The third-place decider is often described as the World Cup's most unwanted fixture. No player begins a tournament dreaming of featuring in it, yet one of the semifinal losers has to walk away with bronze while the other leaves empty-handed.
This year's contest in Miami on Sunday pits two teams that had genuine ambitions of lifting the trophy. France arrived as one of the pre-tournament favourites, while England possessed the quality and depth to believe they could finally end their long wait for World Cup glory.
The occasion may lack the prestige of the final, but for one player, there is still something significant at stake: Kylian Mbappe.
Earlier in the tournament, the France captain insisted he "wants the World Cup more than the Golden Boot." The trophy is now beyond his reach, but the Golden Boot remains very much within it.
Mbappe heads into the match with eight goals from seven appearances, level with Argentina captain Lionel Messi at the top of the scoring charts. Messi, however, holds the advantage in the Golden Boot race thanks to his four assists -- one more than the French forward – and will have another chance to add to his tally when Argentina face Spain in Monday's final at the New York-New Jersey Stadium.
Another goal would also move Mbappe closer to yet another remarkable milestone. His tally of 20 World Cup goals leaves him just one behind Messi's all-time record of 21.
With little collective pressure attached to the third-place decider, Mbappe has one final opportunity to turn a disappointing end to France's campaign into another memorable chapter in a World Cup career that already ranks among the greatest.
The 27-year-old is already in elite company. He is the only player to have scored at least eight goals in two different World Cup editions. Four years ago in Qatar, those eight goals earned him his first Golden Boot ahead of Messi.
Yet the image that endured from that night was not Mbappe holding the individual award, but his dejected walk past the World Cup trophy after France's heartbreaking final defeat to Argentina.
It perfectly illustrated his priorities. Individual honours meant little when the biggest prize had slipped away.
Back then, both Mbappe and Messi walked onto the pitch with dreams of becoming world champions. Messi fulfilled his ambition, while Mbappe was left wondering what might have been.
This time, the circumstances are different. France's title challenge is over, and the pressure of chasing the World Cup has disappeared. Instead, Mbappe can focus solely on finishing the tournament with another landmark achievement -- overtaking Messi in the Golden Boot race, and possibly in the all-time scorers’ list, while helping France secure a third-place finish.
Sunday's match will also mark Didier Deschamps' final game as France manager. With little at stake beyond pride, both France and England could rotate their squads.
Even so, Deschamps may be inclined to start Mbappe, giving his captain one last opportunity to end with yet another Golden Boot.
