France National Football Team vs England National Football Team Lineups: A Close Look at the Teamsheets

England against France is one of the oldest fixtures in international football. The two sides first met in Paris in 1923, and they have played each other 34 times since. The matches that people remember best are recent ones, and the france national football team vs england national football team lineups from those games tell you a lot about how each coach was thinking.

This article looks at the teamsheets from the 2026 World Cup third-place play-off, which ended 6–4 to England, and the 2022 quarter-final, which France won 2–1. It also covers the earlier meetings, the changes of coach on both sides, a table of the last ten matches, and five FAQs.

The Record in Brief

On 11v11’s records, England and France have met 34 times: England have won 18, France 11, and five matches have been drawn. England’s lead comes mostly from the early years, when they beat France regularly in friendlies in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. Other sites count a few matches differently, and one lists England on 19 wins, so treat the exact figures as close rather than final.

What matters for lineups is the recent period. Since 1999, France have won five of the nine meetings, England two, and two were drawn. Only two of those matches were World Cup games: the quarter-final in 2022 and the play-off in 2026. The World Cup record overall is England three wins, France one.

France 4–6 England: The 2026 Third-Place Match

The setting

The match was played on Saturday 18 July 2026 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. It was the last game of the tournament for both teams, who had lost their semi-finals, England to Argentina and France to Spain. For Didier Deschamps it was his final match as France coach after 14 years. For Thomas Tuchel, who was booed by some England fans before kick-off after the Argentina defeat, it was a chance to finish with a medal.

England’s starting XI

Tuchel made seven changes from the semi-final. Here is the confirmed lineup, as reported by Sports Illustrated and Khel Now (the two sites describe the shape differently, as a 4-1-2-3 and a 4-1-4-1):

Goalkeeper: Dean Henderson
Defence: Jarell Quansah, Ezri Konsa, Marc Guéhi, Djed Spence
Midfield: Declan Rice (captain), with Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze
Attack: Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, and Ivan Toney as the central striker

The big talking points were who was missing. Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, England’s top two scorers of the tournament, were left out of the starting eleven, and Jordan Pickford was replaced in goal by Henderson. Opta noted that this was England’s first major tournament game without Pickford starting since Euro 2016, ending a record of 33 consecutive starts for an England goalkeeper at World Cups and Euros. Tuchel’s explanation before the game was that it was “common sense.” Rice, who had been a doubt, captained the side.

France’s starting XI

Deschamps also made seven changes. ESPN’s formation graphic and Flashscore’s report give this eleven:

Goalkeeper: Mike Maignan
Defence: Jules Koundé’s absence is notable here: the back line was Gusto, Lacroix, Konaté and Théo Hernández
Midfield: Adrien Rabiot and Warren Zaïre-Emery
Attack: Michael Olise, Rayan Cherki and Désiré Doué behind or alongside Kylian Mbappé, who captained the side

Barcola and Dembélé, who had started the semi-final against Spain, were on the bench. At half-time Deschamps made four changes: Bradley Barcola, Dayot Upamecano, Ousmane Dembélé and Lucas Digne all came on.

How the lineups shaped the match

England’s first half was close to perfect. Rice scored from distance in the third minute, and then Konsa headed in a Rice corner in the 18th. Saka scored in the 37th minute and again in first-half stoppage time (45+1′), so England led 4–0 at the break.

France looked like a different team after the changes. Mbappé scored in the 48th minute, assisted by Olise, then set up Barcola for the second in the 54th, and added his second in the 66th, again from an Olise assist. That made it 4–3. Then Gusto fouled Spence in the area and Saka stepped up for the penalty, completing his hat-trick in the 87th minute. Dembélé scored in the 90th minute plus six, and Bellingham, who had come on as a substitute, scored in the 90th plus eight to make it 6–4.

