2026 World Cup selection, odds, predictions: Best bets for France-England third place match on Saturday
The third-place play-off for the 2026 World Cup is set for Saturday night, as England and France battle it out in Miami. Both teams wanted to win this year’s tournament, but they will leave with disappointment after losing in the semi-finals. France was defeated by Spain 2-0, while England won 1-0 in its match against Argentina. This is the first meeting between these teams since France eliminated England from the 2022 World Cup in the quarterfinals. The latest 2026 World Cup odds from FanDuel Sportsbook list France as -220 favorites to win third place and England as +176 underdogs.
France’s Kylian Mbappe is still in the hunt for the golden boot, and SportsLine pundit Jon Eimer is backing the French star to score on Saturday. Meanwhile, fellow pundit Brad Thomas is backing France to win in regulation. Before closing your 2026 World Cup picks and other World Cup bets on betting sites like FanDuel, be sure to check out the top picks from the team of experts at SportsLine.
Eimer is a high volume bettor with extensive knowledge of leagues and players around the world. Since joining SportsLine, he has covered the English Premier League, Champions League, Serie A, FA Cup, and more. She was red in hers football betting pick in 2026, posting a 31-13-2 record and returning more than $1,200 in earnings on his Champions League picks, and is on a 27-18-2 streak in WC picks. Anyone who wants to follow their own World Cup betting advice to sports and continue betting applications he can see great benefits.
World Cup top pick France vs. England
- England vs. France: Kylian Mbappe scores (-166)
- England vs. France: France -0.5 (-120)
- England vs. France: BTTS + France Over 1.5 goals (-122)
England vs. France: Kylian Mbappe scores (-166)
“This game counts towards all the World Cup awards,” said Eimer. “This means that even though France is out of the competition, Mbappe will be the one who will be motivated to score goals here. He is currently tied with Messi with 8 goals apiece in the last game. Messi and his Argentina team will be playing the best defense in the world, so they will probably struggle to score more goals, while Mbappe will be motivated to attack to get the prize.”
England vs. France: France -0.5 (-120)
“A third-place game is always encouraging, and it’s hard to see England coming back after losing to Argentina,” Thomas said. “Their midfield is tied. Declan Rice may not play, Elliot Anderson has put in a ton of minutes and may rest, Bukayo Saka is taking care of the injury, and Harry Kane has played a tough job all year, so don’t be surprised if he is limited or sitting. On the other hand, you know that Kylian Mbappé will chase these games for the Golden Boot. depth, France has the edge, especially Mbappé is the best.”
England vs. France: BTTS + France Over 1.5 goals (-122)
“You have to be very careful when you bet on this game. Both teams are completely exhausted after the World Cup, and the manager of England has already said in an interview that his team does not want to be here, and does not want to play in this game,” said Eimer. “France were knocked out by Spain and England had their hearts broken by Argentina after conceding a goal in the 95th minute. Both teams are tired, both teams are ready for the break, and both teams will have little motivation going into this game.”
