For many, the fact that France are playing the third-place game is a travesty. Many had Les Bleus going all the way winning it all. Now, they must win the bronze medal vs. England.
France come into the game as the third-best team in the FIFA ranking. Hence, at least according to the ranking, they should be playing in this game vs. England, and winning it altogether. France are already in the World Cup bronze-medal list.
England is also a top-tier team in the FIFA ranking. However, considering the only teams that are above France are the two finalists, Spain and Argentina, the expectations are high for Les Bleus in this game.
France was atop the FIFA ranking for a moment during the 2026 World Cup
At one point, France became the first place in the FIFA ranking, but now that they lost the semifinal, they fell back into the third spot. France now have 1948.97 points in the FIFA ranking.
Kylian Mbappe #10 of France is challenged by Pau Cubarsi #22 of Spain
France were winning points until they got eliminated by Spain, though that didn’t cause them to drop points, just to get to a halt. That allowed Spain to overtake them too, so it was a double-loss for them.
France are pretty much secured in the third place of FIFA ranking
England are the ones trailing France, but even if they win this game, the disparity in FIFA ranking points is way too much. Right now, France have a 59.55-point advantage over England. Only a heavy defeat would maybe put France’s spot in jeopardy.
