Critics say it’s just a cynical money-grab at the end of a long tournament but for those involved there is plenty at stake
The third-place play-off is one of the more divisive concepts in world football. What’s the point? Many fans and commentators have asked the same question over the years. The men’s European championship dropped the bronze medal clash in 1980, while the women’s European championship followed suit from the 1995 edition onwards. More recently, the third-place match has dropped off the schedule at the latest editions of the women’s and men’s Asian Cup.
But at every men’s World Cup since the second edition in 1934, and at every women’s World Cup, the losers of the semi-finals meet ahead of the final with the chance to play for a consolation prize.
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