FIFA World Cup 2026 Third Place Play-Off: Date, Time, Teams and How to Watch
France are in the World Cup 2026 third place play-off. They lost 2-0 to Spain in the first semi-final on Tuesday and now face the loser of England vs Argentina.
Bottom line: kickoff is Saturday, July 18 at 5:00 PM ET at Miami Stadium (Hard Rock Stadium). FIFA lists this as Match 103 and officially calls it the Bronze Final. The winner takes third place and $29 million.
It is played 24 hours before the World Cup 2026 Final at MetLife Stadium.
World Cup 2026 Third Place Play-Off Quick Facts
| Match | Match 103, Bronze Final |
| Teams | France vs England or Argentina |
| Date | Saturday, July 18, 2026 |
| Kickoff | 5:00 PM ET (21:00 UTC) |
| Venue | Miami Stadium (Hard Rock Stadium), Miami Gardens, Florida |
| Capacity | 64,478 (FIFA tournament configuration) |
| Format | 90 minutes, extra time, then penalties |
| Prize | $29 million for third, $27 million for fourth |
| TV Channels | USA: FOX (English), Telemundo (Spanish) | BBC One (UK) |
| Final | Spain vs England or Argentina, Sunday, July 19, 3:00 PM ET |
Who Plays in the World Cup 2026 Third Place Play-Off
France are confirmed. Their opponent is decided in Atlanta.
| Semi-final | Match | Date | Venue | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-final 1 | France vs Spain | Tue, July 14 | Dallas Stadium, Arlington | Spain won 2-0 |
| Semi-final 2 | England vs Argentina | Wed, July 15 | Atlanta Stadium | [ADD RESULT] |
How France got here
Spain were the better side in Dallas. Mikel Oyarzabal converted a penalty in the 22nd minute after Lucas Digne fouled Lamine Yamal in the box. Pedro Porro added a second in the 58th, exchanging passes with Dani Olmo before slotting home.
France never recovered. They managed just two shots by the time Porro scored, and none on target. Kylian Mbappe was shackled all night. It was their first time trailing in the entire tournament, after a run of 358 minutes without conceding.
William Saliba limped off injured in the 30th minute. His fitness for Miami is a question mark.
Spain go through to their first World Cup final since 2010. They are now unbeaten in 37 matches across all competitions, a joint record for a European nation.
France’s opponent
The loser of England vs Argentina joins France in Miami. That match kicks off Wednesday, July 15 at 3:00 PM ET at Atlanta Stadium.
See our full World Cup 2026 schedule for every knockout fixture.
Both possible fixtures are enormous. France vs England would be a rematch of the 2022 quarter-final, which France won 2-1. France vs Argentina would be a rematch of the 2022 World Cup Final, which Argentina won on penalties after a 3-3 draw.
This page updates the moment Atlanta ends.
The Golden Boot Will Likely Be Decided in Miami
This is the story nobody is telling yet.
Mbappe did not score against Spain. He stays on eight goals, level with Lionel Messi at the top of the adidas Golden Boot standings. Under FIFA rules, goals come first, then assists, then fewer minutes played. Mbappe has three assists to Messi’s two, so he leads on the tiebreak.
| Player | Country | Goals | Assists | Next Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kylian Mbappe | France | 8 | 3 | Bronze Final, July 18 |
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | 8 | 2 | Semi-final, July 15 |
| Erling Haaland | Norway | 7 | – | Eliminated |
| Harry Kane | England | 6 | – | Semi-final, July 15 |
| Jude Bellingham | England | 6 | – | Semi-final, July 15 |
Mbappe now has exactly one match left to win the Golden Boot: the Bronze Final.
Here is what makes Saturday extraordinary. If Argentina lose to England, Messi joins Mbappe in Miami. That would mean the two joint leaders play each other, on the same pitch, on the same day, for the Golden Boot. A head-to-head decider in the bronze medal match.
And for Messi, at 39, it would almost certainly be the final World Cup match of his career.
Deschamps’ Last Match in Charge
Didier Deschamps steps down as France coach after this tournament, ending a 14-year tenure.
He won the World Cup in 2018 and reached the final in 2022. Now his farewell is a third place play-off in Miami. France will want to send him out with a medal rather than back-to-back defeats.
