Key events
Thank you for joining us for this World Cup news blog. Our live coverage of France v England will start in one hour so keep an eye out for that. We will be back with a similar blog tomorrow to build up to the World Cup final, so we will see you then. Enjoy the football.
This is a good listen and great build-up to tomorrow’s final:
Who won the World Cup? – Stateside with Kai and Carter There is an abundance of sport happening this weekend, including the World Cup final. Here is how you can keep across it:
Reuven Fletcher has emailed:
double quotation mark Declan Rice is one of England’s biggest problems in my opinion. Hailed consistently as “world class” and one of the best players in the Premier League, it’s foolish to argue he’s not good. However his game appears to be strong running, set pieces, maybe a goal when Arsenal dominate. It kind of explains why England fail, athleticism over brains, power (and pace) over possession.
As an international or European midfielder Rice lacks so much in his game, a problem England have had in centre midfield notwithstanding Scholes or Carrick. He’s not a player who unlocks a defence. He apparently “created 15 goalscoring opportunities” this tournament, but they were surely set piece based? They have other set piece takers, and Rice offers no more than Anderson, they don’t need both starting.
England need to bring in players like Wharton who had an excellent season for Palace and can help them retain the ball. At present Tuchel has morphed into an international Eddie Howe, one -plan and no variety, Kane is his Bruno Guimaraes not in style but in relying on him to come up with something, or Anthony Gordon.
On Kane he dropped so deep in the semi final, playing the ball out wide to Rogers that Rice picked up before the goal. What is the point in this? Why not play Wharton who does that from the centre of the park? Play strikers who test the back line and get the team up the park at other points. This is the problem England now face with no obvious successor to an ageing Kane.
If they do the same things in the Euros they will no doubt get the same results when facing France, Spain, Portugal or whoever else. It really needs some brave management to try and change the team and drop- some big media favourites, not sure Tuchel has that in him now sadly.
Do you agree? Email and let us know.
Jonathan Wilson
In the 37 minutes between England going ahead against Argentina and falling behind, they had 12% possession. It’s fair to assume that in the World Cup final Spain will provide a rather different challenge.
They do not suffer the Mafeking tendency of the English, seeking to re-enact some famous siege every time they take the lead. The finalists have averaged 64% possession so far in the tournament. Spain could hardly be more different to England: their way is not of panic but of process.
Do you think you know ball? Well we have a quiz here to really test your knowledge:
Outside of the World Cup but still in the football domain, Wrexham have beaten Manchester United in a pre-season friendly. Of course the World Cup stars were not involved but players such as Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw were in United’s starting 11.
The Welsh club came out with a 1-0 victory at Helsingin olympiastadion in Finland after Sam Smith scored in the first half.
The World Cup trophy will be decided tomorrow but it is not the only silverware that will be handed out. The Golden Boot is still being contested with Lionel Messi top with eight goals and four assists. Other stars like Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé could still take the crown though, take a look at the race:
Want to know more about the teams in the bronze final? We have you covered:
Here are all of the threats facing the final:
No matter who is playing, I always get my friends to predict what the score is going to be. I figure we are all friends here so I would love it if you emailed in your score prediction for the bronze final between France and England. I’m thinking a 2-1 France victory.
Here is Nathán Goldberg Crenier on the US hosting the tournament:
double quotation mark Ever since the United States won the rights to co-host the 2026 World Cup, Fifa president Gianni Infantino has worked to ingratiate himself with Donald Trump at all costs, supposedly to secure preferential treatment for Fifa from the American government. Predictably, he suffered the same fate as everyone who has made a Faustian bargain with the US president: he learned that cozying up to Trump always backfires, tarnishing the entire sport along the way.
Mel Clinton has emailed:
double quotation mark It’s interesting to note that no team has won the World Cup with a foreign manager. I don’t think its because it can’t be done (obviously it can), but because other nations put more emphasis on developing their national footballing culture and identity – a way of playing that aways underpins performances, whatever the circumstances.
