World Cup third‑place match sees France take on England

Paris — French national team manager Didier Deschamps will take charge of Les Bleus for the last time as the side prepares for the upcoming European Championship final, while forward Kylian Mbappé eyes a place in the tournament’s individual record books. Deschamps, who has guided France to the 2018 World Cup title and a runner‑up finish at Euro 2016, announced that the match will be his swan song after more than a decade at the helm. The French squad, currently unbeaten in the competition, will face England on Sunday, a fixture that will decide whether Deschamps can add a continental trophy to his résumé before stepping down.

Mbappé, who entered the tournament as France’s leading scorer, is within striking distance of becoming the competition’s all‑time top goal‑getter, a milestone that would eclipse the records set by Michel Platini and Cristiano Ronaldo. The 25‑year‑old has already netted nine goals, matching the tally of the tournament’s previous record holder, and a brace in the final would secure his place in history. Both the manager’s farewell and the striker’s personal quest add a narrative layer to what is already a high‑stakes encounter, and the outcome will shape the legacy of Deschamps’s era and Mbappé’s burgeoning career.