For one evening at least, Les Bleus accomplished what few others can: uniting France’s political class.
Senior French politicians from across the spectrum praised France’s victory over Morocco in the World Cup quarterfinals on Thursday night, as they eye eventual glory in New Jersey on July 19.
“We’re proud of our Les Bleus,” said French President Emmanuel Macron. “Congratulations to Morocco, a formidable opponent tonight just as they were four years ago. France is in the semifinals, with panache and camaraderie!” His party ally Benjamin Haddad, France’s Europe minister, added: “Bravo to the French team for delivering a magnificent collective performance. The adventure continues!”
“Congratulations to the French team, which completely dominated the game and advanced to the semifinals. Les Bleus are now just two games away from the ultimate achievement!” said the National Rally party president.
Surprisingly, none of France’s 2027 presidential wannabes — far-right Marine Le Pen, conservative Bruno Retailleau, centrist Edouard Philippe and hard-left Jean-Luc Mélenchon — were quick to post their reaction to the result.
France is through to the semifinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup following a convincing 2-0 win over Morocco at Boston Stadium on Thursday afternoon. The win was a rematch of a semifinal match between the same teams at the 2022 tournament, which France won by the same score. This performance was very professional by Didier Deschamps’ team, with France always in control and the result never in doubt. It only seemed a matter of when France would break through, not if. And France did it through two of the best players in the world in Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé. France looks like it will be very, very hard to beat. Next up will be either Belgium or Spain, either of whom will be the underdog against Les Bleus. 1. Mbappé Showed Resolve In the 60th minute, the game was still mired in a 0-0 draw. France still had most of the chances, but Morocco had been succeeding with one of its most important objectives in slowing the game down. France was still vulnerable to a Morocco counterattack or a chance against the run of play. That is when Kylian Mbappé rose to the occasion and put the game away. He took a pass outside the box and hit a remarkably powerful shot from outside the box. At that moment, most forwards would have tried to bend it past the keeper. Instead, without much of a run-up, Mbappé was able to quickly release a powerful rocket that was just inside the goal. That took a lot of resolve from Mbappé after his penalty was saved in the first half. He was not frustrated or unfocused. He was simply able to continue to play like he has been all tournament. This goal also showed why Mbappé is such a lethal weapon for France. Morocco actually was guarding Mbappé closely, and the Real Madrid forward had very little space to shoot. But he was still able to deliver the goal that won a World Cup quarterfinal. It was unstoppable for the goalkeeper, and there was nothing else Morocco’s defenders could have done. This is why France is very hard to beat. Mbappé’s greatness is on full display. He now has eight goals and two assists in this World Cup, which makes him even with Lionel Messi on goals. It was also just one behind Messi’s career mark of 21 World Cup goals. If that wasn’t impressive enough, then you realize he is just 27 years old, 12 years younger than Messi. 2. Dembélé Makes France The Favorite Coming into this tournament, France was one of the favorites to win this tournament, given the strength of its roster. Les Bleus had terrific odds at the World Cup despite Ousmane Dembélé’s struggles in major tournaments. Dembélé, 29, is the reigning Ballon d’Or winner but had no goals and no assists in either the World Cup or European Championships. In fact, Dembélé only had seven career goals for France’s national team before this tournament. At this tournament, however, Dembélé is playing like the Ballon d’Or winner. In the 66th minute, Dembélé took a pass from Mbappé and beat Bono with a powerful low shot. Dembélé now has five goals and two assists in six World Cup games. With him now firing on all cylinders, it gives France the best attack in this tournament. Norway has Erling Haaland, England has Harry Kane, and Argentina has Lionel Messi. But France has Mbappé and Dembélé both playing well, which is one of the greatest ever two-pronged attacks this tournament has ever seen. 3. Bono’s Moment Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, also known as Bono, was immense in the first half for Morocco. In the 28th minute, he saved Mbappé’s penalty kick at a moment when France was in total control of the game. As one of the world’s great players, Mbappé entered this game with seven goals and two assists at this World Cup. Saving that penalty against a player of his caliber was a very tall task. But there was a long VAR wait, and it clearly bothered Mbappé, who complained to the official about the length of the VAR review afterward. But for Bono, it was a critically important moment for him to keep Morocco in the game and give his team a chance in the first half. That is all that the team could have asked. 