We have a habit of outsourcing our approach and application of expertise, diluting the ability to build a deep English football culture and style. In this context its interesting to compare Lee Carsley’s substitutions in the 2025 U21s Euros Final v Germany. His substitutions reacted to England sitting too deep and being pegged back to 2-2, aiming to put the team back on the front foot. They won the final, just as they did in 2023 with a different team. That he spent much of his career in English football, while learning from approaches and innovations in other countries, and has had a period of continuity in the U21 set up is significant, I think.
Yes, England have had a few foreign managers. But they have had English ones too, obviously most recently Gareth Southgate. It feels like more of a problem of culture, rather than the nationality of the manager.
Barney Ronay
“A lot of our community has been pushed out by the World Cup. We’re not just dollar signs, we’re more than that. We’re people and we’re frustrated that they’ve chosen to treat us less than human.”
“They dropped me off there in the middle of the night. They call them Mormon centres or whatever, but it ain’t nothing but a warehouse of cops. It looked like a Fema camp. When I saw it, I left, I walked all the way back here. It’s because of the World Cup. They’re trying to make it look good for tourists. They don’t want the eyesores around.”
One week before the World Cup final Gianni Infantino flew from Miami to Qatar on a luxury private jet. Infantino was in Lusail to attend the funeral of the former Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (“mentor, a visionary”) and was duly pictured frowning on a silver throne in full global statesman mode.
There is a fan friendly between France and England supporters currently happening in Miami. It is half-time and England lead 6-2, I wonder if the game later will follow suit…
For neutral fans, the final may be just a chance to watch the biggest game in the sport. But for others, they will choose a side to support. Many in Latin America are going for Spain instead of Argentina, here is why:
I am just flagging this as it is one of the biggest stories before the France v England match later on. Manager Thomas Tuchel has said he has “no regrets” despite a lot of blame being laid at his door for the Three Lions’ exit from their World Cup trophy campaign. England switched to a defensive system after going 1-0 up against Argentina but fell to a 2-1 loss.
Thank you Billy, I am back for more and I will take you through the next few hours. I was thinking while I was away ‘I wonder if anyone has watched every single game of this tournament’. I concluded with no research that there must be thousands who have, if you have get in touch and let me know which game has been your favourite.
That’s all from me. Sarah Rendell is back for more.
Slavko Vincic will referee the World Cup final tomorrow. For its content machine, Fifa captured the moment the Slovenian was told in front of his peers by referees chief Pierluigi Collina.
It’s quite sweet, really.
Johan Manzambi is the latest World Cup star to be on the move this transfer window. Keep track of all the deals, updated daily (sometimes hourly) here …
An email from David Wall …
double quotation mark In his interview Mikel Merino talks about how the Spanish players have been reflecting on what the team of 2010 did when they won the tournament. Perhaps the most important thing they could take from that team is how to keep your cool against a team that has decided the only way they can beat you is to kick you off the field. They might also do well to borrow some proper shin-pads rather than the tiny things that seem to be fashionable nowadays.
Do we really think Argentina will deploy the same tactics as they did in the first half against England? There was more of a historical edge to that game for starters and it was the shock factor of it, rather than actually riling the England players, that had an impact. Spain have got Marc Cucurella, after all.
Del Bosque: Spain must not underestimate ‘nuisance’ Argentina Former Spain manager Vicente del Bosque has warned the national team not to underestimate Argentina ahead of the World Cup final, describing their opponents as a “real nuisance” and urging Spain to remain cautious.
Del Bosque led Spain to World Cup victory in 2010, when they beat the Netherlands 1-0 in South Africa. “Argentina are a tough team to play against – a real nuisance, if I may use the word – and they know exactly what they need to do,” Del Bosque told El País. Del Bosque pointed to Argentina’s comeback victory over England as evidence of their quality.
“I see the final as favouring Spain, but they need to be wary of the Argentinians, given how difficult they are to face and their experience,” he said.
Andrés Iniesta, who scored the winning goal for Spain in 2010, also said he hoped a new generation of Spanish players would claim the trophy.
“I really want this generation – these players – to become champions and for us to get another star, the second one,” he told El País.
Iniesta, who played with Messi at Barcelona, praised the Argentina captain’s ability to stay at the pinnacle of the game at the age of 39.
