The 2026 World Cup third-place match is set for Saturday night, as England and France battle in Miami. Both teams had aspirations to win the tournament this year, but they are coming off disappointing semifinal losses. France was outclassed by Spain in a 2-0 loss, while England blew a 1-0 lead late in its match against Argentina. This is the first meeting between these sides since France knocked England out of the 2022 World Cup in the quarterfinals. The latest 2026 World Cup odds from FanDuel Sportsbook list France as -215 favorites to win third place and England as +172 underdogs.
France's Kylian Mbappe is still in the hunt for the Golden Boot, and SportsLine expert Jon Eimer is backing the French superstar to score a goal on Saturday. Meanwhile, fellow expert Brad Thomas is backing France to win in regulation. Before locking in your 2026 World Cup picks and other World Cup bets on betting sites like FanDuel, be sure to check out top picks from the team of experts at SportsLine.
Eimer is a high-volume bettor who has vast knowledge of leagues and players across the globe. Since joining SportsLine, he has covered the English Premier League, Champions League, Serie A, the FA Cup, and much more. He's been red-hot on his soccer betting picks in 2026, posting a 31-13-2 record and returning over $1,200 of profit on his Champions League picks, and is on a profitable 27-18-2 run on WC picks. Anyone wanting to follow his World Cup betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could see big returns.
Top World Cup picks for France vs. England
- England vs. France: Kylian Mbappe to score a goal (-120)
- England vs. France: France -0.5 (-115)
- England vs. France: BTTS + France Over 1.5 goals (+100)
England vs. France: Kylian Mbappe to score a goal (-110)
"This match does count towards all World Cup awards," Eimer said. "This means that even though France are out of the competition, Mbappe will be the one who is motivated to go for goals here. He is currently tied with Messi with eight goals a piece going into the final match. Messi and his Argentina squad will be playing the best defense in the world, so they'll probably struggle to find multiple goals, while Mbappe will be motivated to attack for the award."
England vs. France: France -0.5 (-115)
"The third place match always comes down to motivation, and it's hard to see England bouncing back after such a gut wrenching loss to Argentina," Thomas said. "Their midfield is also banged up. Declan Rice may not play, Elliot Anderson has logged a ton of minutes and could be rested, Bukayo Saka is nursing an injury, and Harry Kane has played a heavy workload all year, so don't be surprised if he's limited or sits. On the other side, you know Kylian Mbappé will be chasing the Golden Boot, so he'll be motivated to play. If this turns into a battle of depth, France has the edge, especially with Mbappé leading the way."
England vs. France: BTTS + France Over 1.5 goals (+100)
"You have to be very careful when betting on this match. Both teams are absolutely exhausted after this World Cup, and England's manager has already said in an interview that his team doesn't want to be here, and they don't want to play in this game," Eimer said. "France were knocked out by Spain while England had their hearts broken by Argentina after giving up a lead in the 95th minute. Both teams are tired, both teams are ready for a break, and both teams will have very limited motivation going into this match."
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