Where the Third Place Play-Off Is Played
The match is at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. FIFA calls it Miami Stadium during the tournament, because commercial sponsor names are not used at World Cup venues.
Key details you should know:
- FIFA confirmed a tournament capacity of 64,478, one of the smallest of the 11 US venues.
- It is the home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.
- A canopy roof shades most seats but leaves the pitch open. There is no air conditioning.
- It sits about 25 km (16 miles) north of downtown Miami.
- Miami International Airport is roughly 20 to 25 minutes away by car.
- There is no metro station nearby. Most fans drive, use rideshare, or take Brightline to Aventura plus a shuttle.
Miami hosts seven matches at this World Cup. The Bronze Final is its last one. England already played there in the quarter-finals, beating Norway 2-1 in extra time.
Expect heat and humidity. Mid-July afternoons in South Florida regularly hit 32 to 35 degrees Celsius with humidity above 80 percent. Both teams will be playing their seventh match in five weeks.
How to Watch the World Cup 2026 Third Place Play-Off
The Bronze Final is free-to-air in most major markets.
| Country | Channel | Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| United States | FOX (English), Telemundo (Spanish) | Fox One, Peacock |
| United Kingdom | BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
| Canada | TSN, CTV, RDS (French) | TSN+, Crave |
| Mexico | TelevisaUnivision, TV Azteca | ViX, Azteca Deportes |
| France | TF1, beIN Sports | TF1+ |
| Australia | SBS | SBS On Demand, Optus Sport |
| Germany | ARD or ZDF | ARD Mediathek, ZDF Mediathek |
| Spain | RTVE | RTVE Play |
| MENA | beIN Sports | beIN Connect |
In the UK, the BBC and ITV split coverage of the whole tournament. BBC One has the third place play-off on its own. Both networks share the Final on July 19.
Two more options are worth knowing about.
In the United States, the match airs on FOX in English and Telemundo in Spanish. In the United Kingdom it is on BBC One.
For a full country-by-country breakdown, see our how to watch World Cup 2026 guide.
FIFA’s official broadcast partners stream the first 10 minutes of every match free on YouTube, worldwide. That applies to the Bronze Final too. It is a legal way to catch the opening exchanges if you cannot get to a TV.
FIFA+ does not carry live matches. It has highlights and behind-the-scenes content only. Do not plan your Saturday around it.
Third Place Play-Off Kickoff Time in Your Time Zone
Kickoff is 21:00 UTC on Saturday, July 18.
| City | Local Kickoff |
|---|---|
| Miami, New York, Toronto | 5:00 PM, Sat July 18 |
| Chicago | 4:00 PM, Sat July 18 |
| Denver | 3:00 PM, Sat July 18 |
| Los Angeles | 2:00 PM, Sat July 18 |
| Mexico City | 3:00 PM, Sat July 18 |
| Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo | 6:00 PM, Sat July 18 |
| London, Lagos | 10:00 PM, Sat July 18 |
| Paris, Madrid, Berlin, Johannesburg | 11:00 PM, Sat July 18 |
| Doha | 12:00 AM, Sun July 19 |
| Dubai | 1:00 AM, Sun July 19 |
| New Delhi | 2:30 AM, Sun July 19 |
| Dhaka | 3:00 AM, Sun July 19 |
| Tokyo, Seoul | 6:00 AM, Sun July 19 |
| Sydney | 7:00 AM, Sun July 19 |
Set an alarm if you are in Asia. This one lands overnight.
What the Third Place Play-Off Is Worth
Plenty. FIFA has put a record $871 million into the 2026 financial distribution, nearly double the $440 million paid out in Qatar.
| Finish | Performance Prize Money |
|---|---|
| Champion | $50 million |
| Runner-up | $33 million |
| Third place | $29 million |
| Fourth place | $27 million |
| Quarter-final exit | $19 million |
So $2 million separates third from fourth. Every team also receives a $2.5 million preparation grant on top of its performance prize.
Beyond money, there are FIFA ranking points and a bronze medal. France finished fourth in 2010 and second in 2022. A podium finish would keep their streak of deep runs intact.
Want to predict how the whole podium finishes? Try our World Cup 2026 bracket simulator.
