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Mbappé and Doué. Bellingham and Kane. A World Cup title isn’t on the line, but two heavyweights are still facing off. France and England will look to end their respective 2026 FIFA World Cup campaigns on high note when they play in the tournament’s third-place game on Saturday at Miami Stadium. Both teams are coming off heartbreaking disappointments in the semifinals but will look to turn the page to build momentum for upcoming UEFA Nations League games and eventually Euro 2028. On Tuesday, France was thoroughly outplayed in a 2-0 loss to Spain, which will take on Argentina in the World Cup final. France’s elite offensive players were never able to get into the game, as Spain had all the answers in its airtight system. The following day, England suffered its own heartbreak when it took a 1-0 lead over Argentina, only to see La Albiceleste rally with two late goals for a 2-1 win. Those defeats now set the stage for Saturday, and here is everything you need to know about the World Cup’s bronze-medal game. How To Watch France vs. England The third-place match has been a long tradition for the World Cup, even though it is typically played in the context of disappointment. There are exceptions, like at the 1994 World Cup when Sweden defeated Bulgaria in a matchup between teams that were thrilled just to have made the semifinals. The same could be said in 2002 when Türkiye defeated South Korea in the best World Cup run for either team. In those games, there was a very positive atmosphere among teams and players. This game, however, will not be like those editions because both France and England held ambitious goals to win this tournament. Winning this game offers little consolation to these squads and their fans. Also, the conditions of the game will be difficult as both teams will be playing in the heat of South Florida on short rest. It remains to be seen what approaches Didier Deschamps and Thomas Tuchel will take. France vs. England: Les Bleus’ Key Storylines For France, there are two key storylines. First, this will be the final France game head coach Didier Deschamps. As a player, Deschamps won the World Cup in 1998 and the European Championships in 2000 for France. As the national team’s manager since 2012, he won the World Cup in 2018, the Nations League in 2020-21, and was the runner-up to the World Cup in 2022. He will now look to cap off his very successful tenure with his 122nd win in charge. The second storyline for France is Kylian Mbappé’s race to become the tournament’s leading scorer and, perhaps, overtake Lionel Messi’s all-time record for most World Cup goals. Mbappé has eight goals in this tournament, which is tied with Messi at the top of the Golden Boot race. On the career mark, Mbappé has 20 World Cup goals compared with 21 for Messi. The third-place game is historically high-scoring and open. It typically makes for a fun game to watch as most teams aggressively attack. For England fans, that will be especially welcome news as Tuchel has faced a wave of criticism for how he became overly defensive against Argentina after taking the lead early in the second half. Any team that tries to get into an open and offensive battle with France is risking a disaster, but England might take that chance without severe consequences. It is not the game either team would prefer to be playing, but it should be fun and offer silver-linings to the winner. France vs. England: Three Lions’ Key Storylines For England, there is more at stake. A win in this game would give the Three Lions their best World Cup finish since winning the tournament in 1966. A win over France would also be one of the team’s best victories in years. In this tournament, England had wins over a solid Croatia side, a strong Norway squad and a Mexico team that is very good at home. A win over France would be an impressive feat, even if it comes in a third-place game. For the Three Lions, there is also a strong eye toward 2028, when they will co-host the European Championships along with Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Playing at home would heavily increase their chances of winning their first Euro title and its major tournament since 1966, when they also hosted the event. A win over France could be the first step in what is an important two years for the program. Tuchel will have to make some important decisions regarding his lineup. England will be playing on short rest having only lost to Argentina on Wednesday. Prior to that game, England had hard-fought and draining wins over Mexico in Mexico City and then in extra time against Norway. It’s likely several typical starters could begin the game on the bench. The last thing Tuchel needs is to risk injury as the players prepare to return to their clubs for preseason. Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon and Declan Rice have worked exceptionally hard recently and might be viewed as talented substitute options. Players To Watch The Manchester City attacking midfielder is full of promise for the French team but played only limited minutes at this World Cup due to playing behind Michael Olise. If Deschamps is going to change things for the third-place game, Cherki would be a good place to begin, as he is likely anxious to make a positive impression and build a case for more minutes in the coming years. The Paris Saint-Germain winger is another testament to the depth of this French team. As one of the most accomplished young players in the world, with two Champions League titles under his belt by the age of 20 (he turned 21 just before the start of this tournament), he is not a regular starter for France. At this tournament, he only started three of France’s first seven games. In those starts, he scored against Norway and assisted against Morocco. He could thrive in this third-place game if it becomes wide open, as is likely. Like Cherki, he is a big part of the team’s future. The Tottenham fullback has played in all of England’s seven games and has made two starts. Defensively, he was strong off the bench in helping preserve the wins over Mexico and Norway in the knockouts. He might be rewarded with a start in this game to try to handle the powerful French attack. In a game that should be offensively heavy, Rogers should have a chance to show what he can do. The Aston Villa attacker assisted on Anthony Gordon’s goal against Argentina and worked well with Jude Bellingham. Rogers typically plays on the outside when Bellingham is on the field but moves centrally when Bellingham is not playing. In this game, he might have the keys to the attack if Bellingham is used as a sub.