The FIFA World Cup has changed formats a lot, but one thing remains true: being able to be a bronze medalist is a huge honor. Still, controversy around a third-place match has risen in recent times.
The facts is that losing a semifinal is a huge morale blow for the teams, who are already fatigued. This has meant some third-place matches aren’t contested with full intensity, or sometimes manager opt to give lesser names more minutes in this game. They play for third place while others enter the list of all World Cup champions.
However, when all is said and done, ending third is still a huge privilege. After all, it’s the FIFA World Cup, where the best play the best. Also, while some of these matches haven’t been incredible, others have surprised the fans for good.
Every FIFA World Cup bronze medalist by year
| Year | Third-Place Team (Bronze) | Score | Fourth-Place Team |
| 1934 | Germany | 3–2 | Austria |
| 1938 | Brazil | 4–2 | Sweden |
| 1950 | Sweden | Group stage format | Spain |
| 1954 | Austria | 3–1 | Uruguay |
| 1958 | France | 6–3 | West Germany |
| 1962 | Chile | 1–0 | Soviet Union |
| 1966 | Portugal | 2–1 | Soviet Union |
| 1970 | West Germany | 1–0 | Uruguay |
| 1974 | Poland | 1–0 | Brazil |
| 1978 | Brazil | 2–1 | Italy |
| 1982 | Poland | 3–2 | France |
| 1986 | France | 4–2 (a.e.t.) | England |
| 1990 | Italy | 2–1 | England |
| 1994 | Sweden | 4–0 | Bulgaria |
| 1998 | Croatia | 2–1 | Netherlands |
| 2002 | Turkey | 3–2 | South Korea |
| 2006 | Germany | 3–1 | Portugal |
| 2010 | Germany | 3–2 | Uruguay |
| 2014 | Netherlands | 3–0 | Brazil |
| 2018 | Belgium | 2–0 | England |
| 2022 | Croatia | 2–1 | Morocco |
What happened with the third-place spot in the 1930 World Cup?
The inaugural 1930 FIFA World Cup in Uruguay is the only edition in history that did not feature an official third-place match. Both the United States and Yugoslavia were eliminated in the semifinals (losing 6–1 to Argentina and Uruguay, respectively). At the time, the tournament simply concluded with the final, leaving the third-place slot vacant.
In 1986, FIFA’s technical committee officially reviewed the archives to establish complete historical standings for all past World Cups. They retroactively awarded the United States third place and placed Yugoslavia in fourth. This decision was calculated strictly by evaluating the overall tournament records of both teams using standard group stage and knockout metric
