Why you should care about World Cup third-place play-off

July 16, 2026 No Comments

Why you should care about World Cup third-place play-offImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, England take on France in Saturday’s third-place play-off live on BBC TVBySam DruryBBC Sport journalistPublished2 hours agoSo there you have it.England’s World Cup dreams are dashed once more, the wait for a first men’s major trophy since 1966 goes on – and to make matters worse, they can’t even get on a plane and fly home just yet.That’s right, the tournament is not quite over for Thomas Tuchel’s side with a third-place play-off against France to come on Saturday (22:00 BST).It probably seems like the last thing anyone wants after Wednesday’s heart-breaking loss to Argentina, but maybe it won’t be so bad?In fact, when you think about it, there are at least four reasons why you do, actually, want to watch it…England suffer World Cup semi-final heartbreak with loss to Argentina

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1. Race for the Golden Boot

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First and foremost, there is still a trophy that players on both sides will be focused on: the Golden Boot.

France captain Kylian Mbappe has enjoyed a superb tournament and is currently level with Lionel Messi as this World Cup’s joint top scorer on eight goals so far.

However, the Argentina great currently has the edge thanks to his four assists to Mbappe’s three.

Goals in third-place play-offs do count towards the Golden Boot award, though, so Mbappe can still overtake the former Barcelona forward – albeit Messi will have the opportunity to respond in the final itself.

Should Mbappe score, or provide two assists, he would follow in the footsteps of Italy’s Salvatore Schillaci, who clinched the Golden Boot in 1990 by scoring in the third-place contest against… England.

Of course, there is still a chance an England player might take the prize for the tournament’s top scorer given both Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham are just two goals behind Messi and Mbappe.

Given the Three Lions pair also have fewer assists, it would likely require a hat-trick to top the charts but you never know – and seeing top attacking talents go in search of goals is always fun to watch.

2. Chance of England’s best World Cup finish since 1966

All the goals from England’s 2026 World Cup campaign

The ultimate prize might now be out of reach but there is still a chance for this to end as a historic tournament for England.

OK, winning a third-place play-off for the first time might not be what fans were dreaming of when the World Cup began – but it would ensure this was England’s best finish at the tournament for 60 years.

Victory over France would mean only their 1966 triumph would rank above this year’s efforts.

Two previous third-place play-offs at the World Cup have ended in defeat.

Sir Bobby Robson’s side were beaten by hosts Italy in 1990, while Sir Gareth Southgate’s men lost to Belgium in 2018.

When gold and silver are off the table, you might as well try to take the bronze.

3. Lesser-spotted stars to get a run out?

England midfielder Kobbie Mainoo — Image caption,

Kobbie Mainoo has won 14 England caps but has not featured yet at the World Cup

After a gruelling schedule at this expanded World Cup, there is a chance both managers take the opportunity to rest some of their star players.

That in turn could provide a chance for those who have sat patiently waiting to feature at the tournament.

Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo has yet to play a minute but with less pressure on this one, Tuchel could hand the talented youngster his World Cup debut and allow Declan Rice a breather after his recent illness.

Ollie Watkins might also get a run out after playing just six minutes so far, about as many as Ivan Toney, who emerged off the bench as England searched for an equaliser in the semi-final.

As for France, 2018 champion N’Golo Kante is also yet to feature and at 35, this is likely to be his last opportunity to play at World Cup.

Meanwhile, Manchester City playmaker Rayan Cherki has been limited to just 85 minutes at the tournament. Might Didier Deschamps give him a go from the start?

4. Get your football fix in while you can

Spain’s road to the final – every goal so far

Crucially, this weekend is the last chance to watch any competitive football for a little while.

After Sunday’s final, it is nearly four weeks until the EFL returns on 14 August, with the Community Shield that same weekend.

It is another week after that (21 August) until the Premier League is back and when in comes to England, a change in the timings of international breaks means you’ll be waiting until the end of September for their next game.

You can keep up-to-date with all the pre-season friendlies right here on the BBC Sport website and app during the otherwise fallow weeks ahead, but in terms of actually watching live, competitive football… you should get your fix while you can.

In that sense, it can only be a good thing that there is another World Cup game between two top sides to consume this weekend.

You’re still thinking about the bad news, aren’t you?