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

When Argentina and Spain meet in the 2026 World Cup final on Sunday, it will be a true passing of the guard. From one generational superstar to the next. From one Barcelona legend to the club’s current star. From 39-year-old Lionel Messi to 19-year-old Lamine Yamal. Yamal is already a household name, who, at 17, helped Spain win the UEFA Euro 2024. Messi, too, wasted no time piling up a notable list of accomplishments at the start of his career, several of which occurred before Yamal was even born in 2007. Here’s everything Messi did before Yamal was born. FC Barcelona Senior Team Debut: Oct. 16, 2004 Lionel Messi played his first match for the Barcelona senior squad when he came on as a substitute in a 1-0 victory against cross-town rivals Espanyol. UEFA Champions League Debut: Dec. 7, 2004 Lionel Messi made his first appearance in the UEFA Champions League for Barcelona at age 17. He started a group stage match against Shakhtar Donetsk, which Barça lost 2-0. First Goal for Barcelona: May 1, 2005 Messi scored his first goal for Barcelona in a La Liga match against Albacete on May 1, 2005. First LaLiga Title: May 14, 2005 Messi secured his first major professional trophy as Barcelona clinched the 2004–05 La Liga title by a four-point margin over rivals Real Madrid. It was Barcelona’s first league title since 1999. U-20 World Cup And MVP: July 2, 2005 Messi won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in the Netherlands, leading Argentina to the trophy. It would be his first silverware for his country and last for nearly 15 years. Messi won both the Golden Ball (tournament MVP) and Golden Shoe (top scorer with 6 goals). Golden Boy Award Winner: December 2005 Established as Europe’s brightest young talent, Messi was named the Golden Boy for 2005, beating out Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo. First Champions League Title: May 17, 2006 Lionel Messi helped Barcelona win the UEFA Champions League trophy in 2006 when it took down Arsenal 2-1 in the final in Paris. Across the campaign, Messi appeared in six matches, starting four. He scored once, in a group stage match against Panathinaikos, and recorded an assist. Second LaLiga Title: May 19, 2006 Barcelona won back-to-back league titles for the first time since doing it in 1997-98 and 1998-99. Later that summer, Barça secured the Supercopa de España, adding more silverware to Messi’s cabinet. FIFA World Cup Debut: June 16, 2006 Messi appeared in his first World Cup for Argentina at 18 years old. He started the group stage match against the Netherlands, and scored as a substitute against Serbia and Montenegro. He helped Argentina to a 2-1 win against Mexico in the round of 16 on his 19th birthday. Named to the FIFPro World XI: November 2006 At just 19, Messi was voted into the FIFPro World XI by his fellow professional players, solidifying his status as one of the world’s best players. The El Clásico Hat-Trick: March 11, 2007 Messi scored his first professional hat-trick in a thrilling 3-3 draw against Real Madrid at the Camp Nou, single-handedly rescuing a 10-man Barcelona team. The ‘Ankara Messi’ Goal: April 18, 2007 In a Copa del Rey match, Messi scored one of his most iconic solo goals against Getafe. He runs from his own half, beats five defenders and the goalkeeper, drawing instant comparisons to Diego Maradona’s 1986 goal against England. Of course, the call by the broadcaster (who is actually saying “Encara Messi” in Catalan, meaning “Still Messi”) would further cement the goal as canon.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

It’s safe to say that the 2026 World Cup was an excellent platform for young players to shine under the brightest of spotlights. Many of these players laid the foundation to be dominant figures in the international game for years to come. Here are the 10 best players ages 21 and younger from the 2026 World Cup: Age: 18 Position: Central midfielder Club: Lille Ayyoub Bouaddi is one of the key reasons behind Morocco’s rise in international soccer. Born and raised in France, Bouaddi previously represented French youth teams but made the switch to represent Morocco shortly before the World Cup. Bouaddi has already impressed at the club level with Lille since he was 16. One of his career highlights was starting in a win over Real Madrid in the Champions League on his 17th birthday. At the World Cup, he impressed and helped Morocco control the midfield in a 1-1 draw with Brazil. He is likely soon to be transferred to a top club for an enormous sum. For Morocco, he will ensure the Atlas Lions are a top team for years to come. Age: 19 Position: Central defense Club: Barcelona Most fans knew of Cubarsí heading into this tournament after the 19-year-old anchored Barcelona’s backline to the LaLiga title. But this World Cup has put Cubarsí on the brink of becoming a global superstar. Entering the final, Spain conceded just one goal and Cubarsí has been a huge part of that. Despite being a