23 articles
England led for an hour in Atlanta and were minutes from a first World Cup final since 1966. Then Enzo Fernandez levelled, Lautaro Martinez headed the winner, and Messi set up both.
Twenty-one years an Argentina international and Lionel Messi has never faced England. He gets his chance in Atlanta on Wednesday, at 39 and with the record already his, and a place in Spain's final on the line.
Four times decisive in six games, Jude Bellingham has been the man England lean on. So why did Thomas Tuchel use the Norway win to sharpen his criticism? Argentina await in Atlanta.
Four decades on from the Hand of God, England and Argentina renew football's most loaded rivalry in Atlanta on Wednesday, and this time Lionel Messi walks out against England for the first time.
The World Cup semi-final in Atlanta may hinge on whether De Paul, Mac Allister and Enzo Fernandez can smother Jude Bellingham's runs from deep.
England can reach a first World Cup final in 60 years on Wednesday, but the defending champions Argentina, and a rivalry thick with old scars, stand between them and Atlanta glory.
The reigning champions meet England in Atlanta on 15 July, and for Lionel Messi, widely reported to be at his last World Cup, one more win puts another final within reach.
Thomas Tuchel is down two players and waiting on a third three days before England meet Argentina in Atlanta, while the holders arrive with no fresh concerns.
England chase a first World Cup final since 1966 when they meet Argentina and a probably departing Lionel Messi in Wednesday's semi-final in Atlanta.
France and Spain meet in the first World Cup 2026 semi-final in Arlington on Tuesday, a rerun of the Euro 2024 last four, with a place in the final on the line.
Deschamps' side beat Morocco to reach the last four, and a win over Spain in Dallas on Tuesday would send France into a third final running. Only two nations in the tournament's history have ever managed it.
Two summers ago few outside France knew his name. Now Desire Doue is Didier Deschamps' first-choice left winger, and he starts against Spain in Tuesday's World Cup semi-final in Dallas.
The reigning Ballon d'Or holder has a hat-trick, four goals and back-to-back Champions Leagues to his name. France's Ousmane Dembele meets Spain in Dallas on Tuesday with one of the game's rarest sets almost complete.
Victory over Belgium stretched Spain's unbeaten run to 36 matches, level with Scaloni's Argentina and one short of the men's international record held by Mancini's Italy. France, in Dallas on Tuesday, stand between them and history.
France and Spain meet in the World Cup semi-final in Dallas on Tuesday, only the second time they have crossed paths at a World Cup. Their recent knockout history, from Zinedine Zidane's 2006 masterclass to Lamine Yamal's rise, points firmly one way.
Pau Cubarsi and Aymeric Laporte have anchored the meanest defence at the World Cup. On Tuesday in Dallas they face the tournament's top scorer, with a place in the final at stake.
Olise, Kone and Barcola all dodged the booking that would have ruled them out of Tuesday's semi-final, but France still cannot be sure of Aurelien Tchouameni. Spain, for their part, are easing Nico Williams back.
Eighteen months after he named his own exit date, Didier Deschamps is quietly clearing out the World Cup's managerial record books. France are in the semi-finals, and the only thing still unresolved is what their manager does next.
Lamine Yamal blows out 19 candles on 13 July, a day before Spain meet France in the World Cup semi-final. He has a habit of turning up against them on the big stage, even if this tournament has been quieter than his last two.
France meet Spain in Dallas on 14 July in the only confirmed semi-final. The other half of the draw is settled today, in Miami and Kansas City, with a place in the last four on the line.
For the third tournament running, France run into Spain in the knockout rounds, this time in the last four in Dallas on 14 July. Twice Lamine Yamal has settled it. Deschamps has one more go at breaking the spell.
He came off with ice on his right ankle in the 77th minute against Morocco, then waved the worry away with a flat "I'm all good." France will take him at his word, right up to the moment Deschamps names a side against Spain.
A second knockout winner off the bench from Mikel Merino saw Spain past a stubborn Belgium at SoFi Stadium, ending Unai Simon's 650-minute shutout streak but sending the Spanish into a semi-final with France.