The numbers are unusual. It was the highest-scoring World Cup game since 1982 (Hungary 10–1 El Salvador) and the highest-scoring third-place match in the tournament’s history. Saka became the fourth England player to score a World Cup hat-trick, and Bellingham reached seven goals, the most for an England player at a single World Cup or European Championship. Mbappé’s two goals took him to 22 World Cup goals, passing Lionel Messi’s record. Olise finished the tournament with seven assists.

England 1–2 France: The 2022 Quarter-Final

The previous World Cup meeting was a much more serious game, played on 10 December 2022 at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar, in front of 68,895 people.

England (4-2-3-1), Gareth Southgate: Jordan Pickford; Kyle Walker, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw; Declan Rice, Jordan Henderson; Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden; Harry Kane (captain).

France (4-2-3-1), Didier Deschamps: Hugo Lloris (captain); Jules Koundé, Raphaël Varane, Dayot Upamecano, Théo Hernández; Aurélien Tchouaméni, Adrien Rabiot; Ousmane Dembélé, Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappé; Olivier Giroud.

Tchouaméni scored from distance in the 17th minute, with an assist from Griezmann. Kane equalised from the penalty spot in the 54th minute. Giroud headed France ahead in the 78th minute. Then England were awarded a second penalty after Saka was fouled, and Kane put it over the bar in the 84th minute. England brought on Mason Mount, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish late, while France replaced Dembélé with Kingsley Coman. Maguire was the only England player booked. Ollie Watkins was missing through injury.

Looking at that lineup next to the 2026 one, it is striking how many of the same names appear for England: Pickford, Rice, Saka, Bellingham, Kane and Stones were all in the 2022 side, while Walker, Shaw, Maguire, Henderson and Foden had dropped out of the picture by 2026. France changed more: of the 2022 starting eleven only Mbappé, Rabiot and Hernández started in Miami.

The Earlier Meetings

For the older games, I can report the results and the competitions but not full teamsheets, since I could not verify them.

2017: France won 3–2 in a friendly at the Stade de France on 13 June.

2015: England won 2–0 at Wembley on 17 November, a friendly played days after the Paris attacks. The match was a highly emotional occasion, and the French anthem was sung by the crowd.

2012: A 1–1 draw in Donetsk in Euro 2012’s group stage, on 11 June.

2010: France won 2–1 at Wembley on 17 November in a friendly.

2008: France won 1–0 at the Stade de France on 26 March.

2004: France won 2–1 in Lisbon at Euro 2004 on 13 June, a match remembered for Zinedine Zidane scoring twice in stoppage time after England had led.

2000: A 1–1 draw at the Stade de France on 2 September.

1999: France won 2–0 at Wembley on 10 February.

Last 10 Meetings (Table)

Across these ten matches, France have won six, England two and two have been drawn. England scored 18 goals and France 19, a close figure largely because of the 6–4 game. The scorers I can confirm are those for the 2026 and 2022 matches above. For the others I have not listed names, since I could not verify them from the sources available. The Euro 2012 match venue is given as Donetsk without the stadium name for the same reason.

What the Teamsheets Tell Us

England’s lineups reflect a change in thinking. Southgate in 2022 used a balanced 4-2-3-1 with two holding midfielders, and the team was built around Kane. Tuchel’s lineup in 2026 was something different: a single holding midfielder in Rice, and a front line of wide forwards and a nominal striker in Toney. That was partly because it was a third-place game, but it also reflects Tuchel’s attempt, discussed in the media before the tournament, to find a system where Kane, Bellingham and Foden could not all play together.

France use the same ingredients in different proportions. The 2022 side was built on Giroud’s hold-up play with Mbappé and Dembélé on the flanks. The 2026 side had no true centre-forward other than Mbappé himself, with Olise, Cherki and Doué behind him. The system relied on movement, which is why Mbappé scored twice and still did not stop England.

Both coaches were willing to experiment when the stakes were lower. Each made seven changes in 2026. Neither changed that much in 2022.

Defence has been the issue for both. The 10 goals conceded in a single game included five from set pieces and rebounds, and the back lines that conceded them were both partly second-choice. In 2022, the issue was different: England’s defence performed well for most of the match but lost it to one long-range strike and one header.

Where the Two Teams Are Now

England

England finished third at the World Cup, their best result since winning it in 1966. In the autumn they began the Nations League with a 3–2 defeat to Spain, then won 2–0 away to Czechia, 7–0 in Croatia and 3–0 against Czechia at Wembley on 6 October. Kane scored twice in the last game, on his 125th cap, which matched Peter Shilton’s record. Tuchel has said he is happy with how the squad has recovered from the World Cup, and England are listed fourth in the world ranking. Their remaining group games are against Croatia and Spain in November.

France

France finished fourth, and the biggest change is on the bench. Zinedine Zidane took over from Deschamps, signing a four-year contract, with his first match away to Turkey on 25 September. France’s Nations League group also includes Italy and Belgium. I could not find reliable results for Zidane’s first matches, so I will not guess at them. France are listed third in the world ranking as of early October, and the first lineups under Zidane will be worth watching, since he has said he likes goals.

A Possible Next Meeting

There is no scheduled match between the two, though they could be drawn together again in the Nations League or in qualifying for Euro 2028. If they meet, here is what to expect:

England are likely to go back to a more settled selection, with Pickford in goal, Rice and Bellingham in midfield and Kane leading the line, with Saka and Gordon or Rogers in support.

France are less predictable, because Zidane’s selection is an unknown. Mbappé, Olise and Maignan look like safe starters. The midfield and defence, where Deschamps used a lot of different players in 2026, are the areas that could change.

Where to Find Official Lineups

Confirmed lineups are normally published about an hour before kick-off. The most reliable places to find them are the FA’s match centre (englandfootball.com), the French Football Federation, FIFA’s match pages for World Cup games, and match-data sites such as ESPN. As the 2026 play-off showed, predicted lineups can be wrong, since the two sides’ selections were quite different from what most previews expected.

Final Thoughts

The france national football team vs england national football team lineups from the last two World Cup meetings show two very different games. In 2022, two strong first-choice teams cancelled each other out until one moment of quality and one missed penalty decided it. In 2026, two rotated sides with nothing left to lose produced ten goals. For England, the 2026 result was a good way to finish a tournament that had ended painfully three days earlier. For France, it closed the Deschamps era with a defeat that is likely to be remembered more for Mbappé’s record than for the result.

With a new coach in France and a settled England under Tuchel, the next lineup battle between the two should be a very different one.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What was the score in France vs England at the 2026 World Cup?
England won 6–4 in the third-place play-off on 18 July 2026 in Miami Gardens. Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick, Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa and Jude Bellingham also scored, and Kylian Mbappé (two), Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé scored for France.

2. What were the lineups in the 2026 third-place match?
England started Henderson; Quansah, Konsa, Guéhi, Spence; Rice (captain); Saka, Eze, Rogers, Rashford; Toney. France started Maignan; Gusto, Lacroix, Konaté, Hernández; Rabiot, Zaïre-Emery; Olise, Cherki, Doué; Mbappé (captain). Kane and Bellingham started on England’s bench.

3. What is the head-to-head record between England and France?
On 11v11’s figures, they have met 34 times: England have won 18, France 11, and five were drawn. At the World Cup, England have won three and France one. Other sites show slightly different totals.

4. Who scored in the 2022 World Cup quarter-final between England and France?
France won 2–1. Aurélien Tchouaméni scored in the 17th minute, Harry Kane equalised from a penalty in the 54th, and Olivier Giroud scored the winner in the 78th. Kane missed a second penalty in the 84th minute.

5. Who is the France coach now?
Zinedine Zidane, who replaced Didier Deschamps after the 2026 World Cup. He signed a four-year contract, and his first match was away to Turkey in the Nations League on 25 September.

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