The long pages of football history connect the French national team and their English counterparts in numerous memories, ahead of their clash early Sunday in Miami for third place in the 2026 World Cup. The first meeting between the two teams in World Cup finals in 1966 in London stands out as a key chapter in the memories of 'Les Bleus' and the 'Three Lions'. After drawing 1-1 with Mexico and losing 1-2 to Uruguay, France needed to beat England by at least two goals to advance from the group stage. But under the rain at a packed Wembley Stadium, things quickly turned against the French, who were hampered by a serious injury to Robert Herbin — a torn cruciate ligament — forcing him to stay on the pitch as substitutions were not allowed at that time. Roger Hunt scored two goals that gave the 'Three Lions' a 2-0 win and top of the group, before England continued their march toward the world title that they have been chasing ever since. During the 1992 European Championship in Malmö, Sweden, the two teams met again in the group stage, after each had drawn their first match: France 1-1 Sweden, England 0-0 Denmark. Both teams entered their second match under pressure, but the summit disappointed. France, led by coach Michel Platini, was far less convincing than in the qualifiers when they had rained goals on their opponents. Jean-Pierre Papin's teammates settled for a goalless draw with the 'Three Lions', who were no better. Both teams paid a heavy price for that draw, as they were eliminated in the first round behind Sweden and Denmark, who later won the title. Platini announced his resignation shortly after the tournament ended. In Lisbon, Portugal, during the 2004 European Championship, Zinedine Zidane, the star of 'Les Bleus', turned the tables on England. France trailed 0-1 until the end of regulation time after a header by Frank Lampard, and seemed headed for defeat against an England side led by David Beckham. But everything changed within a few minutes in stoppage time thanks to Zidane, who equalized with a direct free kick in the 90+1 minute, then scored a penalty in the 90+3 minute to give his country a dramatic victory. The rest of the tournament was not honorable for the French, who were eliminated in the quarterfinals by eventual winners Greece. England fared no better, exiting in the same round to Portugal on penalties, in a match where Beckham sent his penalty high over the bar. In a similar scenario to the 2004 match, the two teams settled for a 1-1 draw in Donetsk, Ukraine, during the group stage of Euro 2012. What lingered in memory was not the result or the stakes, but Samir Nasri's gesture: he put his finger to his lips before shouting 'Shut up' after scoring the equalizer in the 39th minute. He explained after the match that his message was directed at the media, as he was unhappy with the criticism he had received. He later got into another altercation with a journalist after France's 0-2 loss to Spain in the quarterfinals. In the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, after comfortable wins over Poland 3-1 and Senegal 3-0 in the round of 16, France and England met in a heavyweight clash in the quarterfinals. 'Les Bleus' took an early lead through Aurélien Tchouaméni, but France suffered in the second half when England equalized via a penalty converted by Harry Kane. At the end of a nail-biting match, goalkeeper Hugo Lloris made several crucial saves before Olivier Giroud restored France's lead with a header, while Kane missed a second penalty in the 84th minute.