guaranteed.
For England, Reece James remains a doubt after sustaining an injury in the semifinal. Jordan Henderson will miss the match with a hand injury, while the fatigued Declan Rice could be rested. Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford, Ollie Watkins, Ivan Toney and other players who have had limited playing time may be given an opportunity.
Despite the match's consolation status, the battle for individual awards will continue.
Mbappe has scored eight goals and shares the lead in the Golden Boot race with Lionel Messi. Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham have six goals each. Both have already equalled England's record for the most goals scored at a single World Cup.
Michael Olise, meanwhile, leads the tournament with five assists. One more would allow the Frenchman to equal Pele's achievement of six assists at the 1970 World Cup.
France will contest the third-place match for the fourth time. They previously defeated West Germany 6-3 in 1958 and Belgium 4-2 in 1986, while losing 2-3 to Poland in 1982.
For England, this will be their third attempt to win the bronze medal. They lost 1-2 to Italy in 1990 and 0-2 to Belgium in 2018. Victory in Miami would mark England's best World Cup result since their triumph in 1966 and their best performance at a tournament held outside their home country.
Germany hold the record for the most victories in third-place matches. The German national team won the bronze medal four times, in 1934, 1970, 2006 and 2010.
Third-place matches are often described as unnecessary because the teams involved have not yet had time to recover emotionally from missing out on the final. However, the absence of maximum pressure usually makes these games open and high-scoring.
Third-place matches have been played at the World Cup since 1934. None has ever gone to a penalty shootout, while extra time has been required only once, when France faced Belgium in 1986. Since Poland's 1-0 victory over Brazil in 1974, every third-place match has produced at least two goals.
It was in the 1958 World Cup third-place match that Just Fontaine scored four goals, taking his tally to a record 13 goals in a single tournament. In 2002, Turkey's Hakan Sukur scored against South Korea just 11 seconds after kick-off, setting a World Cup record.
