The FIFA World Cup third-place match determines which national team finishes the tournament with the bronze medal. Although it does not receive the same attention as the World Cup final, finishing third remains one of the greatest achievements in international soccer.
The first official World Cup third-place playoff was held in 1934. Since then, some of the sport’s most successful countries—including Germany, Brazil, France, Italy, Croatia and the Netherlands—have ended their tournaments with a victory in the bronze-medal match.
Below is the complete list of FIFA World Cup third-place teams by year.
FIFA World Cup Third-Place Teams by Year
| World Cup Year | Third-Place Team |
|---|---|
| 1930 | United States* |
| 1934 | Germany |
| 1938 | Brazil |
| 1950 | Sweden* |
| 1954 | Austria |
| 1958 | France |
| 1962 | Chile |
| 1966 | Portugal |
| 1970 | West Germany |
| 1974 | Poland |
| 1978 | Brazil |
| 1982 | Poland |
| 1986 | France |
| 1990 | Italy |
| 1994 | Sweden |
| 1998 | Croatia |
| 2002 | Turkey |
| 2006 | Germany |
| 2010 | Germany |
| 2014 | Netherlands |
| 2018 | Belgium |
| 2022 | Croatia |
*No third-place playoff was held in 1930 or 1950. FIFA officially recognized the third-place team based on tournament results.
Which Country Has the Most Third-Place Finishes in World Cup History?
Germany holds the record for the most third-place finishes in FIFA World Cup history.
Counting the results of West Germany, the German national team has finished third four times:
- 1934
- 1970 (West Germany)
- 2006
- 2010
Germany’s four bronze-medal finishes are more than any other nation in World Cup history.
Countries With Multiple World Cup Third-Place Finishes
Several nations have earned third place more than once.
Germany: Four
Germany has the most bronze-medal finishes in tournament history. West Germany’s third-place result in 1970 is included in Germany’s overall record.
Brazil: Two
Brazil finished third in 1938 and 1978. The five-time World Cup champion has also reached the tournament’s final four on numerous occasions.
France: Two
France won the third-place playoff in 1958 and again in 1986.
Poland: Two
Poland earned bronze medals in 1974 and 1982 during the country’s golden era of international soccer.
Sweden: Two
Sweden finished third in 1950 and again in 1994. The 1950 tournament did not feature a traditional third-place playoff.
Croatia: Two
Croatia claimed third place in its first FIFA World Cup appearance as an independent nation in 1998 before repeating the achievement in 2022.
Was There a Third-Place Match at the 1930 World Cup?
No. The inaugural FIFA World Cup in Uruguay did not include a third-place playoff.
The United States and Yugoslavia both lost in the semifinals, but FIFA later recognized the United States as the tournament’s third-place team based on its overall performance.
Why Was There No Third-Place Match at the 1950 World Cup?
The 1950 FIFA World Cup used a final round-robin group instead of a traditional knockout final.
Uruguay finished first to win the World Cup, Brazil finished second, Sweden placed third and Spain finished fourth. Since there were no semifinals followed by a final, a separate third-place match was never played.
Every Country to Finish Third at the FIFA World Cup
- Austria
- Belgium
- Brazil
- Chile
- Croatia
- France
- Germany
- Italy
- Netherlands
- Poland
- Portugal
- Sweden
- Turkey
- United States
Germany is the only nation to have finished third four times, while Brazil, Croatia, France, Poland and Sweden have each accomplished the feat twice.
Who Won Third Place at the 2022 FIFA World Cup?
Croatia captured third place at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar after defeating Morocco 2-1 in the bronze-medal match at Khalifa International Stadium.
The victory gave Croatia its second third-place finish after also earning bronze at the 1998 World Cup in France.
Does the Third-Place Team Receive Bronze Medals?
Yes. The winning team in the third-place playoff receives bronze medals during FIFA’s official post-tournament medal ceremony.
The match also determines the official third- and fourth-place finishers in the tournament standings.
What Is the FIFA World Cup Third-Place Match?
The third-place match is contested between the two teams that lose in the World Cup semifinals.
It is typically played one day before the World Cup final. If the match is tied after 90 minutes, extra time and, if necessary, a penalty shootout are used to determine the bronze medal winner.
Final Thoughts
The FIFA World Cup third-place playoff gives the losing semifinalists one final opportunity to finish the tournament on a high note and leave with a medal.
Germany remains the most successful nation in the history of the bronze-medal match with four third-place finishes, while Croatia is the most recent team to earn bronze following its victory in 2022.
As each World Cup concludes, another nation has the opportunity to add its name to the prestigious list of FIFA World Cup third-place teams.