The FIFA World Cup 2026 third place play-off takes place on Saturday 18 July 2026 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The two losing semi-finalists meet for the bronze medal in the penultimate match of the tournament, 24 hours before the Final at MetLife Stadium.
What is the FIFA World Cup Third Place Play-Off?
The third place play-off is the match that decides who finishes third and fourth at the World Cup. It has been contested at every edition of the tournament since 1934, with the exception of the 1950 World Cup which was played as a final group stage. The two teams that lose in the semi-finals are drawn into the play-off with 48 hours’ notice, making it one of the quickest turnarounds of the tournament.
Although the play-off has no bearing on who lifts the trophy, it still carries meaningful rewards: FIFA prize money, ranking points and the symbolic prize of a bronze medal. For some nations a third place finish represents their best ever result at a World Cup, and the play-off can be the stage on which a golden generation claims a small but historic piece of silverware.
When is the FIFA World Cup 2026 Third Place Play-Off?
The match kicks off at 15:00 Eastern Time on Saturday 18 July 2026. That is 20:00 BST in the United Kingdom, 21:00 CEST across most of continental Europe, 12:00 on the US West Coast, and 04:00 on Sunday 19 July in Tokyo. Extra time and penalties are used if required, with a half-hour extra-time period followed by a shootout.
Where is the FIFA World Cup 2026 Third Place Play-Off?
The match is being played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, the home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins and the annual Miami Open tennis tournament. Hard Rock Stadium originally opened in 1987 as Joe Robbie Stadium and has been extensively renovated, with the most recent major works adding a partial shade canopy over the seating bowl. Capacity at Hard Rock Stadium for the World Cup is approximately 65,000 with a temporary natural grass pitch installed for the tournament.
The venue has hosted Super Bowls (XXIII, XXIX, XXXIII, XLI, XLIV and LIV), the College Football Playoff National Championship and the annual Miami Grand Prix Formula 1 race, the event for which a temporary circuit is built around the stadium grounds each spring. It is hosting seven matches at the 2026 World Cup, culminating in the third place play-off. Miami International Airport is around 20 minutes from the stadium.
Key Contenders
The two teams meeting in Miami Gardens will be confirmed by the semi-finals on 14 and 15 July at AT&T Stadium in Arlington and Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Any of the world’s leading footballing nations could realistically find themselves here, whether long-time contenders such as Brazil, Argentina, France, Germany, Spain and England, or rising forces such as Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Croatia and Morocco.
The defending third place finishers are Croatia, who beat Morocco 2-1 in Doha on 17 December 2022 after goals from Josko Gvardiol and Mislav Orsic. Morocco, the surprise package of Qatar 2022, became the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final on that run and finished fourth.
How to Watch
The third place play-off is broadcast free to air in most major markets. BBC or ITV carry the match in the United Kingdom, with simultaneous streaming on BBC iPlayer and ITVX. FOX is the English-language broadcaster in the United States, with Telemundo and Peacock providing the Spanish-language feed. TSN and CTV share Canadian rights, RDS covers the French-language feed, and TelevisaUnivision and TV Azteca share rights in Mexico. SBS has the match free to air in Australia with Optus Sport streaming, TF1 and beIN Sports share France, ARD and ZDF rotate in Germany, and beIN Sports holds exclusive rights across the Middle East and North Africa.
History and Records
The third place play-off has produced some of the highest-scoring matches at World Cup finals. The 1954 play-off in Zurich saw Austria beat Uruguay 3-1, and in 1958 France beat West Germany 6-3 in Gothenburg with Just Fontaine scoring four to take his total for the tournament to 13, a record that still stands. In 2006 Germany beat Portugal 3-1 in Stuttgart to give hosts Germany a third place finish.
Germany holds the record for the most appearances in the play-off with four (1934, 1970, 2006, 2010), and has won the bronze medal four times. Brazil, Poland, Sweden, Austria, France and Croatia are among other multiple finishers. The biggest win in a play-off is France’s 6-3 victory over West Germany in 1958.
Notable play-off moments include Pele’s appearance for Brazil in 1978 (Brazil won), Davor Suker’s goal for Croatia against Netherlands in 1998, Luka Modric captaining Croatia to their first third place finish in 2022, and the general tendency for the match to produce more goals than the Final itself.
Tickets and Attendance
Tickets for the third place play-off are sold through FIFA.com and On Location for hospitality. Category 4 tickets reserved for residents of the three host nations started at around 680 US dollars for the play-off, with Category 1 seats listed from 1,775 dollars. As with all late-stage matches, demand has been strong, though the play-off traditionally sees more availability close to the date than the semi-finals or Final.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the FIFA World Cup 2026 third place play-off kick off?
The match kicks off at 15:00 Eastern Time on Saturday 18 July 2026, which is 20:00 BST in the UK.
Where is the third place play-off being held?
Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, home of the Miami Dolphins.
How can I watch the third place play-off?
BBC or ITV in the UK, FOX and Telemundo in the United States, TSN and CTV in Canada, plus free-to-air broadcasters across most major markets.
Who won the last World Cup third place play-off?
Croatia beat Morocco 2-1 in Doha on 17 December 2022.