teenager, he might be the best central defender in the world. Age: 19 Position: Winger Club: RB Leipzig After a stellar club season with RB Leipzig where he was named the Bundesliga Rookie of the Season and is now reportedly nearing a move to Paris Saint-Germain, expectations were very high for Diomande heading into this tournament. He did not score and only had one assist in a win over Curaçao. But there were plenty of times his elite dribbling was on display, and it helped to open the game up for his teammates. In particular, he was explosive in the Ivory Coast’s win over Ecuador and was dangerous in the narrow loss to Germany. Age: 21 Position: Winger Club: Paris Saint-Germain Doué is one of the many top young French players to move from the 2024 Olympic team and into the 2026 World Cup team. He has won Ligue 1’s Young Player of the Year twice and has won the UEFA Champions League twice. He has also won the award for the top young player in both the Champions League and the Club World Cup. At this World Cup, he played well in the wins over Senegal, Norway, Paraguay, and Morocco to live up to what is already a remarkable résumé of a player of his age. He scored in France’s win over Norway and then assisted on the opening goal in the win over Morocco. Age: 21 Position: Attacking midfielder Club: Freiburg Aside from the first game, Switzerland was very good in this World Cup. If Johan Manzambi was healthy and able to play against Argentina, it might have been a different tournament entirely. Unfortunately for Switzerland, Manzambi was injured just before the Colombia game in the round of 16 and did not play in the final two games. But what Manzambi showed against Bosnia & Herzegovina, Canada, and Algeria was enough to easily make him one of the top young players of the tournament with three goals and two assists in those three games. Manzambi can play every position in the attack, and he combines elite athleticism with a high level of skill that makes him tough to defend. He is rumored to be joining Newcastle United in the near future. Age: 17 Position: Attacking midfielder Club: Club Tijuana Although it did not advance to the quarterfinals, Mexico enjoyed many positives from this World Cup. It won its group convincingly and then easily defeated Ecuador in the round of 32, and it was not until its dramatic 3-2 loss to England that it finally conceded a goal. But the arrival of Gilberto Mora on the international stage was perhaps the biggest positive for El Tri as Mora was outstanding as he started Mexico’s last three games. He handled the pressure well of starting knockout games at home and at times was leading his team’s attack. Club Tijuana has a very valuable player on their hands. It will be interesting to see Mora’s next steps. Age: 21 Position: Winger Club: RB Leipzig Everything Norway wants to do in the attack revolves around finding ways to get Erling Haaland the ball. That typically happens through the team’s wingers and, fortunately for Norway, Antonio Nusa has developed a solid chemistry with Haaland that will only continue to pay dividends into Euro 2028 and the next World Cup. Nusa was contained in the quarterfinal loss to England, but he was key to the team’s success earlier in the tournament. In the 2-1 win over the Ivory Coast in the round of 32, Nusa scored an important goal. Age: 21 Position: Left back Club: Manchester City O’Reilly started five of England’s games at this World Cup, which were the ones that the Three Lions won. He plays the fullback position in a very modern way, which requires a lot of athleticism to both defend well and push aggressively into the attack. His absence from the starting lineup against Argentina was surprising, but he will be an important part of the team for years to come. As a starter with Manchester City, he has now played well in the World Cup, in the Champions League, and in the Premier League to make him one of the top left backs in the world. Age: 21 Position: Right back, central defender Club: Villarreal Just 18 months ago, Alex Freeman was a second team player with Orlando City in MLS with no national team experience and limited history at U.S. youth national teams. Since then, he became one of the league’s best defenders, earned a transfer to Villarreal, and became a lock starter with the full national team. At this World Cup, Freeman offered head coach Mauricio Pochettino a lot of tactical flexibility with his ability to defend and move into the attack. His elite athleticism was on display at several moments, and he even scored an important goal in the win over Australia. Age: 19 Position: Winger Club: Barcelona As a runner-up to the Ballon d’Or in 2025, Yamal is the most exciting young attacking player in the world. Entering Sunday’s final, Yamal has just one goal in this tournament, but he has been instrumental in opening the game and making Spain’s attack more dangerous. Against France, he drew a penalty and helped in the build-up to the team’s second goal. He fits Luis de la Fuente’s system beautifully. Honorable Mentions Rayan (Brazil) João Neves (Portugal) Lucas Herrington (Australia) Ibrahim Mbaye (Senegal) Mbekezeli Mbokazi (South Africa)​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

