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Third place playoff
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The third place playoff (sometimes called the bronze medal game or consolation game) is a single match that is included in many sporting knockout tournaments to decide which competitor or team will be credited with finishing third and fourth. The teams that compete in the third place playoffs are usually the two losing semi-finalists in a particular knockout tournament. The third place playoff has been criticised by some who feel that the match serves little purpose, but others see this game as an occasion for the losing semi-finalists to salvage some pride.
Most sports using a knockout format in the Olympic Games have a third place game to determine who wins the bronze medal (exceptions are boxing and judo which award two bronze medals). As the difference between a bronze medal and no medal is quite significant, competitors still take this game seriously.
The FIFA World Cup and the Rugby World Cup also feature a third place playoff, usually on the day before the final. How seriously the competing teams take this match is subject to debate, as many teams will use backup players for this match. However, teams that are not expected to get this far usually take this match seriously, as third place can be a historical achievement for the national team. If the host nation is involved in the third place match, the team generally uses the match to thank the support of their fans (such as the South Korean football team in 2002, the German football team in 2006 and the French rugby team in 2007), and as a chance to allow some of their reserve team players to play a World Cup game. German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, who had been a reserve to Jens Lehmann during the 2006 FIFA World Cup, was allowed to retire in the Third Place Playoff by then manager Jurgen Klinsmann.
However, many sports tournaments do not have a third place playoff, mostly due to a lack of interest from the competitors and also from the fans. Interestingly, two of the most celebrated knockout tournaments had featured the third place game for a period of time — the FA Cup (1970-1974) and the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship (1946-1981).
| Rounds of Elimination |
|---|
| Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Third place playoff | Final |
