As the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament in Germany progresses towards its climax, football fans are eagerly anticipating the final match in Berlin. With the semi-finals concluded, attention turns to the ultimate showdown to crown the European champion. However, for those wondering about a third-place match to determine the tournament’s bronze medalist, the answer is straightforward: no, there is no third place game in Euro 2024. Unlike some other major international football competitions, the European Championship opted out of this format decades ago.
Why Euro 2024 Doesn’t Feature a Third-Place Playoff
The decision to eliminate the third-place playoff from the European Championship was made by UEFA, the governing body of European football, after the 1980 tournament. The third-place game at Euro 1980 saw Czechoslovakia and Italy compete, resulting in a penalty shootout victory for Czechoslovakia after a 1-1 draw. Despite being a competitive match, the game reportedly suffered from a lack of fan enthusiasm, both in terms of stadium attendance and television viewership.
Image alt text: Czechoslovakian national football team players celebrate scoring a goal against Italy in the Euro 1980 third-place match, highlighting the last time a third-place game occurred in the European Championship.
Consequently, UEFA determined that the third-place playoff did not generate sufficient interest to warrant its continuation in future European Championships. This decision has remained in effect ever since, meaning that the losing semi-finalists in Euro 2024, like those before them since 1980, will simply exit the tournament after their semi-final defeat, without a further match to contest.
The History of Bronze Medals at the Euros
While there isn’t a third-place match in Euro 2024, it’s worth noting the history of bronze medals in the competition. Prior to the removal of the third-place game, bronze medals were indeed awarded to the victor of that match, signifying third place in the tournament. Even after the third-place play-off was discontinued, UEFA initially continued to recognize the semi-final losers with bronze medals.
This practice was observed at Euro 2008, where Turkey and Russia received bronze medals, and again at Euro 2012, where Germany and Portugal were awarded the same honor.
Image alt text: German national football team players accept bronze medals at the Euro 2012 tournament, illustrating UEFA’s previous tradition of awarding medals to semi-final losing teams before its discontinuation.
However, UEFA later decided to cease awarding bronze medals altogether starting from Euro 2016 onwards. Therefore, in the current Euro 2024 format and going forward, there are no bronze medals presented, and the focus is solely on determining the champion and runner-up.
Third Place Games in Other Major Football Tournaments
It’s interesting to compare the Euro format to other prominent international football tournaments. For instance, the FIFA World Cup and Copa América both retain the third-place playoff match. In the Copa América, the two losing semi-finalists compete for third place, a tradition that continues in the upcoming tournament. In the most recent Copa América in 2021, Colombia secured third place by defeating Peru. This contrast highlights that the absence of a third-place game is not a universal norm in major football competitions but rather a specific choice made by UEFA for the European Championship.
Euro 2024 Final: What to Expect
With the question “Is There A Third Place Game In Euro 2024” definitively answered as no, all eyes are now firmly set on the Euro 2024 final. Spain has secured their place in the final in Berlin after a compelling semi-final victory against France. They will face England, who won their semi-final match against the Netherlands. Football fans worldwide are now anticipating a thrilling final to conclude Euro 2024 and witness who will be crowned the champion of Europe.
(Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)
