France and England will bid a bitter farewell to the World Cup when they meet on Saturday in the unwanted third-place match at Miami stadium.

The two teams head to Florida still reeling from the disappointment of their semi-final exits, with both footballing nations nursing wounds that many believe were largely self-inflicted.

France, which had been the standout team of the tournament on its way to the semi-final, looked completely flat against a tactical lesson from Spain on Tuesday, suffering a 2-0 defeat.

England added another chapter to its long history of World Cup heartbreak on Wednesday, when it squandered the initiative and a lead to lose 2-1 to Argentina in Atlanta.

Now France and England must try to muster whatever remains of their competitive will and physical reserves to play a match that is widely unpopular in the football world.

England coach Thomas Tuchel said after his team's painful semi-final defeat, "None of our players and none of the French players want to play this match."

The German continued, "They want to play the final. We gave everything to achieve that. Everyone plays to win the World Cup, but this is the reality. We have one day less rest than France, but we will handle it professionally."

- A sad farewell for Deschamps -

The match will represent a sad end to the long tenure of Didier Deschamps at the helm of France's coaching staff.

Deschamps, who like Tuchel faced fierce criticism over the tactical choices that accompanied his team's semi-final loss, will leave his post after the tournament.

The departure of the 57-year-old coach ends a successful 14-year period leading the national team, which included winning the World Cup in 2018, losing the final in Qatar in 2022, and reaching the semi-finals in the current edition.

Deschamps said after France's semi-final defeat, "There is a third-place match we have to play, so we will do everything we can to win it."

The former midfielder continued, "We are not where we wanted or expected to be. The magnitude of the disappointment matches the magnitude of our ambitions, but we must accept it. We have no other choice."

Although that will only provide limited consolation, the match could be decisive in the race for the tournament's Golden Boot award.

France captain Kylian Mbappé tops the scoring chart tied with Argentina captain Lionel Messi on eight goals, and will try to add to his tally against an England defense that has looked shaky.

Also, England's Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, each with six goals, are capable of entering the competition strongly if they put in a big performance at Hard Rock Stadium.

- Kane's last dance? -

For Kane, England's all-time leading scorer, the match could also represent his final World Cup appearance.

The Bayern Munich striker turns 33 this month, and it seems uncertain whether he will be present at the 2030 finals.

Kane refused to speculate about his international future after Wednesday's defeat, saying "it is too early to talk about it."

He continued, "I take things year by year, and the national team is my pride and joy. It is what I love to do most... and I never want to set limits on such things."

The match also gives Mbappé a chance to become the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history. The Real Madrid forward currently has 20 goals, one behind Messi.

Much may depend on the strength of the lineups the two coaches field.

Tuchel is expected to make extensive changes to his starting lineup after a very grueling tournament run.

A grueling round-of-16 trip to the high altitude of Mexico City and the Azteca Stadium was followed by a tough quarterfinal win over Norway in the very hot conditions of Miami, before the painful defeat to Argentina.

Tuchel is likely to give playing time to players who have remained on the sidelines throughout the tournament, which could mean a World Cup debut for Manchester United's Kobbie Mainoo, and possibly starting Ollie Watkins, Kane's deputy in the striker position.

As for Deschamps, he may lean towards including veteran midfielder N'Golo Kanté, one of the heroes of Les Bleus' 2018 World Cup triumph, who has not played a single minute so far in the United States.