“I’d say he’s pretty much the same as always: making a difference, playing a leading role, providing assists, scoring goals – doing what he’s done his whole life,” he said.
“I believe the reason he’s still active at his age is that he continues to do so many things right – the way he takes care of himself, his dedication to the sport, the people around him, and the fact that he maintains the passion and mindset to keep improving both personally and as a teammate.” Reuters
Abou Diaby scored the winner in Didier Deschamps’ first game as France manager. I’ve dug out the XI from that World Cup qualifier away to Finland on 7 September 2012 …
GK Hugo Lloris
RB Anthony Reveillere
CB Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa
CB Mamadou Sakho
LB Patrice Evra
MID Yohan Cabaye (Blaise Matuidi 73min)
MID Abou Diaby
MID Rio Mavuba
RW Jeremy Menez (Mathieu Valbuena 63min)
ST Karim Benzema
LW Franck Ribery (Bafetimbi Gomis 89min)
The only outfield players yet to get a runout for England at this tournament are Kobbie Mainoo and Trevoh Chalobah.
For France, it’s just 35-year-old N’Golo Kanté who is yet to play a minute. C’mon Didier, for old times’ sake.
Rayan Cherki and N’Golo Kanté. Photograph: Jean Catuffe/DPPI/Shutterstock Didier Deschamps takes charge of his 185th and final game for France later today. His record at major tournaments is outstanding, but maybe he will be left thinking he should have picked up more silverware …
World Cup 2014 – quarter-finals (beaten 1-0 by Germany)
Euro 2016, hosts – runners-up (beaten 1-0 by Portugal)
World Cup 2018 – winners
Euro 2020 – last 16 (3-3, beaten on pens by Switzerland)
World Cup 2022 – runners-up (3-3, beaten on pens by Argentina)
Euro 2024 – semi-finals (beaten 2-1 by Spain)
World Cup 2026 – semi-finals (beaten 2-0 by Spain)
They also won the Nations League in 2021, beating Spain 2-1 in the final at San Siro.
Deschamps in 2018. Photograph: Kieran McManus/BPI/Shutterstock From four quarters to half-time shows, soaring ticket prices to championship rings, Fifa has really embraced American sporting culture at this World Cup. But how much will these additions’ financial success, if not universal popularity, embolden Fifa to take the same approach at their other tournaments?
Will we see hydration breaks at next year’s Women’s World Cup in Brazil, for example, or the 2030 men’s edition? If tomorrow’s half-time show – rumoured to widen the break to 30 minutes – is a hit, do we see the same at the Bernabéu in four years’ time?
And what about ticket prices? Will people in Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay – yes, yes – be willing to shell out as much as Americans have? Even in Mexico and Canada, the ticket prices have been eye-watering.
A (rare) comment leaping to Thomas Tuchel’s defence BTL …
Some points re. England semi final:
1. England cannot hold the ball. None of the players seem capable of doing so. It’s always been thus, certainly since 66. We rely on booting it up the pitch and hoping we’re fast enough to catch up. This leads to players tiring at the end of matches and, if we’re lucky enough, tiring at the end of tournaments.
2. Tuchel had to bring on defenders because he could see they’d run out of fuel.
3. If you watch and listen carefully, you can see he’s imploring them to keep the ball and advance forward. He was going so from the side of the pitch and during the hydration break. The players ignored him. Perhaps they were too knackered to follow the orders, perhaps, through Bellingham, he’d lost the dressing room.
4. He could’ve replaced the front with new attackers by Argentina would’ve adjusted to attack on the break. With England’s flawed defenders Messi would’ve cut through them.
So, stop haranguing Tuchel. He did the best with what he had – ordinary defenders and midfield, and strikers that disappeared. Yes, he could’ve put a fresh attack on but I suspect he would have had to take them off again at 75-80 mins when he had seen Argentina cut through then on the counter.
If we’re serious about winning something, the coach needs more time with the players, club power needs to be reduced, and youth players need better training on keeping the ball, playing with intelligence and coaching to stay calm and not hoof the ball up the field.
