The 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup has two games remaining.
The championship match will take place on Sunday, with Argentina squaring off against Spain. However, on Saturday night, France will be taking on England, in the third place game, live from Miami, Florida.
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France and England are both coming off devastating defeats. France was dominated for 90 minutes by Spain, losing 2-0. England, meanwhile, had a crushing collapse vs. Argentina, leading 1-0 late before falling, 2-1, in a span of minutes.
Soccer fans are now wondering why there’s a third place game in the first place.
July 15, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.; England’s Harry Kane looks dejected after the match. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images© Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Finishing in third place at the World Cup is still something to be proud of, but should a game like this exist?
It would be like the losers of the AFC and NFC Championship Games meeting a week after their season-ending losses, or the two losers of the Final Four playing on that Sunday before the championship game.
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Fans pushing for third place game to go away
Soccer fans don’t need to see a sad France take on a sad England.
“To be honest there should not be a third-place World Cup game. Very painful and somewhat pointless for those players and those nations,” Joe Schad wrote on X.
Dave Portnoy added: “Wait there is a 3rd place World Cup game? What kind of loser (expletive) is that? That’s gotta be the most demoralizing game of all time.”
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“Kind of wild how there’s a third-place game in the World Cup. Imagine if NFL or NBA teams had to do that,” another fan added.
“Americans have figured out 3rd place games are nothing but a waste of time. We haven’t had one since the 1981 NCAA’s. Once you’re out, you’re out. I understand there’s money involved, but it’s incredibly disrespectful to those teams,” one fan added.
“Will never understand game for 3rd place. It’s so useless. Let the players go home and enjoy their vacation, they‘ve had a long season,” one fan added.
Should FIFA just cancel the game?
This story was originally published by The Spun on Jul 16, 2026, where it first appeared in the Soccer section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
