Mbappé Leads France Against England in World Cup Third-Place Match

France will field Kylian Mbappé in its starting lineup for Saturday’s third-place World Cup playoff against England at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The striker’s participation gives him another opportunity to extend his goal-scoring record and compete for the tournament’s Golden Boot honor.

Mbappé remains locked in a scoring race with Argentina’s Lionel Messi, both players having netted eight goals through the competition. Messi maintains an advantage in the tiebreaker metric with four assists to Mbappé’s three. The French forward previously won the Golden Boot in Qatar four years ago.

England has opted to rest key offensive contributors for the consolation match. Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, each credited with six goals in the tournament, will begin Saturday’s contest on the bench rather than in the starting formation.

Argentina and defending champion Messi have secured a berth in Sunday’s final, where they will meet Spain. France’s tournament run ended after a semifinal loss to Spain eliminated their bid for a third consecutive World Cup championship appearance.

England’s campaign concluded similarly after the squad surrendered a one-goal lead during its semifinal against Argentina. Both sides will nevertheless compete for third place Saturday evening.

Didier Deschamps, managing France through what is anticipated to be his final match in charge, will seek one additional victory to conclude his tenure with the national team.