Stat Pack: France v England

England take on France in the FIFA World Cup 2026 third place play-off on Saturday night (10pm BST) as they aim for their best finish in the competition for 60 years.

Thomas Tuchel's men suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat to Argentina in the semi-finals, while Les Bleus were beaten 2-0 by Spain in their last four encounter.

The Three Lions can still secure their best finish at a World Cup since winning it in 1966, and also their best-ever result in the competition on foreign soil.

Ahead of the game in Miami, here are the key stats on our history with the two-time world champions, the players on show and the play-off fixture itself. 

Head-to-head stats

This is the fourth FIFA World Cup meeting between France and England - the Three Lions won the first two (2-0 in 1966, 3-1 in 1982) but France won 2-1 in the 2022 quarter-final most recently.

Every single FIFA World Cup third place play-off match has been won without going to penalties, with only France 4-2 Belgium in 1986 going to extra-time.

France are competing in the World Cup third place play-off for the fourth time in their history. Only Germany (5) have more appearances. Les Bleus have won on two of the previous three occasions, beating Germany 6-3 in 1958 and Belgium 4-2 in 1986, while losing 2-3 to Poland in 1982.

England have featured in two FIFA World Cup third place play-offs, losing both of them – 2-1 to Italy in 1990 and 2-0 to Belgium in 2018.

Coach and player milestones

Didier Deschamps will take charge of his 187th and final match in charge of the France national team, with his 121 wins more than any other head coach for Les Bleus (D35 L30). Against Spain in the semi-final, he took charge of his 26th game at the FIFA World Cup, the outright most for a head coach, while only Telê Santana (80% - 8/10) and Lionel Scaloni (79% - 11/14) have a better win rate than his 77% (20/26 – min. 10 games).

Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham have six goals at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the joint most of any England player in a single edition (also Gary Lineker in 1986 and Kane in 2018).

Michael Olise leads the FIFA World Cup 2026 for assists (5), with all five coming in open play, while he’s second for expected assists (2.46) behind Lionel Messi (4.12). Since 1966, only Pelé has more assists at a single edition of the tournament (6 in 1970), while no player has recorded six from open play.

Anthony Gordon has had a hand in four goals in his last four FIFA World Cup appearances (1 goal, 3 assists), scoring or assisting every 66 minutes in these appearances.