England vs France Picks, Tips, Odds & Best Bets: 2026 World Cup Third-Place Playoff

Kickoff: Saturday, July 18, 5:00 p.m. ET.

Third-place playoffs are lottery games, decided by who each manager actually starts, and this one is no different. The result feels like a coin flip, but there is a firmer read on the shape: this should be loose and open, and France still have the better firepower with Kylian Mbappe leading a rotated side. England come in off a semifinal defeat looking tired and downtrodden, the kind of state where the goals go in against you. The card leans on goals and France's scoring rather than a confident call on the winner.

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England vs France Odds

England vs France Team News

Both benches empty out for a game with a medal but no trophy on it. England are projected to rest Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Anthony Gordon and John Stones, handing minutes to Kobbie Mainoo, Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke, Morgan Rogers and Marcus Rashford around Harry Kane.

France could make similar changes, resting William Saliba, Jules Kounde, Aurelien Tchouameni and Michael Olise, but they still roll out Kylian Mbappe with Ousmane Dembele, Rayan Cherki and Bradley Barcola behind him. That is the imbalance the card backs: even in a shuffled lineup, France carry more attacking quality than a deflated England side, and third-place games rarely feature much defending.

England vs France Best Bets

Over 3.5 Goals +110

Dead-rubber third-place games tend to be open, end-to-end affairs where neither side is grinding for a clean sheet, and the market agrees, with the total sitting up around 3.5. Add France's firepower and a tired England back line that has one more game in the legs than it wants, and the goals should flow. At +110 the over is plus money on exactly that loose, high-event shape. It is the higher-variance play on the card, but the most trusted read overall.

France to Win (90 Minutes) -109

The result is close to a coin flip on paper, but France are the side that offers value at an even-money number. Their attack is sharper than England's even after rotation, and a downtrodden opponent playing out a consolation is the kind of test France should pass. At -109, backing the better attacking team to win is fair value in a game the market leans their way.

Kylian Mbappe Anytime Goalscorer -120

If France put the goals in as projected, Kylian Mbappe is the man doing it. He stays in the lineup while others rest, he is the focal point of everything they do, and against a makeshift England defense he should get his chances. At -120 it is a short price, but it is the cleanest way to back the France-scores angle.

France Team Total Over 1.5 -175

The same read from the team-scoring side: France should reach two goals against a tired, reshuffled England. It is laid at -175, so it is the lower-variance version of the France firepower angle rather than a value price, but it lines up with the loose, goal-heavy game projected here.

England vs France Score Prediction

The result is a genuine toss-up that hinges on who each side starts, but France get the lean on the strength of their attack, in an open game where a fatigued England leak goals.

Score Prediction: England 1-3 France

England vs France Betting Picks

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