World Cup 2026: Why you should still care about England v France third-place play-off

So there you have it.

England's World Cup dreams are dashed once more, the wait for a first men's major trophy since 1966 goes on - and to make matters worse, they can't even get on a plane and fly home just yet.

That's right, the tournament is not quite over for Thomas Tuchel's side with a third-place play-off against France to come on Saturday (22:00 BST).

It probably seems like the last thing anyone wants after Wednesday's heart-breaking loss to Argentina, but maybe it won't be so bad?

In fact, when you think about it, there are at least four reasons why you do, actually, want to watch it...

First and foremost, there is still a trophy that players on both sides will be focused on: the Golden Boot.

France captain Kylian Mbappe has enjoyed a superb tournament and is currently level with Lionel Messi as this World Cup's joint top scorer on eight goals so far.

However, the Argentina great currently has the edge thanks to his four assists to Mbappe's three.

Goals in third-place play-offs do count towards the Golden Boot award, though, so Mbappe can still overtake the former Barcelona forward - albeit Messi will have the opportunity to respond in the final itself.

Should Mbappe score, or provide two assists, he would follow in the footsteps of Italy's Salvatore Schillaci, who clinched the Golden Boot in 1990 by scoring in the third-place contest against... England.

Of course, there is still a chance an England player might take the prize for the tournament's top scorer given both Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham are just two goals behind Messi and Mbappe.

Given the Three Lions pair also have fewer assists, it would likely require a hat-trick to top the charts but you never know - and seeing top attacking talents go in search of goals is always fun to watch.

The ultimate prize might now be out of reach but there is still a chance for this to end as a historic tournament for England.

OK, winning a third-place play-off for the first time might not be what fans were dreaming of when the World Cup began - but it would ensure this was England's best finish at the tournament for 60 years.

Victory over France would mean only their 1966 triumph would rank above this year's efforts.

Two previous third-place play-offs at the World Cup have ended in defeat.

Sir Bobby Robson's side were beaten by hosts Italy in 1990, while Sir Gareth Southgate's men lost to Belgium in 2018.

When gold and silver are off the table, you might as well try to take the bronze.

Crucially, this weekend is the last chance to watch any competitive football for a little while.

After Sunday's final, it is nearly four weeks until the EFL returns on 14 August, with the Community Shield that same weekend.

It is another week after that (21 August) until the Premier League is back and when in comes to England, a change in the timings of international breaks means you'll be waiting until the end of September for their next game.

You can keep up-to-date with all the pre-season friendlies right here on the BBC Sport website and app during the otherwise fallow weeks ahead, but in terms of actually watching live, competitive football... you should get your fix while you can.

In that sense, it can only be a good thing that there is another World Cup game between two top sides to consume this weekend.

You're still thinking about the bad news, aren't you?

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