It’s the game that no one wanted to be in as England prepare to take on France in the third-place play-off of the FIFA World Cup 2026.
First introduced in 1934, the match decides who goes home with the bronze medal, though both sides would be playing in Sunday’s final.
England have twice featured in this fixture, in 1990 and 2018, but have never won it, while France have won two of their three appearances in this round.
Some may call it a pointless match, but we will never turn our noses up at more World Cup football. Can England finally clinch a third-place finish or will France be too strong for them?
Every third-place play-off winner in FIFA World Cup history:
1930: United States
As there was no third-place play-off in 1930, the USA were ranked third by dint of their record in the tournament ahead of the other losing semi-finalist, Yugoslavia.
1934: Germany
Result: Germany 3-2 Austria
1938: Brazil
Result: Brazil 4-2 Sweden
1950: Sweden
Result: Sweden 3-1 Spain
1954: Austria
Result: Austria 3-1 Uruguay
1958: France
Result: France 6-3 West Germany
1962: Chile
Result: Chile 1-0 Yugoslavia
1966: Portugal
Result: Portugal 2-1 Soviet Union
1970: West Germany
Result: West Germany 1-0 Uruguay
1974: Poland
Result: Poland 1-0 Brazil
1978: Brazil
Result: Brazil 2-1 Italy
1982: Poland
Result: Poland 3-2 France
1986: France
Result: France 4-2 Belgium (AET)
1990: Italy
Result: Italy 2-1 England
On This Day 1990
BBC World Cup Grandstand….LIVE
6:30 – 9:00 pm
3rd/4th Place Play-Off
The final game in Italia 90 for England.
Another mistake by Peter Shilton, and another goal for Toto Schillaci, in Italy’s 2-1 Victory in Bari.
Bobby Robson had planned to give reserve… pic.twitter.com/93gmXwavDH— TV Football 1968-92 (@1968Tv) July 7, 2026
1994: Sweden
Result: Sweden 4-0 Bulgaria
1998: Croatia
Result: Croatia 2-1 Netherlands
2002: Turkey
Result: Turkey 3-2 South Korea
2006: Germany
Result: Germany 3-1 Portugal
2010: Germany
Result: Germany 3-2 Uruguay
2014: Netherlands
Result: Netherlands 3-0 Brazil
2018: Belgium
Result: Belgium 2-0 England
2022: Croatia
Result: Croatia 2-1 Morocco
Read – England criticised for lack of bravery in possession after Argentina defeat
See Also – Argentina extend remarkable World Cup semi-final record
