England concluded their World Cup campaign with a dramatic 6-4 victory over France in the third-place playoff. The high-scoring match saw Kylian Mbappe net his second goal of the game, setting a new World Cup all-time scoring record with 22 goals in 22 matches, surpassing Lionel Messi's tally.
France's manager, Didier Deschamps, described his team's first-half performance as "catastrophic" after trailing 4-0 at halftime. England secured their second-best World Cup result with Bukayo Saka scoring a hat-trick in the win. Jason Steele, England's training goalkeeper who was not officially part of the 26-man squad, was also presented with a bronze medal by teammates Harry Kane and Jordan Henderson in a gesture noted as a "classy touch."
The match also marked a notable statistic for France, who conceded four goals in the first half for the first time since 1968. The high scoreline drew comparisons to the 1994 third-place playoff hosted in the United States, which also saw a 4-0 halftime scoreline as Sweden led Bulgaria.
As the tournament approaches its conclusion, attention turns to the final match where Lionel Messi is set to face Lamine Yamal. Yamal, who has been seen as Messi's heir at Barcelona, is playing in his first World Cup, while Messi aims to win what is likely his last. This final is anticipated to be heavily influenced by the performances of either Messi or Yamal.
Preparations for the final have been affected by weather. Spain's final training session in New Jersey was canceled due to severe thunderstorms, forcing the team to conduct an indoor activation session. Argentina also trained indoors due to the weather but were able to train on grass.
The final will feature a significant halftime show curated by Coldplay's Chris Martin, with performers including Madonna, Shakira, Justin Bieber, BTS, Burna Boy, and Gustavo Dudamel. This Super Bowl-style show has raised concerns, with a potential 30-minute break that doubles the permitted time, and FIFA aiming for an 11-minute show. The inclusion of hydration breaks and the halftime show could extend the match duration considerably if it goes to extra time.
Adding another layer of pre-match interest, U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to present the World Cup trophy to the winning team. This follows a previous appearance by Trump at the Club World Cup celebrations, which led to an awkward situation for Chelsea players. The trophy presentation ceremony has also been a point of interest in past tournaments, notably in Qatar when Lionel Messi was presented with a bisht.
In other notable events, pop star Justin Bieber was seen playing table tennis with tennis star Novak Djokovic at a Fanatics Fest event in New York, held in partnership with FIFA. The event also featured New York Knicks stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart parading the NBA Championship trophy.
An image of French attacker Rayan Cherki, shown casually resting on the ground during the third-place playoff, drew commentary on the team's approach to the match. Cherki, who was making his only start of the tournament, was one of four players substituted at halftime.