Mbappe starts for France in World Cup third-place playoff; England bench Kane and Bellingham

France captain Kylian Mbappe started against England in the FIFA World Cup 2026 third-place match in Miami on Saturday, with both teams naming heavily rotated line-ups. England left key players Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane on the bench. Mbappe aimed to strengthen his bid for the tournament’s Golden Boot while also looking to surpass Lionel Messi as the FIFA World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer. The two stars were tied on eight goals each at the ongoing 2026 World Cup. In the all-time World Cup scoring charts, Messi leads with 21 goals, with Mbappe just one behind on 20. The match also marked Didier Deschamps’ final game as France coach after 14 years in charge, with Les Bleus fielding a largely second-string defence. France suffered a 2-0 defeat to Spain in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-finals, ending their hopes of reaching a third consecutive World Cup final. Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Pedro Porro, who was named Player of the Match, added a second to send Spain into the title clash against Argentina. England suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Argentina in the other semi-final in Atlanta, as the defending champions came from behind to win 2-1. Enzo Fernandez equalised before Lautaro Martinez struck a stoppage-time winner to send Argentina into the final against Spain. England’s lineup for the third-place match: Dean Henderson, Ezri Konsa, Marc Guehi, Djed Spence, Jarell Quansah, Declan Rice, Morgan Rogers, Eberechi Eze, Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, Ivan Toney. France’s lineup: Mike Maignan, Malo Gusto, Ibrahima Konate, Theo Hernandez, Maxence Lacroix, Adrien Rabiot, Warren Zaire-Emery, Rayan Cherki, Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise, Desire Doue.

Article and image source: argentinastar.com