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The third-place playoff at the World Cup is viewed through many lenses. For some, it’s regarded as a game no team wants to be involved in. For others, it’s football’s most famous conciliation match or a chance for players to stat-pad.

The 2026 tournament’s two losing semi-finalists, France and England, will face each other for third place, or a bunch of bronze medals if you want to up the ante, on Saturday, July 18 (2pm PT/5pm ET/10pm BST), at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium — the day before the final between Spain and Argentina at MetLife Stadium near New York City.

In the previous World Cup in Qatar four years ago, Croatia beat Morocco 2-1 to finish third behind Argentina and France, four years on from being runners-up to the French at Russia 2018, and celebrated accordingly.

But what’s the history behind this match, how has it helped set World Cup records and why is it unpopular with some managers?

Why is there this ‘Bronze final’, as FIFA calls it, at the World Cup?

Every extra match at the World Cup finals brings in more revenue for FIFA and its host city, including from ticket sales. A third-place playoff also helps fill the scheduling gap between the semifinals and final, giving broadcasters another high-profile game to show (and, in many cases, sell advertising spots for).

There are also FIFA’s global rankings to take into account, with the third-place playoff carrying more weight than any friendly. So, as well as a chance to win a bronze medal, players need to dust themselves down from semi-final disappointment a few days earlier, because a win could result in a rise up the world rankings for their nation, potentially impacting their Nations League position and qualifying draw for the next World Cup.

Recognising who comes third at the World Cup is akin to another huge international sporting event, the Olympic Games, which predates it, and gives one of the teams the chance to end their tournament on a high.

Has there always been one at the World Cup?

The third-place game was introduced in 1934, the second edition of the World Cup, and on that occasion, ended in a 3-2 win for Germany against Austria.

At the first World Cup in 1930, the semi-final losers — the United States and Yugoslavia — didn’t play such a match. The Americans were later announced as having finished third on superior goal difference, though, and unusually, captains from both teams received medals.

The match was again played in 1938 but not in 1950 — the next edition of the tournament, after the Second World War — as a round-robin format was used there. But in 1954, the playoff was reinstated and has been the norm ever since. Incidentally, the men’s European Championship binned the concept after its 1980 edition.

Records have been set in these matches.

In 2002, Hakan Sukur put Turkey ahead against South Korea after 11 seconds, which remains the earliest goal in World Cup history, while Just Fontaine scored four times for France in a 6-3 win against West Germany in 1958 to take his total to 13 goals in that tournament, which is still the most by a player at a single World Cup.

Just Fontaine (centre) scored 13 goals for France at the 1958 World Cup – including four in the third-place playoff (Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images)

Do you get a trophy for winning this game?

In short: no. But, as mentioned earlier, winning the third-place playoff means the team is awarded bronze medals. The victor also earns $2million extra in prize money compared to the fourth-place side: it will make a total of $29m, while the defeated team receives $27m.

Germany, four-time World Cup champions, has collected the most bronze medals with four, the most recent being in 2010 (it has also been runners-up four times).

In terms of individual awards, this game has provided an extra opportunity for players to pursue scoring records. Golden Boot winners Eusebio (1966), Toto Schillaci (1990), Davor Suker (1998) and Thomas Muller (2010) have all topped up their tallies in the third-place match.

This year, it will be a last chance for Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane to boost their Golden Boot chances.

What do managers say about it?

Belgium players celebrate with their third-place medals after beating England 2-0 in 2018 (Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Despite the history behind the game, many managers have been critical of it.

“I think this match should never be played,” then-Netherlands boss Louis van Gaal said in 2014, when his team beat host Brazil 3-0 to finish third. “I’ve been saying that for 10 years. It’s unfair. The worst thing is that there is a chance you are going to lose twice in a row. And in a tournament in which you have played so marvellously well, you go home as a loser.”

Current England head coach Thomas Tuchel’s predecessor, Gareth Southgate, had a similar opinion in 2018 when preparing for the playoff, having lost in the semifinal to Croatia after extra time, saying, “It’s not a game any team wants to play in.”

England went on to be beaten 2-0 by a Belgium side whose then manager Roberto Martinez called the result “a real milestone”.

Former England striker turned TV pundit Alan Shearer possibly foresaw the defeat, posting on X days before the match: “Third and fourth place play-off game is utter stupidity. Last thing any player wants. #gethome.”

As a result, not all teams take the playoff seriously. France, for example, didn’t play captain Michel Platini in the third-place games at the 1982 and 1986 World Cups, and managers often change their starting line-ups from the semis and use squad members who got little game-time earlier in the tournament.

But some teams have taken great pride in achieving a podium finish, such as Sweden in 1994 — the last time the tournament was held on U.S. soil. It made an unexpected run to the semi-finals, then thrashed Bulgaria 4-0 in the third-place match.

Croatia finishing third at the former Yugoslav republic’s first World Cup as a new nation in 1998, beating the Netherlands 2-1, was also a celebrated achievement back home.

For neutrals looking for a reason to tune in on Saturday, the playoff is usually a goalfest, with two or more scored on every occasion since Poland’s 1-0 win against Brazil in 1974.

Need help with today’s Connections: Soccer Edition puzzle? You’ve come to the right place.

Welcome to Connections: Soccer Edition Coach — a spot to gather clues and discuss (and share) scores.

A quick public service announcement before we continue: The bottom of this article includes the answers — and hints — for the four categories. So if you want to solve the board hint-free, we recommend you play before continuing.

You can access today’s game here.

Today’s difficulty

Game No. 36’s difficulty: 3 out of 5

Connections: Soccer Edition hints for July 16, 2026

Scroll below for one answer in each of the four categories.

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Yellow: PENALTY BOX

Green: CLOCK

Blue: ALGIERS

Purple: BETIS

Connections: Soccer Edition answers for July 16, 2026

Scroll below for the full answers to each of the four categories.

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Yellow

Markings on a pitch: PENALTY BOX, SIX-YARD BOX, HALFWAY LINE, TOUCHLINE

Green

Sights around a stadium: SPIDERCAM, SCOREBOARD, CLOCK, BIG SCREEN

Blue

Alliterative capital cities of 2026 World Cup teams: ALGIERS, TUNIS, BRASÍLIA, BRUSSELS

Purple

Real _____: SALT LAKE, BETIS, MADRID, OVIEDO

What is Connections: Soccer Edition?

Connections: Soccer Edition is a new, daily puzzle for the 2026 World Cup designed for players to find connections between 16 words on the game board.

The game’s objective is to group sixteen words or objects into four groups of four based on commonalities within each group as quickly as possible. You are allowed to make three mistakes but fail a fourth time and the game ends with the answers being revealed.

Each puzzle has exactly one solution, so watch out for words or items that seem to belong to multiple categories!

Category examples:
Teams making World Cup debut in 2026: Cape Verde, Jordan, Curaçao, Uzbekistan
Penalty ____: Spot, Kick, Taker, Shootout

Each category group is assigned a color, which is revealed when you solve it, ranging from easy (yellow) to medium (green) to challenging (blue) to difficult (purple). Of course, these group rankings are subject to interpretation, so you may solve a harder one before an easier one!

Who creates the puzzles for Connections: Soccer Edition?

I do! My name is Will Jeanes and I create Connections: Soccer Edition and work as a senior editor at The Athletic. I also do some writing, focusing mostly on soccer history and statistics.

The next puzzle will be available at midnight in your time zone. Thanks for playing — and share your scores in the comments!