In Driver’s Eye with James Hinchcliffe, the six-time INDYCAR winner will bring you inside the mind of a racer while breaking down the nuts and bolts of the sport for fans. After back-to-back road course races, INDYCAR switches gears again this weekend in Nashville, heading to the tricky concrete superspeedway oval just outside the Music City. McLaren dominated the last stretch of road-course races with Christian Lungaard and Pato O’Ward taking a win apiece. But heading back to an oval means all eyes are on one man this weekend: Josef Newgarden. The Team Penske front man has put up an absolute masterclass on ovals since very early in his career. Lately, however, it’s been on another level. Newgarden’s last 11 INDYCAR wins have been on ovals, including his two victories so far this season at Phoenix Raceway and Gateway (a.k.a. World Wide Technology Raceway). His last non-oval victory was at Road America back in 2022 — of course, not counting St. Petersburg 2024 when he was DQ’d after crossing the finish line first on track. In the span of those 11 oval wins, there have been 27 oval races, meaning Newgarden has a win rate higher than 40% on this type of track. That is quite simply astounding in the most competitive era of the sport. His oval prowess was evident from his first days in the series. He had strong showings at the Indianapolis 500 from his rookie season, and he took his first of many wins at Iowa Speedway in the predecessor to the current ECR squad back in 2015. That checkered flag opened the floodgates for Newgarden on ovals. It is interesting — despite them being the same cars week in and week out — how different the skillsets can be for success racing on ovals vs. street courses vs. road courses. Oval racing requires such a unique feel and understanding of the car, what it wants and how to drive it. This was something Newgarden figured out quickly and to devastating effect. On an oval, the speeds are significantly higher, so the inputs are so much smaller. If you’re driving your road car at 10 miles an hour, a big swerve of the steering wheel doesn’t upset things too much. Do that same input at 70 miles an hour, and you’re barrel rolling into a ditch. That same concept applies in INDYCAR. At the speeds we see on ovals, you have to recalibrate your senses to feel the smallest and most subtle feedback markers the car is giving you. You crank up your sensitivity to the feedback from the car and pull way back on the severity of the inputs you respond with. It’s not easy and it’s not natural. It’s a talent that has to be refined. Josef has an uncanny ability to feel what his race car is telling him. Combine that with an astute understanding of what the car needs to be fast, and it makes him almost unstoppable. Another key to success on ovals is trusting the car. Josef is piloting a machine bolted together by some of the best in the business. He and his engineers work tirelessly on perfecting the setup. When he straps in on Sunday, he has limitless trust in the car’s and his team’s capabilities, which gives him the kind of confidence that makes you devastatingly quick. But speed isn’t the only key to oval racing. The race craft — where to put your race car and when, how to set up passes laps in advance, exploring the grip in different and non-conventional lanes — has to be honed, too. And this may be where Newgarden’s true advantage lies. He doesn’t always qualify up front on ovals. But after three-quarters of a race, you can be sure that not only is he up in the fight for the win, but he’s also spent every second up to that point carefully tuning his car to be what he needs it to be to beat you at the end. When a driver has that kind of speed on a certain type of track, beating them there feels so much more satisfying. I was able to out-duel Newgarden at Iowa Speedway — a track he’s won at more than anyone else — back in 2018, and it remains one of the sweetest victories. THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE FAST: NASHVILLE INDYCAR takes on Nashville Superspeedway this weekend, and this is a very different oval compared with others we’ve raced on so far in 2026. Phoenix Raceway and Gateway are short ovals, while Indianapolis Motor Speedway is longer as a 2.5-mile superspeedway. At 1.33 miles, Nashville is unique not only in its length, but also because of its surface. Concrete instead of asphalt means the tires react differently here than they do on other ovals, so setups from one oval track don’t necessarily translate to another seamlessly. That element makes it tough and crucial for the engineers to get on top of how to create the most mechanical grip possible. Dampers, spring packages and suspension geometries will be the name of the game. From there, it’s up to the drivers to figure out where the biggest bumps are — and in Nashville there are plenty — so they know what to avoid when trying to make a pass. You have to work hard in practice to run up on the high line and get comfortable being up there to have any shot at winning on Sunday. That’s where guys like Christian Rasmussen, Santino Ferrucci and Marcus Ericsson usually shine. But don’t count out the other two Penske drivers in Scott McLaughlin and David Malukas — one with short oval wins on his resume and the other with that first INDYCAR win in his sights. Or maybe the McLaren train will keep chugging down the tracks. In the two years since we moved this race from the streets of downtown to the superspeedway outside the city, O’Ward has led more laps than anyone, and he was leading comfortably last year before a blown tire took him out of contention and paved the way for, you guessed it, Newgarden to steal a popular hometown win. Some drivers prefer ovals, some road courses, some the streets. Yes, results play a part in that, but so does the feeling you get when driving them. I loved racing in INDYCAR specifically because there were all these different types of tracks to race on, and they all challenge, reward and punish you in different ways. While some drivers will be rubbing their hands together salivating because we’re back on an oval, and others will be wishing the road course streak was continuing, I always felt that whatever type of track I was driving into on a Thursday was, well, my favorite type of track! And that is one of many reasons I love INDYCAR racing! MORE DRIVER’S EYE:​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The All-Star break is over, and with