England have taken the lead against France in the FIFA World Cup 2026 third-place match.

The Three Lions took the lead early in the game when Declan Rice found the back of the net from long Range. The Arsenal midfielder drove forward with the ball and found the far corner with a fierce drive to put his team ahead.

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It’s a quick start from England! 🦁⚡

Declan Rice fires home the opener in the third minute against France ⚽ pic.twitter.com/ID4u3rXOuM

— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) July 18, 2026

England crashed out in the semis

England crashed out of the World Cup with a 2-1 defeat against Argentina in the semifinals. They were beaten by a stoppage-time strike from Lautaro Martinez.

England manager Thomas Tuchel was heavily criticised for his defensive approach after his team were in the ascendancy against Argentina. England will now look to close out the campaign on a high with a positive result against France.

2:14 – Declan Rice has scored England’s earliest goal in a competitive fixture since Luke Shaw netted inside two minutes in the EURO 2020 final against Italy.

Matters. pic.twitter.com/0dge7pnfkT

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) July 18, 2026

Watch: Bukayo Saka completes his brace as England lead 4-0 vs France

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Can France turn it around?

Meanwhile, France were beaten by Spain in the semifinals of the World Cup, and they will be thoroughly disappointed. On paper, they were one of the favourites to win the tournament, and they were outstanding in the World Cup prior to the match against Spain.

It remains to be seen whether they can overturn the deficit against England and finish third in the standings. This is also the last match in charge of the French national team for Didier Deschamps, and France wants to give a World Cup-winning manager like him the farewell he deserves.

Watch: Bukayo Saka adds England’s third as France crumble defensively