4. Morocco’s Rise Continues Morocco ends this tournament one round earlier than it did in 2022, when it advanced to the World Cup semifinal before also losing to France by the same 2-0 score. Morocco was more competitive against the French in Qatar, but that is entirely due to this French team being even better now than four years ago. Morocco is no longer the underdog it was in 2022. This is now a legitimate top 10 team in the world, and it is climbing. The signs are there. This team won the bronze medal at the 2024 Olympics behind only France and Spain. In 2025, Morocco won the U-20 World Cup. Earlier this year, it won the African Cup of Nations (although it is still under dispute in court). At this World Cup, the team’s only blemish before this loss to a truly great French team was a 1-1 draw with Brazil. Morocco is consistently performing extremely well at the full national team level and in major youth tournaments. That seems unlikely to change anytime soon. It would hardly be surprising if this team is a contender in 2030.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
French president and dedicated soccer fan Emmanuel Macron is having himself a day. He attended the Tour de Francein the Pyrenees earlier Thursday, hours before France’s World Cup quarterfinal against Morocco. French outlet RMC Sport reported that shortly after the cycling stage finished, Macron urged star French rider Paul Seixas to remain with his team: French outfit Decathlon CMA CGM.
It’s not the first time Macron has tried to influence a French star to stay with their French team — he lobbied Kylian Mbappé to remain at his club Paris Saint-Germain and not transfer to Real Madrid … a battle he eventually lost.
BRUSSELS — The atmosphere at Le Stalingrad tea salon in Brussels is electric, full of supporters packed shoulder-to-shoulder, with Arabic commentary blaring from the televisions and every chance greeted by deafening reactions.
The crowd has erupted each time Morocco held firm defensively, but the loudest roar of the night (so far) came when France’s Kylian Mbappé missed a penalty, sending the tea shop into a frenzy of cheers and chants of “Bouno!” — the Moroccan goalkeeper’s last name.
Not every ovation was football-related: fans also burst into applause when pop star Shakira appeared on the stadium screens during the broadcast.
For some supporters, however, the evening carries significance beyond full-time. “It would be a shame if there was violence after this game,” said Moroccan native Adil, 23, recalling the unrest that followed his country’s World Cup victory over Belgium four years ago. “It was terrible.”
Whatever the outcome against France, Adil said he would continue supporting Belgium in the tournament if Morocco is eliminated.
Morocco is having a moment as a powerhouse soccer nation, reaching the business end of back-to-back World Cups and seeing a pathway to winning this year’s tournament.
“Morocco has gained everybody’s respect now,” team coach Mohamed Ouahbi told reporters after the squad’s victory over the Netherlands in the first knockout round of the 2026 World Cup. “It’s not because of what we’ve said. We’ve now shown it.”
Morocco has its eyes on staging the 2030 final, as well, already antagonizing its co-hosts in Spain and Portugal in its efforts to claim the next men’s tournament’s showcase match.
Since the country’s historic run to the 2022 World Cup semifinal, Rabat has accelerated spending on stadiums and academies, while positioning itself as Africa’s premier soccer hub. It staged the 2026 African Cup of Nations, which it lost on the field during the final — before a court overturned the result.
A key element of Morocco’s soccer expansionism is the aggressive recruitment of diaspora players with dual nationality, particularly those developed in European academies.
The national team has successfully persuaded stars born or raised in countries such as France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain to represent Morocco, strengthening its competitiveness while reinforcing ties with Moroccan communities abroad.
At home, Morocco is spending more than a billion dollars on soccer stadiums, irritating some citizens. A wave of protests roiled the country in fall 2025, as a Gen-Z-led movement demonstrated over chronic failings in health care and education — and criticized the investment on soccer arenas. In a sport long dominated by European interests, Moroccan maneuvering has won the world’s attention.
