France coach Didier Deschamps admitted his side does not want to play the FIFA World Cup 2026 third-place playoff against England in Miami on Saturday (local time) but stated it is their duty to win the bronze medal, as per Reuters. France’s hopes of reaching a third consecutive FIFA World Cup final ended with a 2-0 defeat to Spain in the 2026 semi-finals. Speaking ahead of the third-place match, speaking at the pre-match press conference, Deschamps said neither France nor England wanted to play the match, but stressed that it is not a friendly and that his team has a duty to compete and secure the bronze medal.

“I have a duty for this game. It is not a friendly. It is a third-place playoff. The players, staff, and I have the duty to reach this last objective. It is less important than the final. England does not want to play this game, and neither do we. But here we are,” Deschamps said, as quoted by Reuters.

Didier Deschamps said France’s focus is on securing third place, stressing that wearing the national jersey comes with the responsibility to achieve that goal. He also acknowledged that the match will be his last in charge, adding that while the end is near, life goes on.

“We have to set our eyes on that goal to be third and make this final goal a reality. We have this duty when wearing this jersey. In my head, I know that it is my last match. I don’t want anybody to cry. The end is near, but life goes on,” he said.

France defender Ibrahima Konate admitted the players did not want to play the FIFA World Cup 2026 third-place playoff after their semi-final defeat but said they are determined to give outgoing coach Deschamps a winning farewell by securing the bronze medal.

“None of us wanted to play for this third place, but we have no choice. We want to pay back our coach,” he said. “He did so much for the France team. We must be grateful to him for that, and we need to do everything we can to win this game… to get this chocolate medal, this bronze medal,” Konate said.