It's a World Cup conundrum: thousands of seats lie empty at the Miami Stadium as England prepares to face France in this Saturday's bronze medal showdown. The last thing on the minds of both nations' fans is a thrilling spectacle, with the disappointment of falling short still fresh in their minds. But will the Three Lions be able to rouse themselves for one final flourish, or will this encounter prove a lacklustre conclusion to their campaign?
With 7,000 tickets yet to find buyers among the stadium's 65,000-capacity crowd, the demand seems muted for what should be a high-stakes encounter between two of the world's top teams. England, defeated by Argentina after squandering a one-goal lead, will face France, who lost to Spain in their semi-final tie. Tickets are still up for grabs via FIFA's official channels, with around 1,000 available on general sale priced between £657 and £855 – although you'll need deep pockets to secure one of these.
But it's not just the pricey seats that are struggling to sell: even category one tickets, typically the most expensive, are appearing on resale sites at a significantly reduced price. It seems the appeal of this match is waning fast, and who can blame them? The players, too, seem less than enthused – as England manager Thomas Tuchel so candidly expressed it, "None of our players and none of the French players want to play this match. They want to play the final." Ouch.
Historically, England hasn't exactly set the world alight in these situations, with two defeats in their previous third-place appearances in 1990 against Italy and 2018 to Belgium. The long journey from Atlanta, where their semi-final dreams were crushed, might also be contributing to the low turnout – who wants to travel all that way for a consolation prize?
Still, it's not all doom and gloom: this match will be broadcast live on BBC One at 10pm BST, giving UK fans a chance to watch their heroes take on France in what promises to be a fitting finale to their World Cup campaign. Will they be able to conjure up one last spark of magic, or will the disappointment of defeat prove too much to overcome? We'll just have to wait and see.