it, the excuses. Teams have roughly two weeks before the Aug. 3 trade deadline to decide whether they’re buying, selling or holding. Surprise contenders have to figure out if their first-half magic was real, bubble teams have to decide which direction to turn and teams in the cellar need to have honest conversations about the future of their franchise. The possibility of reigning American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal becoming available could shape the entire deadline. Plus, all the division races outside the NL West remain separated by only a handful of games. The AL MVP and Cy Young races are getting spicy, and the defending champions are dealing with uncertainty surrounding Shohei Ohtani’s health. There’s plenty to watch for as the second half of the season gets underway. Here are 10 questions to consider as we approach the stretch run. Rowan Kavner: The Dodgers announced last Friday that Shohei Ohtani would not be making his scheduled pitching start that night due to continued irritation in his left knee and would also miss the All-Star Game. A few hours later, he homered. On that Friday, manager Dave Roberts also announced that Ohtani would be getting his knee drained a couple of days after the team’s final game of the first half. Of course, he homered in that Sunday game as well. Ohtani said his aching knee bothers him more when he pitches than when he hits, which seems clear after he launched four home runs in his final six games before the break. On the mound, meanwhile, his 0.74 ERA after his first 10 starts is up to 1.79 on the season after he allowed 14 runs (12 earned) over his last four starts. The Dodgers are hopeful that the minor knee procedure will have their two-way star feeling better for the stretch run both at the plate and on the mound, but it’s obviously something to monitor. As a hitter, Ohtani ranks third in the National League in OPS. As a pitcher, he ranks second in the NL in ERA among pitchers who’ve thrown at least 75 innings. He is cruising toward winning his fifth MVP Award — as long as he stays healthy. Keeping Ohtani upright has to be the Dodgers’ top priority as they look to three-peat. Deesha Thosar: The answer to that question depends on whether Detroit believes it’s a contender, not a pretender. The Tigers (44-52) enter the second half 3.5 games behind the final AL wild-card spot, with six teams in front of them. Since there’s so much parity in the AL, it’s not a stretch for the Tigers to convince themselves that they could make a push for the wild card. But, even if they do, does this team have legitimate hope beyond an early elimination? Detroit would be passing on an enormous prospect haul for Skubal, who is unlikely to re-sign with the Tigers in free agency this winter, just for a wild card or ALDS exit. Even though the Tigers have surged since June, Skubal holds way too much value for the Tigers to mess this one up. Skubal has repeatedly said he wants to stay in Detroit and believes the team is better than how it performed through the majority of the first half. But, whether he wants it or not, contenders will be clamoring for a potential Skubal trade, making this one of the biggest storylines of the deadline. Kavner: If the season ended today, there’s no question who would win the National League Cy Young Award. The Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski just wrapped up one of the all-time most overpowering first halves of an MLB season. He leads all qualified pitchers in ERA, strikeouts, WHIP and opponents’ batting average, and no one is even within striking distance. Misiorowski is the only qualified starter with an ERA under 2.00 … and it’s 1.62. He’s holding opponents to a .148 batting average, more than 40 points lower than the next closest qualified NL starter (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, .190). The Miz’s 167 strikeouts are also 23 more than Cristopher Sánchez, who ranks second in the NL in the category. If Misiorowski keeps this pace, he’ll finish the year with the second-highest strikeout rate over the course of a full season in MLB history (not including the shortened 2020 season). The question, of course, is if he can hold up. The 24-year-old has already thrown 111 innings, his most in any professional season, and the Brewers skipped his final start of the first half due to arm fatigue. It sounds like he’ll be ready to go out of the break, but his health will be crucial for the Brewers’ chances as they try to make a World Series run. Thosar: David Stearns fielded questions about the Mets being sellers all the way back in May, though the president of baseball operations wasn’t yet ready to admit that the team he rebuilt in the offseason was a dud. He figured there was plenty of time for the club to turn it around. Now, just over two weeks out from the trade deadline, New York’s position is explicitly clear. The Mets (40-57) are 16 games behind the first-place Braves in the NL East, and 12 games out of the last NL wild-card spot, with everyone except the Rockies in front of them. The best they can hope for in the second half is showing some form of promise for 2027, and that starts with how Stearns handles his trade chips. Pitchers Freddy Peralta, Brooks Raley and A.J. Minter and outfielder Tyrone Taylor are free agents after this season, and we can throw 33-year-old starter Clay Holmes into that group because he has a $12 million player option that he’s expected to decline. Beyond that, players under team control for at least another year include Luke Weaver and Huascar Brazoban, and both relievers have been excellent this season. Those hoping the Mets will deal a bat or two from their underperforming lineup, keep dreaming. No one on the offense is in a walk year, and since the front office is just trying to acquire as many top prospects as