French-born coach Sébastien Migné, who led Haiti to the World Cup, has been appointed to take charge of Gabon as they seek to qualify for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations finals.
It is a return to African football for the 53-year-old, previously coach of Congo, Kenya, and Equatorial Guinea. He was also the assistant coach of Cameroon at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Migne helped Haiti to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 52 years, but they were eliminated in the group stage of the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Gabon begin their Cup of Nations qualifying campaign in September with matches against Morocco and Niger. The Gabon football federation did not give any details of the contract terms when announcing the appointment. Reuters
Spain World Cup winner Capdevila denied entry to US Joan Capdevila, Spain’s World Cup-winning left-back in 2010, is unable to travel to the US for the final after his travel permit application was rejected.
He has called on the help of Donald Trump and Marco Rubio to try to get the situation sorted so he can attend the final with his children and his 2010 teammates.
Capdevila posted on X …
double quotation mark I NEED HELP @realDonaldTrump! They just told me that I can’t travel to the final with my kids because my ESTA has been denied.
Can anyone help me with this? You have no idea how excited I was to be there with all my 2010 team-mates and this team to cheer them on.
I can’t believe they’re not letting me into the USA… and that I’ll miss a moment like this with my kids who love soccer so much. If anyone knows how to fix this, I’ll be grateful to you for life.
Joan of ‘argh’. Photograph: Paul White/AP Thanks Sarah. Let’s dip into the mail bag …
double quotation mark I appreciate Jonathan Liew’s article challenging the idea that England suffers from ‘a kind of moral deficiency…an endemic national culture of failure’. Not only does this bring the team down after their heroics in the Azteca, or difficult wins over teams like Norway (who knocked out Brazil by the way) – it also simply doesn’t hold up. If English mentality were truly the problem, how were the English women able to win the euros back to back? – Julia B
double quotation mark Like everyone I was convinced by the idea of TT as a tournament specialist who would create a team that brought out our best attacking qualities without fear. When the moment came. One idea of what happened against Argentina is that the memory of holding out against Mexico was the way to go. Perhaps this was even muscle memory. Whatever happened TT didn’t play the game in front of him and it was pretty shocking to see how we failed to try and control possession. That said it almost worked. It’s quite peculiar really as the football in the Croatia match made me feel Like supporting England like a real fan – Mikey G
With that my watch is ended for a few hours, I hand back to Billy Munday.
Former England player Rio Ferdinand has made a prediction for the World Cup final and also spoken to Sky Sports about “disrespect” shown towards the defending champions Argentina.
double quotation mark I think it is hard to bet against Argentina. I think they have shown such great character, determination and grit. I think people have been a bit disrepectful and saying they are an average team, they’re not.
They’ve got one of the best players that has ever played the game. Even though he is 39, still one of the best players on the planet and they’ve got a great team. You don’t do what they have done in finals, in big competitions over the last few years, world champions and you call them average. I think it is out of order, it’s disrespectful.
Photograph: Lev Radin/Shutterstock There is a good discussion about the bronze final here, have a read:
Mikey Georgeson has emailed and expressed his disappointment in England, specifically their manager Thomas Tuchel:
double quotation mark Like everyone I was convinced by the idea of TT as a tournament specialist who would create a team that brought out our best attacking qualities without fear. When the moment came. One idea of what happened against Argentina is that the memory of holding out against Mexico was the way to go. Perhaps this was even muscle memory. Whatever happened TT didn’t play the game in front of him and it was pretty shocking to see how we failed to try and control possession. That said it almost worked. It’s quite peculiar really as the football in the Croatia match made me feel like supporting England like a real fan.
The Croatia game was England’s best performance.
The third place play-off, or the bronze final as it is known at this tournament, will be played this evening between France and England. Both camps have said they do not want to be playing the game, which seems a pretty obvious statement as they would both want to be in the final. But is it a waste of time? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or by email. If England win the game it will be their best finish at a men’s World Cup since 1966.
Spain are on an unbeaten run of 14 matches but can Argentina put a stop to their domination? It will be one of Spain’s toughest tests since they run began back in 2024:
Here’s guides to the two teams in the final: