France – England

The French team will for the third consecutive time finish in the top 3 of the world championships.

The path of France's national team at the World Cup closely resembled Bayern's participation in the last edition of the Champions League. The Munich club, packed with players of the highest caliber, left no chance for opponents and played in a very romantic style: with relentless high pressing, powerful positional attacks, and incredibly creative finishing. The French team in North America played in a similarly dominant manner. In the group stage, Deschamps' men did not face any real challenge from any of their opponents, among whom were Senegal, Iraq and Norway. Only against the African side did the French have a less-than-ideal first half. In the knockout rounds, France started as the clear favorite of the World Cup and had only local problems on the way to the semifinals. Sweden, Paraguay and Morocco were defeated by Deschamps' team without conceding a goal and with ease. As the favorite, France took the field against Spain, but appeared only as a pale reflection of itself. A 0-2 defeat to the Red Fury not only knocked the French out of the race for the world football crown, but also humiliated them by the very substance of the game. During the match, France did not create a single goalscoring moment. The third-place match is poorly motivating for a team whose players saw themselves as its winners, but there are two moments that will prevent them from giving up too soon. First, this match will be Deschamps' last at the helm of the national team, who etched his name into world football history by finishing first and second in the World Cups of 2018 and 2022. Second, three consecutive podium finishes at the World Cups is a landmark achievement that will sweeten the French side's bitter pill. England's exit in the semifinal stage is a logical consequence of its tournament path. You can't win the World Cup and play poorly against teams like DR Congo, Panama and Ghana. Essentially, a squad packed with world-class players in every match was achieving a decisive advantage over its opponents thanks to the individual actions of its leaders, rather than through team play. France is far better prepared to win the consolation final.