France vs. England World Cup match is at 5 p.m. Why is it so early?

On Saturday, July 18, the fight for third place will begin in the World Cup.

France and England are set to face off on Saturday. The two men’s national teams will decide who gets the bronze medal in the international soccer tournament.

France was denied an entry into the World Cup finals after Spain beat them 2-0, and England was bumped off by Messi and his Argentina team after a 1-2 game on Tuesday, July 14.

While neither team can win the gold medal now, one of the players on either team could win the Golden Boot if they score enough goals in this game, with France’s Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé as well as England’s Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane still in the running.

Here’s what you need to know how to watch this play-off match.

The third-place match between France and England is set to start at 5 p.m. Eastern Time on July 18, 2026.

Manolo Zubiria, the chief tournament officer for FIFA’s World Cup 2026 in the U.S., said that the start times for the second half of the World Cup were calculated based various factors like the weather where the games are being played, the time zone differences for international teams playing in the U.S., and recovery and travel time for players.

“We’ve tried to basically strike the right balance,” he said.

This makes sense for the England vs. France match, as what would be 5 p.m. for U.S. watchers would be 10 p.m. for those watching in England and 11 p.m. for fans in France.

You can watch France vs. England on Fox or Fox One in English.

Alternatively, you could watch it on Fubo.

If you’re rooting for Kane or Bellingham to get a Golden Boot or you’re simply an England support, you can get their England men’s national team jerseys at Fanatics.

You can buy merchandise for the France men’s national soccer team at Fanatics.

Rin Velasco is a trending reporter. She can be reached at rvelasco@usatodayco.com.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: France vs. England World Cup match is at 5 p.m. Why is it so early?