With its victory over France by a staggering 6-4 score in the unprecedented “third-place match” of the 2026 World Cup, England secured third place in the tournament for the first time in its history (following two unsuccessful attempts in 1990 and 2018) and stepped onto the podium for the first time since 1966.

It thus became the 15th different country to reach the third step of the podium, while Germany continues to hold the record with four third-place finishes.

Here is a breakdown of the teams that have finished in third place at the World Cups:

Year	Host Country	3rd Place	4th Place	Score of the third-place match
1930	Uruguay	USA	Yugoslavia	Not held*
1934	Italy	Germany	Austria	3–2
1938	France	Brazil	Sweden	4–2
1950	Brazil	Sweden	Spain	Not held**
1954	Switzerland	Austria	Uruguay	3–1
1958	Sweden	France	West Germany	6–3
1962	Chile	Chile	Yugoslavia	1–0
1966	England	Portugal	Soviet Union	2–1
1970	Mexico	West Germany	Uruguay	1–0
1974	West Germany	Poland	Brazil	1-0
1978	Argentina	Brazil	Italy	2-1
1982	Spain	Poland	France	3–2
1986	Mexico	France	Belgium	4–2 (a.e.t.)
1990	Italy	Italy	England	2–1
1994	USA	Sweden	Bulgaria	4-0
1998	France	Croatia	Netherlands	2-1
2002	South Korea / Japan	Turkey	South Korea	3-2
2006	Germany	Germany	Portugal	3-1
2010	South Africa	Germany	Uruguay	3–2
2014	Brazil	Netherlands	Brazil	3-0
2018	Russia	Belgium	England	2-0
2022	Qatar	Croatia	Morocco	2-1
2026	USA / Canada / Mexico	England	France	6-4

Notes

• 1930: No third-place match was held. FIFA recognized the U.S. as the third-place finisher based on overall performance and goal difference in the semifinals.
• 1950: There were no semifinals or third-place match. The final standings were determined by the final group stage, with Sweden finishing 3rd and Spain 4th.

The 15 countries that have finished third in the World Cup

Country	Third-Place Finishes
Germany (including West Germany)	4
Brazil	2
France	2
Poland	2
Sweden	2
Croatia	2
England	1
Austria	1
Belgium	1
Chile	1
USA	1
Italy	1
Netherlands	1
Portugal	1
Turkey	1

*Photo source: AP