possible this deadline, dangling bats like Mark Vientos and Brett Baty is not a recipe for a solid return. All eyes will be on Stearns as he navigates a second consecutive nightmare Mets season. Kavner: Entering the break, there were only three American League teams and four National League teams more than four games out of a playoff spot. The lack of obvious sellers — and the lack of premier rentals on those obvious sellers — could make this a rather dull deadline when it comes to star power switching hands. Then again, who knows? With more than two weeks before the deadline, a lot can change. Luis Arraez, a rental in San Francisco, seems like an obvious candidate to be dealt. Will the Giants go further than that and move any of their long-term deals (Matt Chapman, Rafael Devers, Willy Adames, Jung Hoo Lee)? And what about the Angels? Will new interim general manager John Mozeliak convince owner Arte Moreno that it’s time to blow this thing up? Starters José Soriano and Reid Detmers, outfielder Jo Adell or shortstop Zach Neto — all of whom are under team control beyond this season — could command the type of prospect haul that could give their farm system a needed overhaul. Or does one of these teams on the bubble decide now is the time to take advantage of a seller’s market? The Nationals are four games back of a playoff spot now. The Red Sox, Twins and Tigers are all trending in the right direction, but they’re still under .500. All of them have pieces that could turn a contender into a champion. And you never know what Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller has up his sleeve. Thosar: It’s clear the Yankees no longer stubbornly believe in shortstop Anthony Volpe as much as they used to. In May, they demoted him to Triple-A, choosing to stick with the standout performance of Jose Caballero at shortstop at the time. Volpe soon returned when Caballero was sidelined by injury, but now that Caballero is back and healthy, Volpe has seen his playing time decrease dramatically of late. To close out the first half, Volpe started in just one of four games in an important series against the Tampa Bay Rays, who lead the AL East. Then he started in just one of three games against the Washington Nationals. For the fourth consecutive season, Volpe is sporting an OPS+ in the 80s. His performance at the plate has been below league average long enough, and the Yankees might just be signaling that they’re ready to move on. It will be fascinating to see how they solve their shortstop problem, because it’s not like Caballero has been much better (94 OPS+) at the plate. Beyond outside additions, the Yankees could promote their No. 1 prospect, George Lombard Jr., who’s on his way back from injury. Just before the break, Yankees GM Brian Cashman said Lombard “might be a choice at some point.” Kavner: The Red Sox have been missing their best pitcher (Garrett Crochet) and hitter (Roman Anthony) for most of the season. Yankees superstar Aaron Judge has been out since the start of June with a stress fracture in his rib, and Braves starter Max Fried has been out even longer with an elbow bone bruise. The Dodgers have jumped out to their hot start despite getting just one start from Blake Snell, seven starts from Tyler Glasnow and seven appearances from Edwin Díaz. They’ve also been without catcher Will Smith since early June. The list of injured standouts expected back sometime in the second half goes on and on: Jose Ramírez (Guardians); Ronald Acuña Jr., Spencer Strider and Robert Suarez (Braves); Corey Seager (Rangers); Byron Buxton (Twins); Nick Kurtz (A’s); Corbin Burnes (Diamondbacks); Nick Pivetta (Padres); Kyle Harrison (Brewers); and basically the Cubs’ whole rotation. The return of some of these star talents could make all the difference in playoff races and postseason runs. Thosar: With the Yankees’ reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge sidelined indefinitely by a rib injury, the race is wide open in the second half. Top contenders for the award include Yordan Alvarez, Ben Rice, and Junior Caminero. Alvarez enters the second half leading the majors in on-base percentage (.426), slugging (.633), and OPS (1.059). The Astros slugger leads the AL in hits (111), home runs (31) and RBIs (70). That’s impressive, but it’s not like he’s running away with it. Rice is right behind Alvarez with 29 home runs, and he’s been one of the main reasons the Yankees’ offense has remained competitive without Judge. Caminero was hit on his left hand by a pitch in the All-Star Game, and X-rays came back negative, but how he bounces back will greatly dictate the race. Caminero, who went on an incredible streak of 11 home runs in 11 games, enters the second half with the third-best OPS (.927) in the AL, behind Alvarez and Rice. Kavner: What’s the bigger surprise, that the Phillies — after a 9-19 start — are already just two games back of the first-place Braves? Or that the Marlins are nipping at both of their heels? As recently as May 22, the Braves held a double-digit lead in the NL East after storming out of the gates in a turnaround season. On June 9, they were still up nine games in the division. One month later, this is suddenly one of the most interesting division battles in baseball — and not only because of the Phillies’ surge. The Marlins have the best record in baseball since the start of June at 26-11. The Phillies are 24-14 over that stretch and 45-24 since interim manager Don Mattingly took over. The Braves, meanwhile, are 15-20 since the start of June and have opened the door for their division foes. As it stands, the Dodgers and Brewers are the only teams leading their respective divisions by more than three games. There will be plenty of interesting battles down the stretch. Thosar: Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras is having a career