France face England in the third-place match of the 2026 World Cup at Miami Stadium, and Dayot Upamecano has been left out of the starting team for this game, due to a decision from coach Didier Deschamps.
For this game, Deschamps opted for Maxence Lacroix and Ibrahima Konate to form France‘s center-back pairing, with Malo Gusto and Theo Hernandez deployed at fullback.
With the tournament’s biggest prize already out of reach after the semifinal loss to Spain, Deschamps has used the match to give minutes to players who haven’t featured as heavily, rotating his backline entirely.
Deschamps rolls out several changes
Upamecano’s omission from a starting lineup he’d been a regular fixture in throughout the tournament isn’t the only change Deschamps has made for the third-place match against England.
Dayot Upamecano during the 2026 World Cup semifinal vs Spain. (Getty Images)
Beyond the already-mentioned overhaul at the back, the coach has also decided to hand minutes to Warren Zaire-Emery, Rayan Cherki, and Desire Doue, all of whom had been used mainly as substitutes in previous matches.
The changes aren’t wholesale, though, as Mike Maignan, Adrien Rabiot, Michael Olise, and Kylian Mbappe all remain in the starting lineup at Miami Stadium. The France captain still has a chance to fight for the Golden Boot, where he’s tied atop the standings with Lionel Messi on eight goals apiece.