“One of the positives of the World Cup is that every four years you’re reminded that there is incredible talent and ambition and passion for the sport outside of Europe; and for all its faults, one message that FIFA firmly has right is that football belongs to the world, not only Europe,” an official with ties to European soccer leadership, granted anonymity to discuss sensitive political dynamics, told POLITICO.
“Within that, Morocco is a really positive case study — quietly developing on the pitch into being a powerhouse; while gaining influence politically off the pitch. And as we saw during Qatar 2022, they have the most wonderfully passionate fanbase,” the official added.
The next off-field test of how seriously the soccer world takes Morocco’s emergence will come when FIFA has to decide where to place its 2030 final. Soccer’s governing body decided in late 2024 to accept a joint bid from Spain, Portugal and Morocco to host the centenary tournament.
Spain is putting forward two of the sport’s most famous spaces, Camp Nou in Barcelona and the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid. Morocco has one that hasn’t yet been built: A 115,000-capacity Stade Hassan II near Casablanca that soccer officials say will be ready by the end of 2027.
Ella Langley starts her tour mornings with a pot of warm water and a mindset that sounds more like a athlete than a pop star. Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country
Ella Langley starts her tour mornings with a pot of warm water and a mindset that sounds more like a athlete than a pop star. Continue reading…The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs
Seventy-two members of the European Parliament on Wednesday demanded an investigation into FIFA President Gianni Infantino after FIFA lifted the red card suspension of star U.S. striker Folarin Balogun following a call from President Donald Trump.
Last Thursday, Trump called Infantino to lobby for the automatic ban given to Balogun after receiving a red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina to be overturned. Four days later, FIFA’s disciplinary committee cleared Balogun to play in a crunch match against Belgium.
In a letter sent to the national football federations of the EU’s 27 member countries and obtained by POLITICO, the lawmakers asked them to “add your voice to recent calls in support of an investigation” into Infantino.
“Let us be clear: FIFA’s decision to change the rule on red card suspension mid-tournament is a disgrace and perversion of justice,” said Renew MEP Barry Andrews, who wrote the letter. “Once again, we’ve seen Infantino and FIFA surrender to the demands of the Trump administration.”
Despite Balogun taking part, the U.S. lost to a fired-up Belgium team, whose players mocked Trump’s dancing after scoring their fourth goal in a 4-1 demolition of the host nation.
The lawmakers argue that since FIFA imposes its ethics rules on the 27 member associations, they are similarly “bound by FIFA’s code of ethics to demand that senior FIFA officials be held accountable.”
Wednesday’s letter is the third missive in two weeks from European lawmakers to the world football governing body. Andrews wrote a letter last week urging FIFA to investigate Infantino over alleged violations of the organization’s own political neutrality rules, telling POLITICO that FIFA was “profoundly corrupt.” Two days later, fellow Renew MEP Petras Auštrevičius rebuked FIFA over its decision to allow Russians to participate in the U-15 World Cup in October.
The previous letters drew signatures from 50 and 44 MEPs, respectively, making the newest letter the most broadly supported push yet. The letter was signed by MEPs from six parliamentary groups.
“Not many issues can garner that level of bipartisan support,” Andrews added.
Kacey Musgraves is teaming up with Stanley 1913 for a brand-new limited-edition collection that pays tribute to her Texas roots while drawing inspiration from her recently released Middle of Nowhere album.
The newly announced Stanley 1913 x Kacey Musgraves collection features four signature pieces: the leakproof 40-ounce Quencher ProTour, a 24-ounce Pet Bowl, a 16-ounce Everyday Suburban Mug and a 1-quart Classic Legendary Bottle.
Inspired by rodeo culture and vintage Western fashion, the collection blends rustic charm with Musgraves’ signature style, creating a lineup that reflects the spirit and aesthetic of Middle of Nowhere.
