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Editor's note: Follow for live updates on England-France World Cup game
England is on a tear, up 4-2 against France in the second half of the 2026 World Cup third-place match on Saturday, July 18.
Manager Thomas Tuchel raised eyebrows when he did not include the stars of the tournament so far, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, in the starting lineup.
Each player has six goals in the World Cup. Kane scored twice and Bellingham added a goal in the roaring opener, a 4-2 win over Croatia. The captain's brace saved the day for a 2-1 win over the Democratic Republic of Congo in the round of 32, and then it was Bellingham's time to shine with two goals in a tense matchup against Mexico that England won 3-2, plus another brace in the quarterfinals against Norway, which they won 2-1.
More: Cruel World Cup third-place game is torture for England and France | Opinion
The Three Lions fell 2-1 to Argentina in the semifinals, dashing their hopes of winning their first men's World Cup since 1966.
Besides the pride points up for grabs in the third-place match, Kane and Bellingham were in the running to win the Golden Boot, the award for most goals in the tournament.
England manager Thomas Tuchel did not include Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham in the starting lineup for the World Cup third-place match against France. There is little to play for in the fixture and the players are resting after a tournament that was made up of a record 104 matches. They both played a grueling win in the altitude of Mexico City in the round of 16 against Mexico and played extra time in the Miami heat and humidity in the quarterfinals win over Norway.
Both players also could be saving energy for club play. Kane plays for Bayern Munich and Bellingham is on Real Madrid. The seasons for both the Bundesliga and La Liga side start in late August.
“It’s just common sense,” Tuchel told reporters ahead of the match on why Kane and Bellingham started on the bench, according to Sports Illustrated. “We have so many kilometers in the legs. We have so many travel kilometers in our bones. We have a day less recovery. We come from 10 men in altitude. We come from overtime here in Miami. These two guys, they gave everything physically in every match. They were ready to go again but we keep them and have them to finish the match for us.”
Bellingham was already seemingly enjoying himself after the semifinals loss and was seen with a few teammates feasting at a local barbecue restaurant in Kansas City, where England's training camp was based for the World Cup.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why aren't Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham playing in World Cup match vs. France?
Continue reading...
England is on a tear, up 4-2 against France in the second half of the 2026 World Cup third-place match on Saturday, July 18.
Manager Thomas Tuchel raised eyebrows when he did not include the stars of the tournament so far, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, in the starting lineup.
Each player has six goals in the World Cup. Kane scored twice and Bellingham added a goal in the roaring opener, a 4-2 win over Croatia. The captain's brace saved the day for a 2-1 win over the Democratic Republic of Congo in the round of 32, and then it was Bellingham's time to shine with two goals in a tense matchup against Mexico that England won 3-2, plus another brace in the quarterfinals against Norway, which they won 2-1.
More: Cruel World Cup third-place game is torture for England and France | Opinion
The Three Lions fell 2-1 to Argentina in the semifinals, dashing their hopes of winning their first men's World Cup since 1966.
Besides the pride points up for grabs in the third-place match, Kane and Bellingham were in the running to win the Golden Boot, the award for most goals in the tournament.
Why aren't Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham playing in World Cup against France?
England manager Thomas Tuchel did not include Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham in the starting lineup for the World Cup third-place match against France. There is little to play for in the fixture and the players are resting after a tournament that was made up of a record 104 matches. They both played a grueling win in the altitude of Mexico City in the round of 16 against Mexico and played extra time in the Miami heat and humidity in the quarterfinals win over Norway.
Both players also could be saving energy for club play. Kane plays for Bayern Munich and Bellingham is on Real Madrid. The seasons for both the Bundesliga and La Liga side start in late August.
“It’s just common sense,” Tuchel told reporters ahead of the match on why Kane and Bellingham started on the bench, according to Sports Illustrated. “We have so many kilometers in the legs. We have so many travel kilometers in our bones. We have a day less recovery. We come from 10 men in altitude. We come from overtime here in Miami. These two guys, they gave everything physically in every match. They were ready to go again but we keep them and have them to finish the match for us.”
Bellingham was already seemingly enjoying himself after the semifinals loss and was seen with a few teammates feasting at a local barbecue restaurant in Kansas City, where England's training camp was based for the World Cup.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why aren't Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham playing in World Cup match vs. France?
Continue reading...
