Euro 2024: Why there will be no third place redemption for losers

France will not have a chance at redemption in a third-place play-off following their semi-final defeat to Spain at Euro 2024, and neither will England nor Netherlands if they fail to get to the final.

Spain made an interesting comeback in the semi-final over France after Les Bleus took the lead early on in the game, with Luis de la Fuente’s team ensuring they remained unbeaten in the European tournament.

La Roja were able to secure their place in the final with first-half goals from Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo to turn the tides from 1-0 down. They now await their opponents, either England or the Netherlands, for a shot at a historic fourth European Championship title.

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However, for France, there is no redemption ahead if fans are expecting one in the Euro 2024.

For Didier Deschamps and his French squad, this defeat marks the end of a disappointing campaign. Despite their star-studded lineup, Les Bleus managed to score just four goals in five games, with two of those being own-goals, a penalty from Kylian Mbappe, and Randal Kolo Muani’s effort in the semi-final.

Unlike the FIFA World Cup, where a third-place play-off provides a consolation prize, Euro 2024 offers no such opportunity. The last time the European Championship featured a third-place match was in 1980 in Italy, where the hosts lost to Czechoslovakia in a dramatic 9-8 penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw. Low interest and poor TV ratings for that game led UEFA to scrap the third-place play-off altogether.

Since then, ten European Championships have concluded without a third-place decider, leaving teams like France to exit the stage without the chance for a final hurrah. As the curtain falls on France’s Euro 2024 journey, fans and pundits alike will ponder what could have been, while all eyes turn to the upcoming final in Berlin.

For Spain, their path to the final has been nothing short of impressive, overcoming Croatia, Italy, and Albania in the group stage, before dispatching Georgia, Germany, and France in the knockout rounds.