THE BRONZE FINAL: AN UNWANTED TIE OR A MATCH WITH A “GOLDEN LAYER”

It is a fixture that has been played at every Fifa World Cup for the past 72 years, yet few want to be part of it. On Saturday in Miami, England and France will meet in the third-place play-off, officially known by Fifa as the Bronze Final.

France head coach Didier Deschamps captured the mood in both camps ahead of the game, saying “the best for France and England would be for this match not to exist.” England manager Thomas Tuchel echoed the sentiment after his side’s defeat by Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday, admitting “none of our players and none of the French players want to play this match.”

By Friday, however, Tuchel struck a more positive tone, pointing to the historical significance of a victory. “If we win the game tomorrow, we have the best results of a World Cup in 60 years. It's a perspective to it,” he said.

The play-off, first introduced in 1934 and made a regular fixture from 1954, often gives opportunities to squad players who have had limited minutes. England may use the game to hand World Cup debuts to goalkeeper James Trafford or to give Kobbie Mainoo his first minutes in an England shirt. For France, defender Ibrahima Konate has featured for just 14 minutes so far but was blunt about the occasion: “Not one of us want to play this game for third place. But we don't have the choice.”

Despite the reluctance, the match has produced defining moments. Croatia embraced the bronze final in 2022 after losing in the final in 2018, beating Morocco 2-1. Manager Zlatko Dalic called it a medal “with a golden layer,” adding “it is like we have won the gold medal tonight.” Match-winner Mislav Orsic described his goal as the most important of his career, while Morocco’s Walid Regragui dismissed it as a “booby prize.”

England’s own history in the game is mixed. Since 1966 they have played it twice, losing to hosts Italy in 1990 and to Belgium in 2018. Yet the fixture has statistical weight. Fifa uses it to determine who receives bronze medals and who finishes fourth, with implications for final standings, records and player statistics. There is also a financial incentive, with about $2m difference in prize money between third and fourth place, and broadcasters and commercial partners gain an additional match in a tournament that has already expanded to 104 games this year.

On the pitch, the bronze final has often been entertaining. Seven Golden Boot winners have scored in the game, with four of them — Thomas Muller in 2010, Davor Suker in 1998, Salvatore Schillaci in 1990 and Brazil’s Leonidas in 1938 — needing goals in the play-off to claim the award. Grzegorz Lato, Eusebio and Just Fontaine also scored in third-place matches on their way to winning the Golden Boot. Harry Kane started England’s 2018 play-off against Belgium but did not score. Since 1974, 11 of the 12 third-place games have produced more than three goals.

Critics remain. After the Netherlands lost to Brazil 3-0 in 2014, Louis van Gaal said “this match should never be played,” calling it unfair to teams coming off semi-final heartbreak. “The worst thing is that there is a chance you are going to lose twice in a row,” he said. Before England’s last appearance, Gareth Southgate was similarly candid: “The honest thing is it's not a game any team wants to play in.”

Fifa has given no indication the fixture will be scrapped. It provides a definitive finishing order and, for many nations, a rare chance to leave a World Cup with a medal. With the tournament set to expand to 64 teams and 128 matches in the coming years, the question is whether the Bronze Final, unwanted by players but valued for its place in history, will survive the next era of the World Cup.

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