Thunderstorms are forecast to roll into Miami in the hours before Saturday's World Cup bronze medal final between England and France — but the biggest storm may be inside the French camp after Didier Deschamps rejected his players' request for a night out.
France players had asked for a free evening on Thursday and even tried to negotiate a midnight curfew to clear their heads after a bruising semi-final defeat to Spain, according to L'Equipe. Deschamps turned down both ideas. He does not want his last match in charge — he will hand over to Zinedine Zidane afterwards — to end with back-to-back defeats.
“Thunderstorms threaten Miami bronze final as Deschamps denies France players a night out before England clash.”
“The disappointment is commensurate with our ambitions,” Deschamps said after the 2-1 loss to Spain. “We came up against a very good Spanish team. We didn't achieve the result we wanted. There is a match. It's not a friendly match. All the players must have this duty.”
England arrived in Miami after their own late heartbreak against Argentina. Thomas Tuchel admitted neither side wants to be there: “None of our players and none of the French players want to play this match. They want to play the final. We gave everything to achieve that. We have one less day of recovery than France but we will do it with professionalism.”
Despite the semi-final pain, there are reasons for England to look forward. Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham have each scored six goals in the tournament, putting them in contention for the Golden Boot alongside Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi, who lead with eight. Kane's brace against DR Congo prevented a humiliating round-of-32 exit; Bellingham's double against Norway sealed a semi-final place. Although Kane has not committed to the 2030 World Cup, the pair are expected to feature together at the 2028 Euros.
England's run also reflects a broader shift: they have reached a semi-final or final in four of the last five major tournaments, a stretch of consistency unseen since the 1990s.
Now both teams must summon motivation for a match that, as Tuchel put it, no one truly wants to play. The Miami weather may add another twist — but Deschamps has made clear there will be no letting up.
