Who won FIFA World Cup 2022 third place match? Croatia vs Morocco result, goalscorers, highlights from Qatar

There is now only one match to go at the 2022 FIFA World Cup after Croatia and Morocco played out an entertaining third place match at the Khalifa International Stadium.

Both sides had lost their semifinals, to Argentina and France respectively, but had plenty to play for on Saturday.

Croatia and Morocco had been the two biggest underdog stories of the tournament, and their supporters relished one final chance to see their heroes on the biggest stage of all in Qatar. And both teams bowed out with respectable showings.

The Sporting News runs through what happened in the match here, what it means for both nations and more:

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World Cup third place match final score, result

Croatia clinched the FIFA World Cup 2022 bronze medal with a 2-1 victory over Morocco at the Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan.

World Cup third place match goals

Although these two sides had battled to a 0-0 draw in their first meeting in Qatar, in their Group F clash, there was far more entertainment in the third-place playoff.

Josko Gvardiol opened the scoring inside 10 minutes for Croatia with a superb header, although Morocco hit back almost instantly through Achraf Dari.

It didn't take Croatia too long to restore their lead, however, with Mislav Orsic's cultured finish making it 2-1 before half-time with one of the best goals of the tournament.

The European side then held onto their marginal lead and claim their second ever World Cup third place finish.

FIFA World Cup third place match highlights

US viewers can see some of the highlights from the match here:

CROATIA STRIKES FIRST 🇭🇷

Joško Gvardiol puts Croatia on top in just 7 minutes ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/eF7pRGR9zM

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 17, 2022

What a header by Achraf Dari to even the score for Morocco 🔥🇲🇦 pic.twitter.com/Ywt7qkZEji

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 17, 2022

This goal by Oršić was TOO NICE 🎯🇭🇷 pic.twitter.com/XeGge0P7Me

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 17, 2022

History of World Cup third place

There were no third place play-off matches in 1930 or 1950, but otherwise the FIFA tournament has always had the two semifinal losers play each other for the bronze medal.

Germany have the most third place finishes of any country (four if you include their 1970 finish as West Germany). Croatia finished third in 1998, while Morocco were contesting their first ever World Cup third place play-off.

MORE: Watch every World Cup match live with fuboTV (U.S.-only free trial)

World Cup final start time, TV channels, venue

Now attention will turn to the main event on Sunday at 6pm local time in Qatar at Lusail Iconic Stadium.

Here's how that translates to various times around the world. Here's how you can watch all the action in some of the major global territories.