The match that no one wants at the World Cup. Terrible news!

Two teams that are sure to have come for the final triumph at this year’s World Cup are meeting. Ultimately, however, the English and French will have to do it with taste and watch Sunday’s (i.e. July 19) World Cup 2026 gold match from the spectators’ perspective. They will play against each other the day before. However, Saturday’s (July 18) match will be a big challenge for both teams.

France – England, a match that… no one wants at the World Cup!

Eloquent words in the context of the match for third place were said during press conferences, both from the French and English sides. English coach Thomas Tuchel did not hide the fact that his team put all their strength into the semi-final competition. The English will approach the match for the lowest place on the podium at the 2026 World Cup professionally, although certainly – without any special joy.

A similar tone was expressed by the French national team player, Ibrahima Konate. As the player admitted, none of his teammates wants to play in Saturday’s match, but… he has no other choice.

Just like the players, the fans also do not show 100% interest in competing for third place at the World Cup. As BBC journalists wrote, several hours before the start of the France-Spain match, it is difficult to expect that the stands will be filled to capacity. On the contrary, there are still a lot of tickets left.

They can even be counted in thousands!

FIFA may consider the issue of playing a match for third place in the World Cup. A few years ago, UEFA changed its approach in this respect, withdrawing the need to play such a match, among others. at European Championship tournaments.

World Cup 2026. Where and when will the 2026 World Cup medal games be played?

From June 11 to July 19, the 23rd FIFA World Cup will be held on pitches in three countries – the United States, Mexico and Canada. An event that will certainly be unique, if only because of its format. For the first time in history, as many as 48 teams took part in the main tournament.

The title from four years ago is defended by the Argentines. During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Messi and company defeated the French in the final, winning after a series of penalties (4:2). In the history of football World Cups, Brazil has the most titles – as many as five. Four victories in the history of the World Championships belong to the Italians and Germans. The Argentines won three times. More than once, the trophy for winning the World Cup was raised – twice – by the players of France and Uruguay.

The Polish national team was third twice at the World Championships, but those were the old days – we are talking about the events in 1974 and 1982. At the last World Cup, Poles managed to advance to the knockout phase, but were eliminated in the 1/8 finals by the French (1:3).

In this year’s final, the Albicelestes will face Spain. The Argentines eliminated the English in the semi-finals (2-1), while the European champions won (2-0) against the world runners-up, the French. The match for 3rd place will be played on Saturday.

France – England match on Saturday (July 18) from 11 p.m. in Miami. A day later, the grand final, Argentina – Spain, from 9 p.m. in New York/New Jersey.

Matches of the 2026 World Cup can only be watched on Polish Television – on TVP Sport, TVP 1 and TVP 2 and on tvpsport.pl. Additionally, broadcasts will be available in the TVP Sport mobile application and smart TV.