The third place playoff (sometimes called the bronze medal game or consolation game) is a single bout 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. A single-elimination tournament, also called a knockout tournament, is a type of tournament where the loser of each match is immediately eliminated from winning the championship or first prize in the event. ... This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ...

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 five Olympic rings were designed in 1913, adopted in 1914 and debuted at the Games at Antwerp, 1920. ... A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests (typically athletics competitions) such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. ... Professional boxing bout featuring Ricardo Domínguez (left) versus Rafael Ortíz Boxing, also called Western Boxing, prizefighting (when referring to professional boxing) or the sweet science (a common nickname among fans), is a sport and martial art in which two participants of similar weight fight each other with their... Judo (Japanese: 柔道, jūdō; gentle way) is a martial art, combat sport, and philosophy which originated in Japan. ...

The FIFA World Cup also features 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 South Korea in 2002 and Germany in 2006). The FIFA World Cup Trophy, which has been awarded to the world champions since 1974. ... Qualifying countries The 2002 FIFA World Cup, the 17th staging of the World Cup, was held in South Korea and Japan from May 31 to June 30. ... The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th staging of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international association football world championship tournament. ...

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). Note: for the full results of all FA Cup finals, see FA Cup Final The FA Cup - this is the fourth trophy, in use since 1992, and identical in design to the third trophy introduced in 1911. ... NCAA Basketball logo The NCAA Mens Division I Basketball Championship is held each spring featuring 65 college basketball teams in the United States. ...