England vs. France odds, prediction, preview, picks, start time for World Cup third-place game on Saturday

There are just two matches left at the 2026 World Cup, beginning with Jude Bellingham and England facing Kylian Mbappe and France in the the third-place match on Saturday. Neither team is eager to play this one after both lost in dramatic fashion in their respective semifinal matches. With some players nursing injuries, keep an eye on team news as it filters out, as certain players sitting out could impact betting lines. Kickoff in Miami Gardens, Fla. is set for 5 p.m. ET.

France are -215 favorites to claim third place in the latest England vs. France odds from FanDuel while England are +172. The Over/Under for total goals scored in regulation time is 3.5. There are plenty of other soccer betting options at FanDuel, where you can use the latest FanDuel promo code to get $1,000 in bet reset tokens. 

You can get even more England vs. France picks and more World Cup bets from SportsLine's experts like Brad Thomas, Jon Eimer, Martin Green, Matt Severance and Brandt Sutton. Anyone following their World Cup betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.

England vs. France odds

England vs. France betting preview

How should bettors approach a game nobody wants to play? Both England and France are smarting from embarrassing semifinal losses, with Les Blues shut out by Spain and England torpedoed by a combination of Lionel Messi's brilliance and coach Thomas Tuchel's dumbfounding tactics. Both sides are also nursing a number of injuries and have players heavily involved in nine-figure transfer rumors. Did we mention this will be played in the sticky Florida heat?

Tuchel himself admitted to the media that none of his players are looking forward to this game. He promised to have them suited up and acting like professionals. But to be blunt, don't be surprised if some notable faces are missing from both teams.

So what to do? 

Of the two teams, France feels like the side that will have more motivation. This game counts toward the Golden Boot race, so Mbappe may see it as a chance to fire in a few goals and potentially stave off Messi. The English players may also have a serious problem with Tuchel after his substitutions made the team sit in and give Messi the ball -- a recipe for the disaster that unfolded. Do the English players still want to play for their embattled coach? Would anyone be surprised if the answer was no?

England may also have some player availability issues. Bukayo Saka didn't get on the pitch against Argentina, which could mean that he was injured -- he'd been nursing a problem for the entire tournament. His replacement for the semifinal, Morgan Rogers, may be on the verge of breaking the English transfer record just set by his Three Lions teammate Elliot Anderson and may not want to risk injury in what's largely a meaningless game. Declan Rice hasn't been operating at full capacity since the World Cup started. Djed Spence seemed to hurt himself in the semifinal and has also been tied to a move to a new club. 

There are just too many potentially negative variables with England to back them. Bettors may want to avoid this match entirely, but if you're going to make a wager, France feels like the play.

England vs. France picks, prediction

France to win in regulation (-115)

France could simply want it more, and that could be enough in a game like this. If England don't have that mental edge to run just a little harder or focus just a little more, that's all Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele could need.

France -1.5 goals (+250)

A 2-0 game gets us home here. A potentially depleted and unmotivated England may have a hard time finding the back of the net and keeping France away from Jordan Pickford.