France exits World Cup in third-place playoff loss to England
France loses third-place playoff to England; Deschamps ends 14-year managerial tenure.
Event / Sports
2026 FIFA World Cup
The 2026 FIFA World Cup football tournament, featuring matches, results, and related developments from the competition.
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2026-08-18 to 2026-11-15 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 5 Jul, 22:53 UTC
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What happened
Argentina and Spain to play 2026 World Cup final
Argentina and Spain will play for the 2026 FIFA World Cup title on Sunday, July 19, 2026, at 3 p.m. ET. Argentina is defending their World Cup championship, having won the previous tournament.
France and England to play 2026 World Cup third-place match
France and England will play the third-place match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Saturday, July 18, 2026, at 5 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The winner receives a $2 million bonus and bronze medals.
Spain defeats France 2-0 in 2026 World Cup semifinal
Spain defeated France 2-0 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinal on Tuesday, July 15, 2026. Spain scored an early penalty goal and controlled the match throughout, holding off France's offensive attack. This was France's first World Cup semifinal loss since 1986.
Lionel Messi takes lead in 2026 World Cup Golden Boot race
Lionel Messi took the lead in the Golden Boot race for the 2026 World Cup through his two assists in Argentina's semifinal victory over England. Messi and Kylian Mbappé remain tied with eight goals each, but Messi has improved his odds for winning the Golden Boot award due to his recent playmaking performance.
Argentina defeats England 2-1 in 2026 World Cup semifinal
Argentina defeated England 2-1 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinal on Wednesday, July 16, 2026. England took a 1-0 lead on an Anthony Gordon goal in the 55th minute but Argentina scored twice in the final 10 minutes, with Lionel Messi assisting both goals including the stoppage-time winner by Lautaro Martínez, to advance to the final.
Didier Deschamps to step down as France national team coach
Didier Deschamps will step down as coach of the French national team after the 2026 World Cup, ending his 14-year tenure with Les Bleus. His final match will be the third-place match against England on July 18, 2026.
France to field rotated lineup against England with Mbappé as likely starter
Didier Deschamps plans to make extensive changes to France's starting lineup for the third-place match against England. Several players are unavailable due to injury, including goalkeeper Brice Samba and defender William Saliba. Kylian Mbappé is available and expected to start. Other players likely to feature include Théo Hernandez, Ibrahima Konaté, Aurélien Tchouaméni, N'Golo Kanté, and Eduardo Camavinga.
France faces England in 2026 World Cup third-place playoff match
France plays England in the third-place match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on July 18, 2026. The match is scheduled for 17:00 local time (23:00 French time) at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. This is France's eighth and final match of the tournament after losing to Spain 2-0 in the semifinals.
Kylian Mbappé co-leading World Cup goal-scoring with 20 goals
Kylian Mbappé is co-leading the 2026 World Cup goal-scoring standings with 20 goals, tied with Lionel Messi. Mbappé has the opportunity to become the tournament's all-time leading goal scorer in the third-place match against England.
Hard Rock Stadium in Miami hosts third-place World Cup match
Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida opened in 1987 and has a capacity of 65,000. The stadium was selected to host four group-stage matches, one round-of-16 match, one quarterfinal, and the third-place match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Spain advances to 2026 World Cup final after defeating France
Spain defeated France 2-0 in the 2026 World Cup semifinals on July 15, 2026. Spain will face Argentina in the World Cup final on July 20, 2026.
Argentina defeats England in World Cup semifinals
Argentina defeated England in the 2026 World Cup semifinals to advance to the final, which will be played against Spain on July 20, 2026.
Didier Deschamps to end 14-year tenure as France manager after third-place match
Didier Deschamps' tenure as France national team manager will conclude after the third-place match against England. Deschamps has managed France since August 2012 across 185 matches, winning the 2018 World Cup, reaching the 2022 World Cup final, and winning the 2021 League of Nations.
France loses 2-0 to Spain in World Cup 2026 semi-final
France's national football team lost 2-0 to Spain in the semi-final match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Paraguayan senator makes racist statements targeting French national team
Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla made inflammatory racist statements targeting the French national team and captain Kylian Mbappé. She became the subject of an investigation in Paris for aggravated public insults based on origin, ethnicity, nationality, race or religion.
Somali referee Omar Artan denied entry to United States and deported
Omar Artan, a Somali referee who was named African continent's best referee in the previous year, was interrogated and detained for 11 hours at Miami airport before being deported to Turkey. He was prevented from participating in the World Cup, his first World Cup appearance.
Former Spanish Prime Minister Rajoy questions French team's nationality
Mariano Rajoy, former Spanish Prime Minister, questioned the French team's national identity. The French embassy responded that 23 of 26 players were born in France, and the three born abroad are also French citizens.
Swiss and Dutch players targeted by racist comments on social media
Players from Switzerland and the Netherlands faced racist comments on social media during the tournament. Multiple federations filed complaints regarding the abuse.
FIFA President Infantino awards Peace Prize to Donald Trump
FIFA President Gianni Infantino awarded the FIFA Peace Prize to Donald Trump in December, drawing criticism regarding FIFA's independence and integrity during the tournament.
FIFA records 89,000 abusive social media comments during group stage
During the group stage alone, FIFA's moderation services recorded 89,000 insulting comments on social media. This represents approximately 13 times more than the previous World Cup in 2022 in Qatar. One thousand accounts were flagged, with around one hundred subject to potential legal action.
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2 alternative perspectives
Spain enters World Cup final with perfect defensive form and unbeaten streak
Spain brings 37-game unbeaten streak and elite defensive record into World Cup final against Argentina.
Finalissima between Spain and Argentina canceled amid Middle East tensions
Spain-Argentina Finalissima canceled in Doha amid Middle East geopolitical tensions.
World Cup host city battles wildfire smoke air quality crisis
Canadian wildfire smoke triggers air quality emergencies across northeastern U.S. cities hosting World Cup events.
France and England contest third-place playoff in Miami
France and England play third-place playoff in Miami after semifinal exits.
Spain, Argentina set for historic first World Cup final meeting
Spain and Argentina meet in first World Cup final, both bringing historic winning streaks to championship match.
Deschamps ends 14-year France tenure after World Cup semifinal exit
Deschamps exits after 14 years as France coach following World Cup semifinal elimination.
France and England confirmed for World Cup third-place playoff
France and England confirmed to play third-place playoff in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Spain and Argentina advance to World Cup final after dominant semifinals
Spain and Argentina won their semifinals to set up a World Cup final matchup.
Spain and Argentina confirmed for World Cup final showdown
Spain and Argentina confirmed for July 19 World Cup final in New Jersey.
France and England battle for third place in Miami
France and England compete for third place in Miami with Deschamps set to depart as France manager.
FIFA documents 89,000 abusive comments as Swiss, Dutch players targeted
FIFA recorded 89,000 abusive comments during group stage; Swiss and Dutch players targeted with racist abuse.