England manager Thomas Tuchel described his side's performance as a "brilliant first half, turbulent second" after a pulsating 6-4 victory over France secured third place in the 2026 World Cup. It is England's best finish since 1966.
But the celebrations were tempered by a devastating injury to France defender William Saliba, which left Arsenal facing a months-long absence for the 24-year-old. Saliba broke down during France's 2-0 semi-final loss to Spain on Tuesday, limping off after just 30 minutes. He was substituted by Crystal Palace's Maxence Lacroix.
“England beat France 6-4 for third place in 2026 World Cup as Arsenal face losing Saliba for months.”
France boss Didier Deschamps confirmed after the match that Saliba's pain had become "unbearable" during the Spain fixture. Ahead of the third-place play-off against England, Deschamps said: "William Saliba got injured and it's problematic. He went through some examinations. The injury did not worsen. He faced that injury since March. He had some pain and unfortunately the pain was not bearable."
Saliba could be sidelined for up to five months and may require surgery on his back, a problem similar to one he suffered towards the end of the 2022/23 season. Arsenal are yet to give an indication of a recovery timeframe, but the centre-half — reported to be earning around £250,000 a week after signing a lucrative new deal last September — is understood to be unavailable until mid-November at the earliest.
However, the club are set to receive a substantial compensation sum from FIFA under the Club Protection Programme, which has covered players' wages since 2012. The scheme requires an injury to sideline a player for at least 28 consecutive days and be sustained during an 'accident'. Given Saliba's expected four-to-five-month absence and the fact his injury deteriorated at the World Cup, Arsenal are well placed to claim over £4 million.
Meanwhile, England captain Harry Kane has addressed how manager Thomas Tuchel can repair his relationship with fans after a "disappointing" World Cup. Kane's comments came as the Three Lions wrapped up their campaign with the bronze medal match victory. Tuchel himself had praised his players despite the topsy-turvy nature of the 6-4 win, which featured a brilliant first half and a turbulent second.
The result means England finish third, their best performance since winning the tournament in 1966. For Arsenal, the challenge now is to cope without their star defender as they prepare for the start of the new season.