England vs. France Odds, Picks & Predictions - Third-Place Match, July 18

The 2026 World Cup is in its final weekend and it brings us a third-place match with a marquee matchup as England takes on France Saturday afternoon and we have you covered with our England vs. France prediction. England fell to Argentina 2-1 in their semifinal tilt Wednesday in their previous match. France fell 2-0 to Spain in their semifinal clash Tuesday in their previous match.

These sides have met three times previously in World Cup play with England owning a record of two wins and one loss in those contests. In the most recent matchup, France took a 2-1 win in a quarterfinal matchup of the 2002 World Cup on December 10, 2022. Don’t forget to check out all the World Cup odds as the tournament progresses!

England Seeking to Shake Off Disappointment

England in the World Cup

In 2026, England logs their 17th World Cup appearance and their eighth straight as they take the pitch here. They last missed the World Cup back in 1994. The Three Lions own a record of 37 wins, 23 draws and 21 losses in World Cup play entering this contest. England went into the World Cup ranked fourth in the FIFA world rankings. The Three Lions finished with seven points and atop Group L to advance to the knockout stages of the tournament.

England Last Match

Against Argentina, England had their chances but couldn’t hold off La Albiceleste late to wind up with the loss. The Three Lions lost the possession by a 64% to 36% margin in the contest. In addition, England lost the expected goals by a 1.59 to 0.53 margin and fell 5-2 in terms on shots on goal in the match. The first half was chippy early and a bit of a slog the rest of the way. We saw 19 combined fouls, including a couple of yellow cards handed out in the first half. Meanwhile, we saw no shots on target by either side, sending the teams to halftime scoreless.

Things picked up in the second half. After a couple Argentina chances came up empty early, Anthony Gordon gave England the first goal of the match in the 55th minute of play. Morgan Rogers assisted on the marker. The problem for England is that they were unable to build on their advantage. Declan Rice was stopped in the 66th minute but La Albiceleste turned up the pressure from there. The Three Lions gave up a pair of goals in a six-minute span late in the match to wind up on the wrong end of the scoreboard. Jordan Pickford projects for his 19th start in World Cup play here. He owns a record of 12 wins, two draws and four losses in those contests. In addition, Pickford has five clean sheets in those outings. Make sure you keep track of England’s World Cup odds throughout the knockout rounds.

France Left Lamenting Missed Chances

France in the World Cup

In 2026, France logs their 17th World Cup appearance and their eighth consecutive one. Les Bleus reached the title game in both 2018 and 2022, winning the former and falling in penalties in the latter. France owns a record of 45 wins, 14 draws and 21 losses in World Cup play after their win over Paraguay. Les Bleus entered the World Cup ranked third in the FIFA rankings. Les Bleus finished atop Group I with a record of three wins, no draws and no losses.

France Last Match

Against Spain, France’s attack was held in check by La Roja and that proved to be their undoing, sending them to an unsatisfying defeat. That sent them to this third-place match, which has to be a disappointment. Les Bleus lost the possession metric by a narrow 51% to 49% margin in the match. In addition, France owned a 3-2 advantage in terms of shots on goal and fell in expected goals by a massive 1.63 to 0.31 margin. Les Bleus struggled to generate an attack and fell behind 1-0 in the 22nd minute on a penalty kick. In addition, William Saliba was injured and had to be substituted for in the 30th minute. France went to the half trailing by a 1-0 margin.

In the second half, things didn’t improve for France. They gave up a second goal in the 58th minute to trail by a pair. They nearly trailed 3-0 but Spain had a goal waved off for an offside call on Lamine Yamal. Désiré Doué had the best chance for France in the 81st minute but couldn’t find the net. In addition, Kylian Mbappé had a free kick in the 89th minute that drifted wide of the net and sealed France’s fate. Mike Maignan makes his seventh World Cup appearance between the sticks for France in this contest. He owns four clean sheets in the tournament.

Saliba is out for this match with a back injury that may require surgery. Make sure you keep track of the France World Cup odds as they progress through the tournament.

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England vs. France Predictions

France to Win in Regulation (DraftKings, -110)

Neither side is overly happy to be here after having hopes of playing for the title Sunday. Instead, both teams crumbled with the brass ring within their reach and that leaves them playing for pride instead. France has the depth advantage, even with Saliba out, and Mbappé is still in the thick of the race for the Golden Boot. England is deflated after letting the match slip away against Argentina as Thomas Tuchel may have outmaneuvered himself. The Three Lions are tough but France still has something to play for here. Take them to earn the victory here.

Over 3.5 Goals (Betr, -102)

Entering this match, England scored 14 goals while conceding eight. That gives them an average of 3.14 goals per game in the tournament. The Three Lions were blanked in the draw with Ghana but scored at least twice in five of their other six matches. In addition, if you throw the Ghana match out, their average total is 3.67 goals per match in the other six matches. Meanwhile, France has blitzed the opposition by a count of 16-4 in their matches thus far in the tournament. That’s an average of 2.86 goals per match. Les Bleus scored at least three goals in four matches in the tournament. This one has the makings of 3-1 or 3-2, pushing this one over the number.

Kylian Mbappé Anytime Goal Scorer (Fanatics, -140)

Mbappé, like the rest of Les Bleus, struggled offensively in their semifinal defeat at the hands of Spain. He even earned a yellow card for fouling Unai Simon in the 86th minute. Meanwhile, he is still tied with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot. Mbappé has eight goals and three assists in this World Cup. In addition, he has 33 shot attempts and 19 shots on goal in this World Cup entering this one. Mbappé has 20 goals and five assists in 21 career World Cup matches. With a potential Golden Boot and two teams not worried about a clean sheet, look for Mbappé to find the net.