Everything you need to know about the World Cup third-place play-off
England will take on two-time World Cup winners France in the overwhelmingly unpopular third-place play-off match on Saturday as both sides look to bounce back from semi-final heartache.
Thomas Tuchel's side collapsed in the final stages of their clash against Argentina as late goals from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez secured La Albiceleste's place in a second consecutive World Cup final.
A day earlier, early tournament favourites France were dismantled by European champions Spain, a result and performance that came as somewhat of a surprise given how well Les Blues have played in recent weeks.
Now, both teams will be looking to restore some pride and end their World Cup campaign with a win as they face each other in what FIFA call the 'bronze final'.
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France are set to make a fourth appearance in the third-place play-off match, with previous results including wins over West Germany (1958) and Belgium (1986), as well as a defeat to Poland in 1982.
England, meanwhile, will play for the bronze medal for the third time, having previously lost to Italy (1990) and Belgium (2018).
There is some positive news for fans who might be dreading the fixture.
More often than not, the game tends to deliver goals. In fact, since Poland’s 1-0 win against Brazil in 1974, there have been two or more goals scored in every 'bronze final', so at least we'll (hopefully) be entertained.
How much prize money will the World Cup final four receive?
One of the big incentives to winning the third-place play-off is money. As seen below, the bronze medalist is set to earn $30 million (£22m), while fourth place will take home $28 million (£20m).
In terms of winning the tournament, there is a big difference in prize money when it comes to the winners and runners-up. FIFA will award either Argentina or Spain a sum of $51 million (£38m) if they lift football's biggest prize, while the runner-up gets $34 million (£25m).
- Winners: $51m (£38m)
- Runners-up: $34m (£25m)
- 3rd place: $30m (£22m)
- 4th place: $28m (£20m)
England's record in the third-place play-off
As mentioned above, England's debut in the third-place match came in 1990 after they lost to West Germany on penalties.
Bobby Robson's side were beaten 2-1 by hosts Italy, with Roberto Baggio and Toto Schillaci scoring either side of David Platt.
England went on to make their second appearance in the play-off in 2018 but again, they were on the losing side as goals from Thomas Meunier and Eden Hazard secured a 2-1 win for Belgium.
Who won the third-place play-off in 2022?
Last time around, Croatia claimed third place in 2022 after first-half goals from Josko Gvardiol and Mislav Orsic sealed a 2-1 win over Morocco.
Speaking after the full-time whistle, Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic was delighted. "We won the bronze medal and it has a golden layer, it is like we have won the gold medal tonight," he said.
"Fighting for the third place play-off and losing would have been a disaster. This is the end of a cycle, end of a journey. My players spared no efforts and these are what we work for."
Here are the third-place play-off winners from the last 20 years.
- 2022 – Croatia 2-1 Morocco
- 2018 – Belgium 2-0 England
- 2014 – Netherlands 3-0 Brazil
- 2010 – Germany 3-2 Uruguay
- 2006 – Germany 3-1 Portugal
- 2002 – Turkey 3-2 Korea Republic
What time will the match between England and France kick-off?
The game will kick off at 5pm local time (10pm BST for UK viewers) and will be shown live on BBC One.
Topics: FIFA World Cup, Football, England, France
Jack Kenmare