England vs France World Cup live match
England vs France World Cup squads
Here are the names on the current England and France World Cup squads in Qatar. (Caps and stats correct as of start of the tournament).
England World Cup squad
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Jordan Pickford | Everton (ENG) | 28 | 45 |
| Goalkeeper | Nick Pope | Newcastle United (ENG) | 30 | 10 |
| Goalkeeper | Aaron Ramsdale | Arsenal (ENG) | 24 | 3 |
| Defender | Trent Alexander-Arnold | Liverpool (ENG) | 24 | 17 |
| Defender | Conor Coady | Everton (ENG) | 29 | 10 |
| Defender | Eric Dier | Tottenham (ENG) | 28 | 47 |
| Defender | Harry Maguire | Manchester United (ENG) | 29 | 48 |
| Defender | Luke Shaw | Manchester United (ENG) | 27 | 23 |
| Defender | John Stones | Manchester City (ENG) | 28 | 59 |
| Defender | Kieran Trippier | Newcastle United (ENG) | 32 | 37 |
| Defender | Kyle Walker | Manchester City (ENG) | 32 | 70 |
| Defender | Ben White* | Arsenal (ENG) | 25 | 4 |
| Midfielder | Jude Bellingham | Borussia Dortmund (GER) | 19 | 17 |
| Midfielder | Conor Gallagher | Chelsea (ENG) | 22 | 4 |
| Midfielder | Jordan Henderson | Liverpool (ENG) | 32 | 70 |
| Midfielder | Mason Mount | Chelsea (ENG) | 23 | 32 |
| Midfielder | Kalvin Phillips | Manchester City (ENG) | 26 | 23 |
| Midfielder | Declan Rice | West Ham United (ENG) | 23 | 34 |
| Forward | James Maddison | Leicester City (ENG) | 25 | 1 |
| Forward | Callum Wilson | Newcastle (ENG) | 30 | 4 |
| Forward | Phil Foden | Manchester City (ENG) | 21 | 18 |
| Forward | Jack Grealish | Manchester City (ENG) | 27 | 24 |
| Forward | Harry Kane | Tottenham (ENG) | 29 | 75 |
| Forward | Marcus Rashford | Manchester United (ENG) | 24 | 46 |
| Forward | Bukayo Saka | Arsenal (ENG) | 21 | 20 |
| Forward | Raheem Sterling | Manchester City (ENG) | 27 | 79 |
France World Cup squad
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Alphonse Areola | West Ham (ENG) | 29 | 5 |
| Goalkeeper | Hugo Lloris | Tottenham (ENG) | 35 | 139 |
| Goalkeeper | Steve Mandanda | Rennes (FRA) | 37 | 34 |
| Defender | Axel Disasi | Monaco (FRA) | 24 | 0 |
| Defender | Lucas Hernandez** | Bayern Munich (FRA) | 26 | 32 |
| Defender | Theo Hernandez | AC Milan (ITA) | 25 | 7 |
| Defender | Ibrahima Konate | Liverpool (ENG) | 23 | 2 |
| Defender | Jules Kounde | Barcelona (SPA) | 23 | 12 |
| Defender | Benjamin Pavard | Bayern Munich (GER) | 26 | 46 |
| Defender | William Saliba | Arsenal (ENG) | 21 | 7 |
| Defender | Dayot Upamecano | Bayern Munich (GER) | 23 | 7 |
| Defender | Raphael Varane | Manchester United (ENG) | 29 | 87 |
| Midfielder | Eduardo Camavinga | Real Madrid (SPA) | 19 | 4 |
| Midfielder | Youssouf Fofana | AS Monaco (FRA) | 23 | 2 |
| Midfielder | Matteo Guendouzi | Marseille (FRA) | 23 | 6 |
| Midfielder | Adrien Rabiot | Juventus (ITA) | 27 | 29 |
| Midfielder | Aurelien Tchouameni | Real Madrid (SPA) | 22 | 14 |
| Midfielder | Jordan Veretout | Marseille (FRA) | 29 | 5 |
| Forward | Ousmane Dembele | Barcelona (FRA) | 25 | 28 |
| Forward | Kingsley Coman | Bayern Munich (GER) | 26 | 40 |
| Forward | Olivier Giroud | AC Milan (ITA) | 36 | 114 |
| Forward | Antoine Griezmann | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 31 | 110 |
| Forward | Kylian Mbappe | PSG (FRA) | 23 | 59 |
| Forward | Marcus Thuram | Bor. M’Gladbach (GER) | 25 | 4 |
| Forward | Randal Kolo Muani | Monaco (FRA) | 23 | 2 |
The biggest match of the round is left for last as world champion France, looking to become the first country in 60 years to retain the World Cup, takes on an England team on the verge of reaching only its third semifinal.
Despite both sides featuring some of the world’s best players, eyes inevitably turn to Kylian Mbappé. The PSG forward has been nothing short of sensational this tournament. He has scored five goals in just three starts so far, already surpassing his total from 2018.
The biggest question ahead of the game is whether England can shackle the forward.
“England will have prepared for Kylian, but he is in a position to make the difference,” France coach Didier Deschamps said. “We have other players, but Kylian is Kylian and he can make the difference.”
Kyle Walker, who will likely be the defender tasked with stopping Mbappé, was confident when asked about it.
“I do understand what I need to do and that is to stop him,” he said. “It’s probably easier said than done, but I don’t underestimate myself.”
But Mbappé is not the only French threat going forward. On the opposite flank is Ousmane Dembélé who is not the complete product like Mbappé but is no less dangerous with his blistering pace and dribbling. In between the speedsters is Olivier Giroud, who became France’s all-time record goal scorer earlier in the tournament while operating as a foil for the wide men.
Behind the front three is Atlético man Antoine Griezmann, who after a difficult few seasons, looks back to being the player who took both Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup by storm.
Despite the excellent performances of Harry Maguire and John Stones in the heart of the English defense so far, they have not been tested by anything close to this attack at a major tournament.
However, unlike in previous tournaments, England has plenty of tools of its own to hurt a vulnerable French defense.
Along with Portugal, the Three Lions are the top scorers in Qatar. They won their previous two matches 3-0, and for the first time this century, come into this match with more depth in their team than their opponents who have been hampered by a host of injuries.
Like Giroud, Harry Kane is on the verge of becoming England’s all-time record goal scorer. He is now only one goal behind Wayne Rooney’s record of 53.
Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford both have three goals a piece despite neither being guaranteed a starting spot and Jordan Henderson has made an unexpected return to the starting lineup with excellent results. The Liverpool captain scored the opener against Senegal and has added much needed balance to the team.
With two stellar attacks – and two unconvincing defenses – this game has the potential to be the best of the entire tournament.
