While the UEFA EURO 2024 final in Germany promises an electrifying showdown on the football field, don't anticipate any crossover with the Olympic Games podium. Despite the shared timeframe, these events represent distinct sporting spectacles, each with its unique allure and fanfare. So, while the anticipation builds for the EURO final, Olympic dreams will unfold on a separate stage, ensuring an unforgettable summer of sports.

There won't be a third-place play-off for the eleventh consecutive tournament.

The podium finish has been absent at the EUROs since 1980. However, it has generally been hotly contested at every FIFA World Cup.

UEFA last eliminated the third-place play-off for the women's European Championships in 1993, after nearly ten years of waiting.

Although there isn't an official source or a digitized copy of a press release that survived the 1984 competition—the first without a play-off for third place—it was generally acknowledged that the game was arduous and pointless. The modern football player has many demands. Thus, a more significant financial incentive than a play-off for third place will be required to pique interest in scheduling more games.

Football governing bodies from all around the world have debated whether or not to hold a third-place play-off for decades.

Although there has always been a third-place play-off in the FIFA World Cup, two recent underwhelming matches have raised doubts about the game's necessity.

After an almost as lackluster performance in their semi-final 2014 match against Germany (7-1), Brazil had to endure the humiliation of allowing ten goals in a week against the Netherlands. In 2018, Belgium defeated England 2-0 in a dull encounter that did not register a point. This was exacerbated by the fact that the two teams had already faced each other in the group stage, which was also a dead rubber because both had advanced to the knockout stages.

However, Croatia's 2-1 victory over Morocco in the 2022 play-off demonstrated the importance of a match between two teams vying for a podium spot.

Since Croatia also won the match during the 1998 World Cup in France, their supporters, particularly, have great recollections of the third-place play-off. Davor Suker's match-winning 2-1 victory over the Netherlands gave him an absolute lead in the Golden Boot. Hence, the game was also crucial for him.

The most recent third-place play-off was held in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, where South Africa defeated the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since 1978, AFCON has hosted the match in all but three tournaments, including championships.

This year, the Copa America will continue hosting the match that was first played in 1993. There had previously been no chance for a stand-alone third-place play-off due to a combination of round-robin, play-off, and two-leg finals to determine the champion.

The OFC Nations Cup in Oceania has also used various forms, such as round robin, to choose its champion. However, co-hosts Vanuatu and Fiji have suggested a third-place play-off for this month's competition.

The AFC Asian Cup eliminated the third-place play-off for the 2019 and 2023 competitions; the last one was staged in Australia in 2015. The competition began without a match in 1956; however, in 1972, the third-place play-off was added.

The CONCACAF Gold Cup eliminated the competition in 2003. Still, in 2015, a lone third-place play-off occurred—the only one of its kind in the previous ten iterations of the biennial competition.

Therefore, don't expect to see a third-place play-off return to the European Championships anytime soon, even if it is still a mainstay of the World Cup and several continental championships.

History of the 1960 UEFA EURO third-place play-off:

France 2-0 Czechoslovakia

1964: Denmark aet 1-1 Hungary

1968: Soviet Union 2-0 England

1972: Hungary 2-1 Belgium

1976: Yugoslavia 3-2 Netherlands (AET)

1980: Italy 0-1 Czechoslovakia (9-8 pens)