Kacey Musgraves; Photo Courtesy Stanley 1913
“I’ve been wanting to partner with Stanley 1913 for ages,” the 8-time GRAMMY winner shared in a statement. “It’s been fun collaborating on a collection that reflects my personal aesthetic; blending modern and traditional, and something I actually use every day whether I’m hydrating in the studio, preparing for tour, or surviving the occasional dry spell.”
“Like Kacey Musgraves, our brand continues to transcend categories and challenge what’s expected, and this partnership beautifully brings that spirit to life across our signature hydration and café products, as well as our first pet product in a partnership collection—blending artistry and iconic design into a capsule that feels distinctly her,” Kate Ridley, Chief Brand Officer for Stanley 1913, added.
The Stanley 1913 x Kacey Musgraves Collection features the following items:
The leakproof 40-ounce Quencher ProTour ($65), designed to keep drinks ice cold and featuring a first-of-its-kind translucent handle for a unique look.
A 24-ounce Pet Bowl ($40) inspired by Musgraves’ beloved rescue dog, Pepper, an Australian cattle dog she adopted in 2020. It also marks the first time Stanley has included a pet bowl in one of its collaboration collections.
Kacey Musgraves; Photo Courtesy Stanley 1913
The 16-ounce Everyday Suburban Mug ($45), a cupholder-friendly design with an easy-carry handle that’s made for life on the go, whether you’re hitting the road or heading home.
The 1-quart Classic Legendary Bottle ($55), a nod to Stanley’s iconic heritage that blends seamlessly with Musgraves’ signature mix of vintage Western style and modern design.
Both the Quencher ProTour and the Everyday Suburban Mug come adorned with a custom charm set featuring Middle of Nowhere album-inspired artwork, a Texas star, a silver concho and a vegan leather tassel.
How To Purchase Kacey Musgraves’ Stanley Collection
Fans can shop the limited-edition Stanley 1913 x Kacey Musgraves collection beginning at 9 a.m. PT on July 14 at Stanley1913.com. Those hoping to snag a piece can sign up for product availability notifications starting at 9 a.m. PT on July 9. As with most Stanley collaborations, the collection will be available while supplies last.
A mother bear known as Bear 402 and her cubs are seen on Sept. 26, 2018, below a viewing platform at Brooks Camp in Katmai National Park and Preserve. The Brooks Camp site, at the salmon-rich Brooks River, is a world-famous destination for bear viewing. Bears that arrive at the river’s waterfall area each year include those roaming the habitat used by the Mulchatna caribou herd. (Photo by R. Taylor/National Park Service)
With the Board of Game’s consent, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game is again killing large numbers of bears and wolves, most of them brown bears, this time to grow the Mulchatna Caribou Herd so its members can again be hunted by people living in the area. Or so the argument goes.
While combing through some writings of mine from years ago, I recently came across a piece I’d written for the Anchorage Daily News in 2006, when Frank Murkowski was governor and the state was once again expanding its predator-control efforts. In the commentary’s headline, I posed the question: “Where’s the outrage?”
Though angered and discouraged by the state’s intensifying campaign to kill wolves and bears, I was equally disheartened by the public’s apparent apathy. Most people didn’t seem to care, or weren’t paying attention. Or they’d grown numb to the carnage. Or they too readily accepted the state’s claims at face value.
Two decades and many predator-kill programs later, it seems not much has changed. In some ways, things are worse than ever, particularly in Southwest Alaska.
This state-run slaughter of brown bears—and what else can you call it?—is unprecedented, in multiple ways.
We might begin with the number of dead brown bears, which now exceeds 250 animals gunned down by department staff or hired killers since 2023. Or the fact that this has been the most brutal sort of bear-kill program, the animals terrorized by helicopter gunships before they’re killed; and even moms with cubs, and the cubs themselves, targeted for death. This is so despite abundant evidence that bears are not the problem and their killing not the solution.
I have written about this cruel, immoral slaughter several times, most recently in a commentary headlined “In defense of bears.”
