Today is a World Cup match, and absolutely no one taking part in it wants to be there.
Heading into the final weekend of this magical 2026 World Cup, we’re faced with one of the strangest parts of the schedule: the bronze final. England and France lost this week, ending their summer dreams of World Cup glory, but they are still not allowed to return home.
Let’s look at why this match even exists and look a little more at Sunday’s finale.
The main thing: England and France will compete for the “chocolate” medal
Having lost the semi-final just days earlier, England and France were probably desperate to get out of the US and nurse their wounds in the comfort of their own home.
But due to what I think is a strange quirk of the World Cup schedule, neither of them could do it because they had one more match to play.
The teams flew to Miami to play in the bronze final (formerly the third place playoff) in a game that no one really cares about.
Yes, the winner will receive another $2 million in prize money, but trying to build up strength for the match after failing to reach the final is nearly impossible.
Even FIFA President Gianni Infantino momentarily forgot about the game yesterday when he addressed the media at Trump Tower next to the US President.
“One more game to go,” he said proudly, before realizing his mistake. “Well, two more games. Tomorrow the bronze medal.”
In truth, you can’t blame him for not paying much attention to this match, because the players themselves don’t want to be there either.
“None of us wanted to play in this game for third place,” said France defender Ibrahima Konate. “But we have no choice to play.”
It was a similar story for England, who missed out on their first World Cup final since 1966, which was heartbreaking for Argentina.
“Nobody wants to be in this game tomorrow,” England coach Thomas Tuchel told reporters on Friday. “All four of these teams wanted to be in New York (for the final). But this is an official World Cup game.”
Of course, as in every match, there is at least anything play.
It is a chance for England to post their best World Cup performance in 60 years, having lost to Belgium in the third-place play-off in 2018. Tuchel says it is impossible to shake off that competitive mentality and vowed his team will give it their all.
For France, it’s an opportunity to give outgoing coach Didier Deschamps a winning send-off in his final game for the national team.
Deschamps had previously announced that this tournament would be his last after such a successful period in charge. He turned around Blues became a powerful force again and led his country to the World Cup title back in 2018.
And while he couldn’t do it again this summer, his players seem keen on giving him a dignified farewell.
“We want to give back to our coach,” Konate added. “He’s done so much for the French team. We have to thank him for that and we have to do everything we can to win this game… to get that chocolate medal, that bronze medal.”
Finally, this game could also mean something more for Kylian Mbappe’s quest for the Golden Boot. He has now scored as many goals as Lionel Messi (8) and this will be his last chance to usurp the Argentine in the race for personal honors.
The game begins today at 5:00 pm ET at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Who knows if it’s worth watching…
“The greatest human, social and cultural event that humanity has ever witnessed.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino
Those are the words of perennial headline-maker FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who addressed reporters at Trump Tower on Friday to reflect on the tournament.
Infantino shared the stage in a love affair with Donald Trump, saying the World Cup wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for the president.
While this claim is unfounded (Trump’s biggest intervention thus far threatened to undermine the integrity of the entire sport), Infantino is not entirely wrong in his words.
This World Championship, like many previous ones, was an incredible success. It brought people together in a way that hadn’t been seen in the US for a long time. But all this happened despite the politicians and certainly not because of them.
You’ve seen a lot of photos from this year’s World Cup, but I bet you’ve never seen anything like it.
Miles Myersko-Harris is an outstanding photographer who captured this summer’s tournament on film in several unique ways.
Whether it’s a folding camera from the 1950s or a point-and-shoot camera from 1994 (the last time the U.S. hosted the World Cup), Myersko-Harris has come up with creative ways to tell the story of this year’s competition.
The English photographer has posted many of his works on his very popular Instagram page, where he documents a variety of sporting events using expired film from decades past.
“I think some of the most iconic photographs of all time are film photographs of sports moments, and I guess there’s sort of a nostalgic element to that,” he said, explaining why his work often goes viral on the Internet. “I immediately think of Pele lifting the World Cup trophy with it on everyone’s shoulders, or that iconic kick of Muhammad Ali.
“I think especially these days, photography and images, and I mean, all of life really is so immediate and perfect. I think people like seeing those imperfections in film and the fact that it’s kind of real.”
Myersko-Harris attended several games this summer in collaboration with brands, including the Portugal-Colombia match early in the tournament, where he filmed the action from the stands using a 1950s-era camera.
It was during that game that he photographed Cristiano Ronaldo.
“I think it may have happened during one of the hydration breaks when Cristiano came onto the pitch before the break ended. He stood there for a short time alone near the center circle,” he said.
“Obviously with film, you have no idea what the photo is actually going to look like until you get it back, but I remember just looking through the very basic viewfinder of that camera and taking a photo,” he said.
“Using this unconventional camera really helped because I had to deal with limitations, which meant I composed it a certain way: Cristiano is in the foreground, very close to the bottom of the frame, and the rest of the frame is filled with the stadium, fans and spotlights.
“It just works in a funny way, and I wouldn’t have taken this photo if I had professional equipment with me.”
Myerscough-Harris has always had a camera in his hand, but began experimenting with film and social media during one of the Covid-19 lockdowns.
He hopes to return for the World Cup final on Sunday, but even if it doesn’t work out, he considers himself “very lucky” to be doing it full-time.
“I kind of spend my life traveling the world with my film cameras, going to sports games, and it’s just crazy,” he said. “Honestly, I’m just living the dream and loving it so much.”
WATCH: How number 19 continues to link Messi and Yamal
The connection between Lionel Messi and Lamin Yamal goes beyond a baby bath photo shoot and has a lot to do with the number 19.
Ahead of tomorrow’s finale, CNN’s Don Riddell breaks it down.
How number 19 continues to link Messi and Yamal
The connection between Lionel Messi and Lamin Yamal goes beyond the baby bathing photo shoot and has a lot to do with the number 19. CNN’s Don Riddell reveals the connection.
How number 19 continues to link Messi and Yamal
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So much has been said about the meeting between Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi ahead of Sunday’s final.
The world is busy learning the differences and similarities between the two stars as the 2007 photo continues to circulate across every corner of the internet.
For those who somehow haven’t read about it, Messi was photographed giving a baby a bath as part of a charity photo shoot 19 years ago. As it turned out, this child was Yamal.
On Friday, Messi took to the photo and praised the 19-year-old, who is widely hailed as the heir to the Argentine throne.
“This photo is crazy,” Messi said at a news conference while chatting with NFL legend Tom Brady. “I had a picture of him when he was a kid and the fact that we met each other at the World Cup… it’s crazy.”
Yamal quickly became the main player of Barcelona, the same club in which Messi shone for so many years. So while the 39-year-old wishes Yamal all the best for his career, he hopes to steal his biggest prize tomorrow.
“He is without a doubt one of the best in the world at the moment,” Messi added. “I wish him good luck because his well-being will also be Barcelona’s well-being.”