France Will Not Participate in the Euro 2024 Third Place Play-Off and Will Officially Return Home After Being Eliminated by Spain in the Semifinals

The Euro 2024 semifinal match between France and Spain ended with a 2-1 victory for La Roja. Goals from Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo in the first half secured Spain’s place in the final, where they will face the winner of the England vs Netherlands match.

Following their elimination from Euro 2024 by Spain in the semifinals, the French national team will not have the opportunity to compete for third place in the tournament. This decision is not made by the French team but is due to UEFA having removed the third-place play-off match from the Euro schedule many years ago.

The third-place play-off was once a part of the UEFA European Championship, but it was removed after Euro 1980 held in Italy. The last match took place between host nation Italy and Czechoslovakia, ending in a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes, with Czechoslovakia winning 9-8 on penalties.

However, this match did not receive significant fan interest. Both television viewership and stadium attendance were below expectations, even with the host nation playing. This led to UEFA’s decision to eliminate the third-place play-off from future Euros.

UEFA had several valid reasons for deciding to remove the third-place play-off from Euro. Firstly, after missing out on the chance to reach the final, teams and fans often lack interest in competing for the bronze medal.

Furthermore, just a few days after a semifinal defeat, players might not be mentally prepared for another match, creating unnecessary psychological pressure. Eliminating this match also helps reduce the already intense schedule of the tournament.

At the same time, it allows the organizers and fans to focus more on the final, increasing attention and anticipation for the most important match of the tournament.

Finally, from an organizational perspective, removing a match significantly saves costs and resources for the organizers.

All these factors have contributed to UEFA’s decision to maintain a format without a third-place play-off, creating a more focused and efficient tournament.

UEFA’s decision to eliminate the third-place play-off at Euro has been in place for over 40 years and seems likely to continue in the future. This means that the French national team, along with other teams eliminated in the Euro 2024 semifinals, will not have the opportunity to compete for third place.

While third place might be seen as a success in retrospect, the removal of this match appears to offer more benefits for the tournament and the participating teams. It allows teams to focus on their main goal—winning the championship—and avoids matches that might be considered “superfluous” in a tournament already demanding in terms of physical and mental effort.

In this way, UEFA has created a tournament format that is both focused and effective, where every match is decisive and garners maximum attention from fans worldwide.