Following its publication, a good friend texted me, “I just read your ADN article. Your scathing comments are remarks that people like me need to hear. Apparently folks go about their daily lives mostly unaware, or only vaguely conscious, of deceptive public commentary and downright evil Alaska policies/actions.
“I do encourage you to write more, but I also wonder if the public is listening or cares about an issue so unconnected to their daily activities. Somehow I feel an ADN article is more of a whisper when a bullhorn is needed. . . .”
His assessment appears all too true. I know many Alaskans who consider themselves progressive and “green” but are too busy or distracted or focused on other issues to care much about the killing of bears and wolves. Sadly, most of my friends fit into that category.
Even more infuriating is that most of the state’s conservation or environmental groups have largely stayed silent, the most notable exception—and too often the only exception—being the Alaska Wildlife Alliance.
Yes, those groups have their reasons, their priorities. But at some point, as we all know, silence becomes complicity.
It is frustrating and, yes, discouraging, to those of us who are passionate wildlife advocates to not only witness regressive and inhumane policies and practices not only continue, but in notable ways worsen, without a public uprising.
I know, I know: many of the people in my circles of friends—and those representing advocacy groups—who pay little or no attention to our state’s “wildlife politics” have their own passionate causes. I also realize I live in a “red” state and that many residents don’t share my views. And that many rural Alaskans, including Alaska’s Indigenous peoples, have different perspectives than mine.
But I also know this: If most Alaskans better understood the deception that underlies much of Alaska’s predator-kill programs, they would oppose what our state’s wildlife managers are perpetrating.
Our state’s system of wildlife management has been broken for far too long. A groundswell of opposition is needed.
There was a time when Alaskans pushed through citizen initiatives to right some of the state’s wrongs. But citizen revolts are most likely when “we the people” can see or read first-hand accounts of what’s happening. I think of the physician-hunter Jack Frost and his “mechanical predation” of wolves in the 1980s, or biologist-activist Gordon Haber’s snared-wolf video in the nineties.
In other words, people are most likely pushed into action by something visceral. And for more than a quarter century, the despicable nature of Alaska’s predator-kill programs has remained largely out of sight, and therefore out of mind.
But that may be changing, thanks largely to the Alaska Wildlife Alliance and increased media coverage of the Mulchatna bear slaughter, particularly by the Daily News. The AWA’s recent images of state-killed bears left to rot on the tundra, accompanying an ADN article, have already made some difference. And now the Daily News has begun a series of articles that takes a much-needed, in-depth look at the state’s Mulchatna bear-kill effort.
I’m hopeful this will make a difference: stir things up, get more Alaskans involved, ignite the start of significant change. Provoke some outrage.
Something else that gives me hope: the looming election.
Under Gov. Mike Dunleavy, our state’s mismanagement of wildlife—particularly the state-run killing of bears and wolves—has been more egregious than any I’ve witnessed in the 40 or so years I’ve covered Alaska’s wildlife politics.
But the push for extreme predator-control programs began long before Dunleavy took office and is intimately connected to our state’s unbalanced system of wildlife management, starting with the so-called “intensive management” law passed in the 1990s. And by the Board of Game.
The last time that seven-member board had any semblance of balance was during Tony Knowles’ term as governor nearly a quarter century ago. Since then, things have gotten progressively worse, as both BOG members and Department of Fish and Game officials have been appointed by Republican governors — and approved by legislators of both major parties — who have emphasized ever-more-extreme “intensive management,” predator-kill strategies to benefit human hunters, the large majority of them urban “sport hunters” and guided non-residents.
Over the years, the BOG and F&G have discovered they can do just about anything they want, without significant public or political backlash. That has emboldened their outrageous behaviors.
It’s long past time to return to more balanced—and yes, more progressive—wildlife management policies and priorities. This is the way Alaskans can have the most immediate impact: elect a governor and legislators who will ensure that ALL of Alaska’s wildlife are managed in a respectful, humane manner. It’s the least that we can do, outraged or not.
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