It's the game no player ever wants to play in.
Having reached a World Cup semi-final, only to have your dreams dashed at the final hurdle, two teams must pick themselves up and go again to battle it out for third place.
France, the most impressive team at the World Cup prior to their comprehensive battering at the hands of Spain, will take on an England side who were minutes away from reaching a first World Cup final since 1966.
England actually have a positive record against France, but most of the Three Lions' wins came in friendlies that even predated their World Cup win. Their more recent record leaves lots to be desired with just one win in their last nine -- a friendly in 2015 under Roy Hodgson in which England won 2-0 with goals from Dele Alli and Wayne Rooney.
Prior to that, England's last win over France was at the 1997 semi-competitive Tournoi de France, but their last win in a major tournament came in 1982 when beating Michel Platini's side 3-1 at the 1982 World Cup. England have failed to beat France in their four major tournament meetings since.
The Three Lions came close at Euro 2004, as Zinedine Zidane's late equalising free-kick threatened to snatch a point, before an errant backpass by Steven Gerrard saw Thierry Henry brought down by David James in the area with Les Bleus winning 2-1.
England's record v France
Date | Match | Result | Score | Competition |
10th May 1923 | France v England | W | 1-4 | Friendly |
17th May 1924 | France v England | W | 2-3 | Friendly |
21nd May 1925 | France v England | W | 2-3 | Friendly |
26th May 1927 | France v England | W | 0-6 | Friendly |
17th May 1928 | France v England | W | 1-5 | Friendly |
9th May 1929 | France v England | W | 1-4 | Friendly |
14th May 1931 | France v England | L | 5-2 | Friendly |
6th December 1933 | England v France | W | 4-1 | Friendly |
26th May 1938 | France v England | W | 2-4 | Friendly |
3rd May 1947 | England v France | W | 3-0 | Friendly |
22nd May 1949 | France v England | W | 1-3 | Friendly |
3rd October 1951 | England v France | D | 2-2 | Friendly |
15th May 1955 | France v England | L | 1-0 | Friendly |
27th November 1957 | England v France | W | 4-0 | Friendly |
3rd October 1962 | England v France | D | 1-1 | Euro 1964 |
27th February 1963 | France v England | L | 5-2 | Euro 1964 |
20th July 1966 | England v France | W | 2-0 | 1966 World Cup |
12th March 1969 | England v France | W | 5-0 | Friendly |
16th June 1982 | England v France | W | 3-1 | 1982 World Cup |
29th February 1984 | France v England | L | 2-0 | Friendly |
19th February 1992 | England v France | W | 2-0 | Friendly |
14th June 1992 | France v England | D | 0-0 | Euro 1992 |
7th June 1997 | France v England | W | 0-1 | Tournoi de France |
10th February 1999 | England v France | L | 0-2 | Friendly |
2nd September 2000 | France v England | D | 1-1 | Friendly |
13th June 2004 | France v England | L | 2-1 | Euro 2004 |
26th March 2008 | France v England | L | 1-0 | Friendly |
17th November 2010 | England v France | L | 1-2 | Friendly |
11th June 2012 | France v England | D | 1-1 | Euro 2012 |
17th November 2015 | England v France | W | 2-0 | Friendly |
13th June 2017 | France v England | L | 3-2 | Friendly |
10th December 2022 | England v France | L | 1-2 | 2022 World Cup |
