France Fields an All-Reserve Team in the Third-Place Match: Full Breakdown

1. Core News Confirmation

At 5:00 a.m. Beijing time on July 19, in the 2022 World Cup third-place match, France vs England, French authoritative media L’Équipe confirms: the whole squad has undergone large-scale rotation, with basically all reserves starting. All regular starters—Mbappé, Tchouaméni, Dembele, Saliba, Koundé, and others—are all rested and do not play.

2. Why France Directly Gave Up on Starters: Three Key Reasons

1. The title dream is over, and the team’s motivation is extremely low
After losing 0-2 to Spain in the semifinals and missing the final, France’s original goal was only the trophy; to the players, a bronze-medal match is completely a “meaningless game.” Many starters reportedly booked vacation plans right after the match. In the locker room, some even said outright they didn’t want to play this consolation match, having no drive to go all-out.

2. Protect the core and avoid injuries delaying club commitments
This tournament has an extremely dense schedule, and several starters played with minor injuries: Mbappé suffered an ankle contusion; Tchouaméni has a groin ailment; Saliba got injured and had to leave early. Club executives across the board don’t want their stars to risk accidental injuries in matches unrelated to the championship. Deschamps simply had the main squad rest through the whole game to recover.

3. Deschamps’ farewell match—balancing a proper send-off for veterans and getting new players minutes
This is Deschamps’ last match after coaching France for 14 years, and he will step down after the game.

• Give veteran contributors a dignified send-off: N’Golo Kanté, a 2018-winning hero, and Lucas Hernández both spent the entire tournament on the bench and will make their World Cup debuts here—this match effectively serves as a farewell performance for their national-team careers;

• Train the next generation: 18-year-old Emery, 21-year-old Sarr/Shelky (Cherki), Barcola, and other young players all start, using the World Cup stage to accumulate experience and complete the transition between old and new.

3. Huge Impact on the Match Trajectory

1. France’s attack is cut in half immediately—the spark is gone
About 60% of France’s attacking threat came from Mbappé. With him absent, the team loses its most stable scoring point and its counter-attack speed drops sharply. The reserve front line lacks the old-time coordination and can hardly produce the rapid counter-attacks of the past. They can only slowly build up and play a possession-style game, with their finishing effectiveness significantly reduced.

2. The Golden Boot race loses all suspense directly
Mbappé had been tied for the top of the scorer chart with 8 goals alongside Messi. His rest here means he cannot score anymore. Messi doesn’t even need to play in the final round to secure this World Cup’s Golden Boot, so the much-anticipated duel between the two superstars’ Golden Boot has completely fallen apart, sparking widespread controversy.

3. England will likely rotate slightly, giving them a clear advantage on paper
The Three Lions won’t rotate almost everyone like France. Kane and Bellingham will most likely play. On one hand, the team has never won a World Cup third-place finish and has demands to compete for a medal; on the other hand, coach Tuchel needs a respectable win to ease the pressure from public opinion, so overall motivation is far higher than France’s.

4. What to Watch in This Match (No longer a top-vs-top matchup—the focus changes completely)

1. Kanté’s World Cup farewell—watch how the last midfield performance looks on the biggest stage;

2. France’s post-2000 young stars all appear together—observe the potential of the next-generation core;

3. England’s lineup has better overall completeness, and their win probability rises significantly;

4. Deschamps’ last match of his coaching career—finishing off 14 years of national-team tenure with an all-reserve lineup.

5. Brief Watching Summary

This third-place final is no longer a strong teams face-off; it’s more like France’s “practice match + veterans’ send-off ceremony.” With no starters anchoring, France’s quality drops sharply on both attack and defense. England keeps the majority of its core, and the balance of on-field play and goal-scoring chances will likely favor them. It’s hard for this match to become a high-intensity, end-to-end fight for both sides, and overall tempo will likely be relatively flat.
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