2026 World Cup to Feature Traditional Third Place Match
The schedule for the 2026 World Cup has been officially announced, and one of the key highlights is the confirmation that the third place match will be retained. This decision is significant as it upholds one of the tournament's oldest traditions, even in the face of transformative changes to the competition.
This upcoming edition of the World Cup is set to be the largest in history. For the first time, a total of 48 teams will compete, organized into 12 groups of four teams each, culminating in an impressive total of 104 matches to be held across 16 cities in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Despite this substantial reconfiguration of the tournament's structure, FIFA has chosen to maintain the third place match, which has been a staple since the inaugural World Cup in 1934. This decision stands in stark contrast to what occurred in another FIFA-organized event, the 2025 Club World Cup, where the third place match was eliminated in an effort to ease the physical demands on players.
According to the official calendar, the third place match is scheduled for Saturday, July 18, 2026, at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, just one day before the highly anticipated final, which will take place on Sunday, July 19, in the New York/New Jersey area. This match will mark the 103rd game of the tournament and will see the defeated teams from both semi-finals compete for the honor of finishing third.
As reported by tn.com.ar.