year at the plate, and he’s a major reason Boston has turned around its ugly start to the season. His .921 OPS is ranked fourth in the AL, and he’s been a stabilizing force in the Red Sox lineup amid a tough personal year due to the Venezuela earthquakes back in his hometown. Throughout it all, the Red Sox have moved up the standings, going from dead in the water at 32-46 to a 14-2 stretch that included a nine-game winning streak, to entering the break just a half-game out of the final AL wild-card spot. While Boston’s turnaround is real in the standings, the jury is still out on whether it’s sustainable. Starter Sonny Gray (2.54 ERA) and closer Aroldis Chapman (2.20 ERA) have anchored their successful run, but the Red Sox are still hitting the fewest home runs in baseball this season. And the AL has only five teams above .500, so small gains can look bigger than they are. Whether the front office commits to buying instead of selling Gray and Chapman in the next couple of weeks will be the real verdict on whether this is a genuine turnaround or a well-timed hot streak.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

In 2007, a 20-year-old Lionel Messi posed for a Barcelona charity calendar, gently bathing a baby in a plastic tub. The baby’s family had won a UNICEF raffle. Nobody thought about the photo again for 17 years. The baby was Lamine Yamal. You could write fiction for a decade and never come up with that. On Sunday at the World Cup final in New Jersey, the greatest player of all time faces the teenager many believe will inherit the title, and there’s photographic evidence that Messi literally held him first. Both came through La Masia. Both wore No. 19 at Barcelona before switching to the 10. The soccer gods stopped being subtle a long time ago. Somehow, the two teams are just as compelling as the two stars. Start with the history, because there’s barely any. Spain and Argentina have met once at a World Cup, a 1966 group-stage game that Argentina won 2-1 behind a Luis Artime brace. They’ve never met in a knockout match. The all-time series is deadlocked at six wins apiece. This year’s Finalissima was supposed to settle things in March before it was called off, so instead the reigning European and South American champions will meet for the first time in World Cup final history, with the biggest trophy in sports on the table. Fine. That works too. The paths could not look more different. Spain dismantled France 2-0, making the tournament’s most feared attack look ordinary. This is the best possession team in the world, and more importantly, the team with the clearest identity in the sport. In an era where so many teams press and build up the same way, Spain still looks unmistakably like Spain. That’s worth something in a one-off final. And the names driving it aren’t the ones anyone predicted. Yamal has one goal all tournament, scored back on matchday two, which would have sounded like a crisis in May and instead describes a finalist. Mikel Oyarzabal leads the team in scoring and buried the penalty that broke France. Rodri looked like the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner again, conducting business in the midfield. Behind him, the wall: Pau Cubarsí and Aymeric Laporte have conceded once in seven matches, Unai Simón set a World Cup clean sheet record, and the fullbacks have been a cheat code on either end. Marc Cucurella erased Kylian Mbappé for 90 minutes, while Pedro Porro scored the nail in the coffin. Argentina, meanwhile, has stumbled through the knockouts like a heavyweight who keeps getting up: 3-2 over Cape Verde, 3-2 over Egypt, 3-1 over Switzerland in extra time, and now 2-1 over England after trailing in the 85th minute. No team had ever scored multiple stoppage-time winners in a single World Cup. Argentina now has. At some point, “lucky” stops being the word and “inevitable” takes over. The Albiceleste’s engine is a 39-year-old. Messi assisted both goals against England, has scored eight times in the tournament, and keeps rewriting the record books weekly. His legs have aged. His brain hasn’t. And Argentina showed England exactly what Spain should expect. The first 30 minutes in Atlanta were a street fight: eight fouls and zero shots on target by the first hydration break, bodies down everywhere, and rhythm nowhere to be found. Thomas Tuchel’s England took a 55th-minute lead through Anthony Gordon and then sat on it, inviting wave after wave until the dam broke. Enzo Fernández bent one in from distance. Lautaro Martínez headed the winner in stoppage time off a fantastic right-footed Messi cross. Tuchel has been torched for his second half tactics, and deservedly so, but here’s the warning for Sunday: Argentina will try to drag Spain into that same alley. That’s the whole final, really. Spain wants a game of order. Argentina wants a game of chaos. One team has conceded a single goal. The other refuses to die. And in the middle of it all, a man and the baby he once bathed, meeting again with the world watching.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

