England and France will contest the World Cup’s bronze final on Saturday without a trophy to lift — but with medals, millions and the Golden Boot race still at stake.
The third-place play-off kicks off at 10pm UK time at Miami Stadium, which has already hosted several major tournament matches this summer. The winning side will receive individual bronze medals, while the losing team is officially classified as fourth overall. For the victors, there is also a payout of roughly £22million from FIFA; fourth place still brings £20million.
“England face France for bronze medals, £22m prize, and final Golden Boot chance.”
A bronze medal match has been a consistent fixture at every World Cup since 1934, and such games have typically produced plenty of goals because the knockout pressure has lifted. England have lost their two previous third-place play-offs — against Italy in 1990 and Belgium in 2018 — while France have claimed bronze twice, in 1958 and 1986.
Beyond the team prize, individual honours are up for grabs. Lionel Messi currently leads Kylian Mbappe in the race for the Golden Boot, but Mbappe, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham all have one last chance to overtake him in the bronze final.
Fans can put their own predictions to the test via BBC Sport’s World Cup predictor game, which covers the remaining two matches. Players select the outcome of each fixture before kick-off, build a streak of correct picks and enter prize draws. Every prediction must be submitted before the first game of the round begins, and once submitted cannot be changed.
The bronze final may lack the glamour of Sunday’s title match, but the financial and personal stakes remain high. Who will walk away with the medals — and the Golden Boot — is still to be decided.