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The French head coach said bluntly that they don’t want to play the third-place match—but they have to

On July 19, in the pre-match press conference ahead of the World Cup third-place match between France and England, France coach Deschamps said: “Both England and we don’t want to play, but if there is a match like this, we have to carry it out.”

The French and English teams are now in Miami, but what’s on their minds is no longer the Saturday third-fourth-place final. FIFA set the third-place prize at $29 million, while the fourth-place prize is $27 million. But an insider in the French camp directly said: “They’re sick of having to play this match.” With $29 million on the table, both the France and England teams just want to go back home and take a vacation—this isn’t a joke; it’s the most real split on display at this World Cup.

In the semifinals, France lost 0-2 to Spain, and England lost 1-2 to Argentina—both games, almost at the same time, dragged both teams back to reality. France’s team had already been planning how to leave the United States. The long schedule drained everyone’s energy, and with the semifinal defeat, their competitive spirit went with it.

Late at night from Monday to Tuesday, a French insider was asked, “Do you think they want to play this match?” The answer was very direct: “Of course they don’t. This team is here to do other things.” Another person inside the team put it even more bluntly: “They’re sick of having to play this match.”

What’s even more painful is the players’ movements. Some French players have already started planning their vacation starting from Saturday; they even skipped the step of going back to Paris and flew directly from the United States to their vacation destinations.

Things aren’t much better on England’s side either. After the semifinal, in the news conference where he was asked about the third-place match, coach Tuchel said very plainly: “Of these players, nobody wants to play this match, and among the French players, nobody wants to play this match either—they want to play the final.”

His remarks are worth reading in full: “We’ll have to wait four years before we get another chance, but that in itself is an achievement. It’s the semifinals—so many, many football powerhouses get eliminated before the semifinals. So, it’s an achievement. But at this moment, nobody wants to hear that, and neither do I. Because we hold ourselves to the highest standards—that’s the essence of competition. And that’s the essence of competitiveness.”

Tuchel didn’t sugarcoat anything. He laid it out plainly: what the players want to play is the final, not a consolation match. He even added: “We lose a day of recovery time, but we will deal with it with a professional attitude.” In other words, those who are supposed to play will still play—but don’t expect any fireworks.

So why do they still have to play this match? The answer is written in the prize money table.

FIFA officially released the prize money plan for the 2026 USA-Canada-Mexico World Cup on December 17, 2025: the total purse is $727 million, of which $655 million will be distributed as prize money to the 48 participating teams. Compared with the 2022 Qatar World Cup, it’s an increase of 50%. The breakdown is as follows:

Champion: $50 million

Runner-up: $33 million

Third place: $29 million

Fourth place: $27 million

Places 5-8: $19 million each

Places 9-16: $15 million each

Places 17-32: $11 million each

Places 33-48: $9 million each

In addition, each promoted team also receives $1.5 million in preparation funding—meaning that even if they finish last in the group stage, there is still a guaranteed $10.5 million.

The key is the $2 million difference between third place and fourth place. That $2 million is the real reason this “disgusting” match still has to be played. After the associations receive this money, they can allocate it freely. Player bonuses, coach pay, youth training development, and day-to-day operations of the association can all be used. For the French Football Federation and the English FA, this $2 million is not a small amount.