Top News

The unique appeal and high stakes of World Cup fixtures — those rare, seismic moments that come only once every four years — remain the tournament’s greatest strength. They stir emotions, heighten tension, and create drama. Yet, as the World Cup nears its conclusion this weekend, its penultimate match continues to be a contest that hardly anyone — players, fans, or broadcasters — truly cares about.

To underline just how meaningless the third-place play-off is — now rebranded as the ‘Bronze Final’ in a vain attempt to spark interest — one of rugby union’s most iconic coaches once captured its absurdity perfectly.

Back in 2019, after Wales coach Warren Gatland made a few provocative remarks following his team’s semi-final defeat, England’s head coach Eddie Jones — never one to shy away from mind games — couldn’t resist a jab. Ahead of England’s Rugby World Cup final against South Africa, Jones quipped to reporters in Japan, “Well guys, can you just send my best wishes to Warren, and make sure he enjoys the third-fourth play-off.” Gatland didn’t enjoy it; Wales lost by 23 points to New Zealand. And, truthfully, no one cared.

Yet, the temptation for mockery remains irresistible. The same applies now in football, as a deflated England squad prepares to face France just three days after the most heartbreaking defeat of their careers. Thomas Tuchel must somehow motivate his exhausted players for what is essentially a battle of the semi-final losers. Good luck with that.

Kobbie Mainoo might well wonder: is this the World Cup debut he dreamt of?

“None of our players and none of the French players want to play this match,” Tuchel admitted after England’s devastating loss to Argentina. “They want to play the final…. Everyone plays to win the World Cup but that’s how it is. We have one less day of recovery than France, but we will do it with professionalism.”

This edition has already broken records with 104 matches in total, yet the 103rd — the third-place play-off — stands out purely for its futility. After a gruelling season and a five-week tournament laden with more knockout fixtures than ever — following last year’s inaugural summer Club World Cup in the heat and humidity of the United States — Saturday’s game in Miami seems like the epitome of sporting pointlessness.

FIFA has already faced criticism for prioritising head-to-head results over goal difference in this year’s group stage, which rendered some final matches meaningless. But while such issues are inherent to the early rounds, this late, unnecessary fixture only increases the risk of injury and exhaustion for players who have already given everything.

As former Netherlands boss Louis van Gaal said in 2014, after his team beat hosts Brazil 3-0 to claim third place, “I think this match should never be played, I’ve been saying that for 10 years… it’s unfair.” Once again, no one really cared.

The third-place play-off has existed since the 1934 World Cup and has been a fixture in every tournament since 1954. Yet UEFA scrapped it from the European Championships back in 1980 — and no one has missed it since. Can anyone recall crying out for its return two years ago? Hardly.

As actual football contests, these games are strange. With first-choice players exhausted, managers rotate heavily — sometimes even starting second-choice goalkeepers and bringing on third-choice keepers for token minutes, as the Netherlands did with Michel Vorm in 2014. It feels less like the World Cup and more like a pre-season friendly.

Historically, these games tend to be open, goal-filled affairs — if meaningless goalfests appeal to you, Saturday night will deliver. No third-place play-off has featured fewer than two goals since 1974, a statistic that underlines how little defensive discipline remains. It’s also an ideal opportunity for stat-padding, which hardly seems fair.

Just ask French striker Just Fontaine, who scored four goals in a 6-3 victory over West Germany in the 1958 play-off, setting the all-time record of 13 goals at a single World Cup. Kylian Mbappé, currently chasing the Golden Boot, could easily add to his tally of eight against a depleted and demoralised England side this weekend — another hollow achievement.

There is one exception, however. For smaller nations such as Turkey in 2002 — when Hakan Şükür netted the fastest-ever World Cup goal after just 11 seconds against South Korea — or Sweden in 1994, finishing third carried genuine pride. Croatia’s bronze in 2022 was meaningful too, though it would have been even more historic for Morocco, who came close to becoming Africa’s first bronze medallists.

For traditional powerhouses, though, the match means nothing. Did anyone truly care about England’s 2-0 defeat to Belgium in 2018? Or their 2-1 loss to Italy in 1990? Even if you watched them, did they matter?

Perhaps it’s partly bitterness — England have never performed well in these games. Germany, meanwhile, have won the third-place play-off four times, on top of their four World Cup titles.

Even broadcasters show little enthusiasm. The BBC has assigned Jason Mohammed — a capable presenter, but their fourth-choice — to host Saturday’s coverage on BBC One, with just a 30-minute pre-match build-up. Understandable, given the network’s top talent will be in New York for the final 22 hours later.

Finally, consider the so-called ‘bronze medal’ argument. At the Olympics, a bronze medal carries genuine prestige; it is a tangible symbol of excellence. But at the World Cup, anything short of lifting the trophy feels hollow. Just ask Portugal or the Netherlands — both past third-place finishers — who remain outside the elite circle of World Cup winners.

In an era where every ounce of commercial value is extracted from elite football, the World Cup’s third-place play-off feels like an unnecessary burden. FIFA should scrap it altogether. It is international football’s most meaningless fixture — maintained only for revenue and broadcast content, even at the cost of player welfare.

The solution could not be simpler: just send the players home. Because, in truth, nobody really cares.