Disappointed France and England meet for third place in the World Cup

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — France and England agree on this: Neither team wanted to be playing on Saturday.

France was a favorite to win the World Cup. England was close to ending a decades-long wait for its first World Cup title since 1966.

Both fell one match short of their ultimate goals after losses in the semifinals. And instead of playing in Sunday's final — that game will be between Argentina and Spain — England and France will face each other in a consolation match for third place.

“None of us wanted to play in this game for third place,” France defender Ibrahima Konate said Friday. “But we don't have a choice to play. France and England have a big story together. And yeah, we are looking forward for the game tomorrow, and let's see what will happen.”

Though the match will provide little more than moral victories, it may give Thomas Tuchel a chance to regain favor after the England coach faced widespread criticism about his tactical choices in the Three Lions' semifinal loss to Argentina.

“Nobody wants to be, tomorrow, in this game,” Tuchel said Friday evening. “All of these four teams wanted to be in New York (at the final). But it is an official World Cup game. It's a chance to have the best result in 60 years for England. Mentality is not something that you switch on and switch off as you like it. It is a moment to show that we are actually made of what we showed through the whole tournament.”

France star Kylian Mbappé also still has a chance to win the Golden Boot, awarded to the tournament's leading scorer.

Mbappé has eight goals, tied with Argentina's Lionel Messi for the tournament lead. Messi has an edge in the tiebreaker with four assists to Mbappé's three. England's Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham are also in the mix with six goals each.

France coach Didier Deschamps said Mbappé is available for Saturday's match — the star participated in France's training session Friday in Fort Lauderdale — but added he will make changes to his regular lineup. Tuchel said there will also be changes to England's lineup.

“We do have a match for the third place playoff, and there's a duty,” Deschamps said. “We have duties. I have duties, my staff has duties and so do the players. We have a responsibility to wear this jersey for all the French people who are cheering for us.”

It will also be the final game for Deschamps as France's coach after 14 years leading the squad. Konate said the French players want to “pay back our head coach” with one last win.

“He carried many French players,” Konate said. “We had some disappointing moments, but he brought a lot of joy.”

France won the World Cup under Deschamps in 2018, lost a gut-wrenching final to Argentina on penalties in 2022, and fell short tactically on Tuesday, when the offensive firepower of Mbappé, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise was neutralized by the stout Spanish defense.

Deschamps won one major trophy — albeit the biggest of all — having lost the European Championship final on home soil in 2016.

“I know it will be the last match and I also know that the French national team will be missed,” Deschamps said. “I had the privilege for 15 years to be up here with this jersey, to experience magnificent moments, more difficult moments. The French national team is the most beautiful thing that has ever happened to me in my professional career.”

For England, which reached the World Cup semis for the first time since 2018, there is still work to do in closing the gap with France, Argentina and Spain.

“I think out of the four (semifinal) teams, the other three teams almost expect to be world champions,” Tuchel said. “We were hoping. We were dreaming. We were pushing and believing. But still we have to close that gap. And we're up for that from tomorrow.”

The German coach, who has won trophies with Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich, said his squad was too passive against defending champion Argentina. Leading 1-0 going into the 85th minute and in a defensive shell, England surrendered goals to Enzo Fernández and substitute Lautaro Martínez amid widely questioned tactics and substitutions by Tuchel.

He said he trusted his instincts during the match and did not regret his decisions.

“If it’s easier that someone takes the blame,” Tuchel added, “I take the blame.”

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

England's head coach Thomas Tuchel responds to a question during a news conference ahead of their third-place World Cup soccer match against France, Friday, July 17, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

France's Kylian Mbappe, right, participates in a training session with the team ahead of their Bronze medal World Cup soccer match against England Friday, July 17, 2026, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

France's Ibrahima Konate listens during a news conference ahead of their third-place World Cup soccer match against England, in Miami Gardens, Fla., Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

France's head coach Didier Deschamps speaks during a news conference ahead of their third-place World Cup soccer match against England, Friday, July 17, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky returned to the Senate on Monday for the first time since June 14, when he was hospitalized after a fall in his home.

McConnell's three-month absence from the Senate generated a flood of criticism and online speculation, as the Kentucky senator initially remained quiet for weeks about his condition. The 84-year-old senator eventually disclosed that he had been “briefly unconscious” due to the fall and had also been treated for mild pneumonia in the hospital.

“My recovery has been a long and often frustrating process, and the lingering effects of childhood polio haven’t made it any easier," McConnell said in a statement Monday. “I’m still not quite back to 100%, but I’ve assured Leader Thune that, as I continue with physical therapy on the advice of my doctors, I will do my best to be present for tough votes when our Conference needs me.”

The concerns over McConnell’s absence highlighted increasing public concern about the age of lawmakers and their capacity to carry out their duties. Speculation about his condition grew so intense at one point that Kentucky’s Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear took the extraordinary step of issuing a public letter asking McConnell to update the public in a “transparent manner.”

McConnell’s absence was also felt over the summer as Republicans were unable to advance a farm bill out of committee. His return could give GOP leaders a needed vote as they try to advance legislation on cryptocurrency regulation and college sports.

McConnell, who holds the distinction of being the longest-serving Senate leader, is in his final months of his four decades in office. He is retiring at the end of January after one of the most consequential careers in modern politics.

Republicans have nominated U.S. Rep. Andy Barr to replace him, while Democrats have nominated former state lawmaker Charles Booker. McConnell said he is determined to finish out his term.

McConnell had polio in his early childhood and has long acknowledged difficulty as an adult in walking and climbing stairs.

The physician’s office in Congress in the July statement said McConnell has “experienced several falls through the year” due to his “post-polio condition.” The office said his physical therapy was aimed at reducing the risk of him falling again.

“A comprehensive evaluation by a multidisciplinary team determined that he had no fractures, cardiac abnormalities, stroke, tumor, or hemorrhage,” the physician’s office said.

McConnell was first elected to the Senate in 1984 and was the Republican leader from 2007 until last year, serving as both majority and minority leader during that period. He has remained active as a rank-and-file senator, showing up for work when the chamber is in session, often using a wheelchair to get around.

But the senator’s physical condition has visibly declined in recent years.

He was hospitalized with a concussion in March 2023 and missed several weeks of work after falling in a Washington hotel. He twice froze up during news conferences after he returned, staring vacantly ahead before colleagues and staff. A year later, he fell and sprained his wrist while walking out of a GOP luncheon.

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., arrives at the U.S. Capitol, Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol, Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol, Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol, Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

FILE - Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., offers remarks following the Senate Republicans policy luncheon at the Capitol, July 30, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr., File)