End of the road for Real Madrid and Fluminense: Why there’s no FIFA Club World Cup third-place game for Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, and Vinicius
As the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup reaches its climax with a blockbuster final between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, a curious question has emerged among fans and pundits alike: Why won’t we see a third-place showdown between Real Madrid and Fluminense? After Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, and Vinicius Junior were knocked out of the tournament in brutal fashion, many expected at least one more glimpse of these superstars in a consolation clash. Instead, the tournament ends here for them—with no shot at bronze, no last dance, and no farewell on the global stage.
The semi-finals brought heartbreak for two giants. Fluminense, the Copa Libertadores champions, were sunk 2-0 by Chelsea thanks to a Joao Pedro brace—ironically scored against the club that nurtured him as a youth. One day later, Real Madrid were dismantled by PSG, losing 4-0 in a shocking result that underlined the French club’s growing dominance. With goals from Fabian Ruiz (brace), Ousmane Dembele, and Goncalo Ramos, PSG left no doubt about their place in Sunday’s final.
But while most major tournaments offer a third-place play-off to give eliminated semi-finalists something to fight for, the inaugural edition of the expanded Club World Cup offers no such fixture.
FIFA’s quiet but strategic decision
The absence of a bronze final isn’t an oversight—it’s deliberate. “There will be no third-place match, or bronze final, at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025,” FIFA explained on its website. “For the inaugural edition of this elite global competition, FIFA decided not to include this match to ensure that clubs and players who do not make the final can transition to their next commitments as soon as possible.”
In essence, there’s no Real Madrid vs Fluminense match because of FIFA’s emphasis on post-tournament recovery. With many clubs facing packed preseason schedules, transfer windows opening, and players needing rest after a grueling calendar, FIFA opted to spare both teams one more fixture.
No podium, no bragging rights
This decision breaks from long-standing tradition. Even in past versions of the Club World Cup and every FIFA World Cup, the third-place game offered not just a medal but a sense of closure. It also gave fans one more game featuring top players. This time, that’s off the table.
“There’s no financial difference between finishing third or fourth,” a tournament source told reporters, emphasizing that without prize money variation, there was little incentive for clubs to field strong lineups or risk player fatigue.
For Los Blancos, the abrupt end is especially poignant. Their 2024-25 campaign stretched across 68 matches, and this tournament was meant to crown it. Instead, they head back to Spain, licking their wounds, with their La Liga opener against Osasuna looming.
The Brazilian giant, meanwhile, will return to its home to prepare for their league match against Cruzeiro on July 18, missing the chance to claim back-to-back Club World Cup podium finishes.