Football fans will turn their attention at midnight on Saturday to the France vs England match for the third-place playoff of the 2026 World Cup, a match that awards the winner the bronze medal and concludes their tournament run with a moral victory, even though the spotlight remains on the final.

Throughout World Cup history, the third-place match has held great value for teams that failed to reach the final, as it represents an opportunity to finish the competition on the podium and write a new page in the tournament's records.

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Germany was the first to win third place in World Cup history, earning the bronze in 1934, followed by Brazil in 1938, Sweden in 1950, Austria in 1954, and France in 1958. In 1962, Chile clinched third place on home soil, while Portugal excelled in 1966 led by legend Eusébio, before Germany returned to the bronze podium in 1970. The 1974 World Cup saw Poland take third place, while Brazil won bronze for the second time in 1978, and Poland returned to the podium again in 1982. At the 1986 Mexico World Cup, France added a second bronze after beating Belgium, while Italy finished third in 1990, and Sweden returned to the podium at the 1994 US World Cup to claim its second bronze. The 1998 France World Cup witnessed Croatia's historic achievement of third place in its first appearance as an independent nation, followed by Turkey's bronze in 2002, then Germany in 2006 and 2010. In 2014, the Netherlands claimed third place, while Belgium won bronze in Russia 2018, before Croatia returned to the podium at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, winning bronze for the second time in its history. France enters Saturday's match aiming for its third bronze, while England seeks its first third-place finish, having previously finished fourth in 1990 and reached the semifinals on multiple occasions without making it to the bronze podium. Although the third-place match does not award the golden trophy, it remains an opportunity to end the tournament honorably and record a new achievement in the history of the participating teams.

Teams with the most bronze medals in World Cup history:

* Germany: 4 times (1934, 1970, 2006, 2010)* Brazil: 2 times (1938, 1978)* Poland: 2 times (1974, 1982)* France: 2 times (1958, 1986)* Sweden: 2 times (1950, 1994)* Croatia: 2 times (1998, 2022)* Italy: 1 time (1990)* Austria: 1 time (1954)* Chile: 1 time (1962)* Portugal: 1 time (1966)* Turkey: 1 time (2002)* Netherlands: 1 time (2014)* Belgium: 1 time (2018)