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France’s 2026 World Cup journey concluded in controversy and defensive collapse as they suffered a wild 6-4 defeat to England in the third-place playoff. The goal-laden encounter in Miami may have thrilled neutrals, but midfielder Adrien Rabiot was furious at what he described as an unacceptable lack of professionalism from his teammates in Didier Deschamps’ final match as head coach.

France’s campaign ends in disappointment

The French side’s issues were apparent from the opening minutes, falling 4-0 behind before halftime against England in Miami. Although Les Bleus showed more spirit in the second half and managed to score four times, the damage from their calamitous opening period proved irreparable.

The poor display led Rabiot to question the team’s mentality, while tensions were visible on the sidelines as Rayan Cherki was seen in a heated exchange with Deschamps during a first-half drinks break.

Rabiot reacts to France’s collapse

Rabiot did not hold back after the final whistle, openly criticising the first-half performance and the attitude displayed by some of his teammates.

“We started the first half quite shamefully,” the AC Milan midfielder told beIN SPORTS. “I saw behaviour from some players that I’d never seen before. It’s disappointing because it was the last match to perform well in this competition. There’s a lot of frustration after the loss to Spain, but there was still work to be done until the very end, and we can’t be satisfied with sloppy play like that. We spoke at halftime and reminded ourselves to show some pride, and it was much better in the second half because in the first half, some of the behaviour was unacceptable.”

England shine as France falter

Before the playoff, Deschamps admitted that neither side was particularly enthusiastic about the fixture, saying: “England doesn’t want to play this game, and neither do we.” His comments proved prophetic as France produced a lethargic first-half display before eventually succumbing 6-4.

The defeat marked a flat ending to Deschamps’ 14-year tenure as head coach. Internal discord and an uncoordinated performance overshadowed his farewell, while England capitalised on France’s disarray to finish the tournament strongly. Declan Rice hailed the spirit and quality of Thomas Tuchel’s squad after the victory.

“This is the best England group for a very long time,” Rice said. “That’s a fact. No one can take that away from us. We can be proud as a group. We’re just heartbroken about the semi-final loss.”

France prepare for a new era

France now shift focus to the post-Deschamps era, with Zinedine Zidane widely tipped to take over from the World Cup-winning manager. Rebuilding harmony within the team will be one of Zidane’s primary challenges after a campaign marred by on-field inconsistency and public criticism from senior players. England, on the other hand, will return home buoyed by their third-place finish, having responded admirably to their semi-final heartbreak.