Rules and Format
The World Cup 2026 third place play-off follows standard knockout rules.
- 90 minutes of regulation time.
- Two 15-minute periods of extra time if the score is level.
- A penalty shootout if still level after 120 minutes.
- No replays. One match decides it.
- Five substitutions in three windows, plus a sixth in extra time.
- Concussion substitutions are separate and do not count toward the five.
Yellow card suspensions were wiped after the quarter-finals. Mbappe was booked against Spain, but a single caution does not carry a ban. He is free to play in Miami.
FIFA also introduced new rules for 2026 that you will see on Saturday:
- The 10-second substitution rule. A player being replaced has 10 seconds to leave the pitch.
- The 8-second goalkeeper rule. A keeper who holds the ball too long concedes a corner.
- A connected match ball with a motion sensor that feeds data to VAR.
- Expanded VAR, now covering wrongly awarded corners and cards shown to the wrong player.
Teams get only two days to prepare. France have three, having played on Tuesday. Their opponent flies in from Atlanta with roughly 72 hours to reset mentally. That short turnaround is why the Bronze Final often produces open, high-scoring football.
Third Place Play-Off Winners Since 1994
| Year | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | South Korea |
| 1998 | Croatia | 2-1 | Netherlands |
| 1994 | Sweden | 4-0 | Bulgaria |
Croatia are the defending bronze medallists. They beat Morocco 2-1 in Doha in December 2022.
Note the scorelines. Seven of the last eight bronze finals produced three or more goals, at an average of 3.6 per match. Tired legs and no fear of losing tend to open a game up.
England know the pain of this fixture. They lost the 2018 play-off to Belgium in St Petersburg. If they lose in Atlanta, they will be back in it.
Tickets
FIFA sells official tickets through FIFA.com/tickets. Remaining seats move through the official FIFA Resale Marketplace, which stays open until one hour before kickoff. For the full category breakdown, see our World Cup 2026 ticket prices guide.
Face values for the third place play-off started at about $165 for the cheapest category and rose to roughly $1,100 for Category 1. Fees apply on top. FIFA uses dynamic pricing for the first time at a World Cup, so the number moves with demand. With France confirmed and a possible Messi appearance, expect prices to climb.
Seat categories in 2026 reflect how high a seat sits, not how close it is to the pitch. Category 4 in the upper corners is the cheapest. A $60 Supporter Entry Tier exists but is allocated through national federations, not sold to the public.
There are no ticket sales at the stadium. Buy only through FIFA’s official channels.
FAQ About World Cup 2026 Third Place Play-Off
Who is in the World Cup 2026 third place play-off?
France are confirmed after losing 2-0 to Spain in the semi-final. Their opponent is the loser of England vs Argentina, played Wednesday, July 15 in Atlanta. The match is Saturday, July 18 in Miami.
What happens if the third place play-off is a draw?
The teams play 30 minutes of extra time, split into two 15-minute halves. If the score is still level, a penalty shootout decides third place. There are no replays at the World Cup.
Why does FIFA still play a third place match?
Three reasons. It gives fans one extra match and broadcasters one more window. It awards a real medal and a $2 million prize gap. And it gives a beaten semi-finalist a chance to end the tournament with a win instead of a loss.
Do players get medals for finishing third?
Yes. The winning squad receives bronze medals in an on-pitch ceremony. The fourth-place team receives no medal, which is a big part of why the match is more competitive than people expect.
Can Kylian Mbappe still win the Golden Boot?
Yes. He has eight goals and three assists, which puts him top of the standings on the assist tiebreak. The Bronze Final is his last match, so anything he scores in Miami counts. Messi, also on eight goals, plays either the Final or the Bronze Final.
Where is the 2026 World Cup Final played?
The Final is Sunday, July 19, 2026 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, which FIFA calls New York New Jersey Stadium. Kickoff is 3:00 PM ET. Spain await the winner of England vs Argentina.
Has a host nation ever won the third place play-off?
Yes, three times. Chile beat Yugoslavia 1-0 at home in 1962. Italy beat England 2-1 in 1990. Germany beat Portugal 3-1 in 2006. No 2026 co-host reached the semi-finals, so the United States, Mexico and Canada are all out of contention this year.
