World Cup 2018 LIVE - France vs Croatia final build-up and latest news, England vs Belgium reaction as squads fly home

All the latest news and reaction after England exit the World Cup

World Cup final: All you need to know

It’s the final day at Russia 2018 as the World Cup final takes place between France and Croatia.

Five weeks of dramatic and breath-taking football culminates in the biggest sporting event in the world this afternoon, with 32 teams whittled down to just two. France will head into the Moscow final as heavy favourites, having eased past Argentina, Uruguay and Belgium to get here, while Croatia have done it the hard way by beating Denmark and Russia on penalties and England in extra-time.

We’ll also have all the latest from the England camp as they fly back from Russia following their joint-best performance at the World Cup in 52 years, although the campaign ended in disappointment as Gareth Southgate’s side suffered a 2-0 defeat in the third-place play-off against Belgium. However, Harry Kane looks set to become England’s first winner of the World Cup Golden Boot – providing one of Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann don’t score a hat-trick in today’s final!

Follow all the latest news below...

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Key Points

• World Cup final between France and Croatia kicks off at 16:00 BST
• Frank de Boer column: I know what it's like to suffer World Cup final heartbreak
• Miguel Delaney: Why the World Cup final remains the biggest sporting event
• England bow out in disappointment with 2-0 defeat by Belgium

[15 July 2018 09:14 · Jack de Menezes]

Good morning and welcome to The Independent's World Cup live blog, where we'll bring you all the latest news and updates ahead of the final between France and Croatia.

[15 July 2018 09:26 · Michael Jones]

It's the last day of the World Cup 2018, and we have an all European final. Will France regain the trophy for the first time in 20 years or will Croatia cause an upset and claim the title?

  

[15 July 2018 09:35 · Michael Jones]

England's World Cup is over and they finished in fourth place after a lacklustre performance against Belgium yesterday. They did however exceed expectations and give us all a little hope that this team of players can do something special in the future.

For those who missed the game yesterday here's Jack Pitt-Brooke with his take on the match.

[15 July 2018 09:48 · Michael Jones]

Despite the loss and the overall nature of the match, there are always things to take away from it.

Here's what we learned from England's final game of the World Cup and what we can build on in the future.

[15 July 2018 10:01 · Michael Jones]

The continuing enigma of Phil Jones' talents was once again on display against Belgium earning him some decent praise from former Manchester United star and now pundit Gary Neville but was that praise warranted?

Lawrence Ostlere gives his verdict.

[15 July 2018 10:08 · Michael Jones]

T-minus 6 hours until kick off for the World Cup final, who'll stand up on the biggest stage of all?

Kylian Mbappe has been electrifying for France, his performances being one of the few sparks in a team that just gets the job done.

Luka Modric is Croatia's play-maker but he'll have his work cut out in mid-field against the likes of N'Golo Kante and Antoine Griezmann.

Ivan Rakitic and Ivan Perisic join Modric in Croatia's mid-field and if they have a good game today we could be in for a thriller.

[15 July 2018 10:15 · Michael Jones]

And just to show how crucial Modric is to Croatia's chances of World Cup glory, here's a stat of his work load so far. 

[15 July 2018 10:26 · Michael Jones]

Back to yesterday now and Molly Hudson brings you the man-for-man marking from the World Cup third-place play-off.

Here's how the players rated:

[15 July 2018 10:40 · Michael Jones]

But perhaps the biggest surprise to come out of England's dead rubber with Belgium was the fate of Eden Hazard, the Chelsea man says he's considering a move away from the London club and with a Cristiano Ronaldo shaped hole in Real Madrid's side could a trip to Spain be on the cards?

[15 July 2018 10:54 · Michael Jones]

So, what next for England?

They exceeded expectations in this World Cup reaching the semi-finals for the first time in 28 years, they played with an intensity (especially in the first 45 minutes of their games) that allowed them to attack confidently and their set pieces were an ever present threat.

But what can they take away from this tournament, which areas need to improve so that in 4 years time saying 'It's coming home' isn't self-deprecatory but is an actually prediction.

Jonathan Liew breaks it down: