Is there a third-place match in Euro 2024 for France and Netherlands?

UEFA doesn’t like the notion of third-place matches.

The Euro 2024 final is set between two deserving nations that reached the final of the competition. Spain and England are set to fight for the ultimate glory on Sunday, with the Three Lions hoping to win their first-ever major tournament trophy since 1966.

Meanwhile, Spain will be aiming to add the fourth European Championship silverware to their trophy cabinet.

However, in every other tournament, there are two games: one for the trophy and another for the third place finish. We have witnessed this in the World Cup, Copa America, and the Africa Cup of Nations having such traditions.

However, this is not the case with UEFA Euros. A third-place game won’t take place in the Euro 2024 as both France and Netherlands will head home following their defeats to their respective opponents.

But it wasn’t the same previously. The European Championships was launched back in 1960 and Czechoslovakia became the first nation to grab the third-place finish after beating France 2-0 in the first edition. The tournament later scrapped the idea from 1984 onwards. The last time the UEFA Euros saw a third-place match was in the 1980 edition.

The Three Lions, who are in the UEFA Euro 2024 final, also won the third-place play-off in 1968. England lost to Yugoslavia in the semi-final and faced the Soviet Union for the third spot.

They will now have another shot at winning a trophy after coming close in the last Euro but losing the final to Italy on penalties. They face a side that entered the competition as outsiders but have been the only nation to win all six matches in the competition, Spain.

Both nations have had a contrasting run to the final. England scraped through to wins in the knockout matches, but their performance against the Netherlands finally illustrated the quality of their talented squad.

Spain will have an opportunity to spoil England in the final, but they will be aware of Gareth Southgate’s massive quality in the squad, which boasts top players in every position. For La Roja, this will be another big test to achieve glory.

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