ATLANTA STADIUM — The body wasn’t even cold when the inquest began. How could England lose after leading Argentina with just minutes to play in Wednesday’s World Cup semifinal? Why did Thomas Tuchel’s team stop attacking the moment Anthony Gordon put the Three Lions ahead with 35 minutes of regular time remaining? What kind of mental block keeps preventing England from winning a major international trophy, a streak that will now extend to at least 62 years? There is a simple answer to all of these questions: England just isn’t good enough. The country that invented soccer is good at it, sure. Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane are legit superstars, guys capable of starting for any team on the planet. But compared to elite national teams like France, Spain and, of course, the Lionel Messi-led Albiceleste — which will face the Spaniards in Sunday’s World Cup final in a battle between FIFA’s two top-ranked men’s squads — England’s team overall is a second-class citizen on a global level and has been for at least half a century. The record of futility isn’t some fluke. Blame Tuchel for this particular failure all you want. The English media have been calling for the German’s head since the final whistle sounded on yet another disappointing World Cup exit for the Three Lions, slamming what they viewed as his overly defensive second half tactics. It’s almost as if they have forgotten that their opponent on the other side of the ball was the reigning world champion, boasting the best player ever, and that Argentina has done more winning in the past four years alone than England has in its entire history. Far better teams than England have been unable to stop Messi from imposing his will on the outcome over the last two decades. It’s not like England didn’t want to score again. “When we went ahead, the messaging was to go again and get another goal,” a devastated Kane said before leaving the field on Wednesday. For the life of them, they just couldn’t do it. Because it’s impossible to score when you can’t keep possession of the ball. And that’s what still separates England from the game’s true elites. For all of England’s fight and physicality and pedigree, the three other semifinalists at this World Cup are all just far superior technically with the ball at their feet. Say what you want about Tuchel’s choice of substitutions, but it’s not like he had someone on his bench with the Velcro touch of someone like La Roja’s Rodri, who is damn near impossible to dispossess without fouling. Tiny margins determine winners and losers at this stage of any major competition. When Spain took the lead over France in Tuesday’s other semifinal, that match was effectively over. Including stoppage time, Les Bleus were behind on the scoreboard for more than 70 minutes of that contest, and yet, Spain still had the ball for the majority of the time. England, in contrast, had just 36 percent of possession against Argentina in a game that was deadlocked for more than an hour. Meantime, La Albiceleste passed the ball around with ease even inside their own box, using keeper Emiliano Martínez as an outlet even when the English were pressing with abandon. “In the culture, basically, of the Argentinian team — of South American teams — ball possession plays a crucial role,” Tuchel said during Wednesday’s post-game press conference. “Ball possession, taught from a young age. It’s in their DNA, and it demands a lot of natural self-confidence to always want the ball, to always be in the gaps, to always define yourself through the ball possession.” “That’s then a crucial thing,” he continued, “to show the courage to take the ball away from these teams in the crucial moments when you’re under pressure. You need to get every little decision right. You need to get the angle, the body positions right. You need to get your decision-making right in little two-against-ones, three-against-twos, to really overcome the first line of pressure, to not be intimidated, to not be physically bullied. Because Argentina has in their culture this mix between being very physical and also strong on the ball.” England only has the first part of that formula. Unless or until its culture catches up, the World Cup or European Championship trophy is never, ever “coming home.” Soccer, at its core, rewards the team that takes better care of the rock. That’s how a tiny country like Croatia, with a population of fewer than four million people — about the size of greater Minneapolis — has reached as many World Cup semifinals since gaining its independence in 1991 as England, with almost 60 million inhabitants, has over the same period. It’s why England was unable to beat Belgium, a nation four times smaller, in the third-place game in 2018. It’s why the Three Lions will be the clear underdog against France on Saturday in Miami in this World Cup’s bronze-medal match. Player for player, man for man, England still lags behind the very best when it comes to the most basic skill there is. And until it admits that, things will never change. In the lead up to the 2022 World Cup, I nearly fell out of my chair when an English journalist I won’t name wrote that “England’s young players are the envy of the world,” as if France and Spain aren’t producing higher-quality talent on an industrial scale every year. Maybe the whole country needs to get out more. Because while the import-dominated Premier League is the best domestic circuit by a landslide, while the place the sport occupies in mainstream culture in Britain is second to none, while the Three Lions are good — maybe even very good — they’ve consistently proven an inability to hold a candle to any of the perennial title contenders. And that’s why England is going home without the trophy once again.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The World Cup semifinal between England and Argentina on Wednesday proved to be an all-timer that featured tons of tough physical play. And it also produced what surely will be one of the most iconic images in the tournament’s history. With England up a goal against Argentina thanks to Anthony Gordon’s 55th-minute goal, Lionel Messi and Jude Bellingham then traded words after a stoppage in play due to a foul. As Bellingham walked away smirking, the Argentina icon shrugged off the England star and went to work on rallying his team to victory. Enzo Fernández then leveled up the score at 1-all for Argentina in the 85th minute, knocking through a score off an assist from Messi, who then assisted on the eventual game-winning goal from Lautaro Martínez in the second minute of stoppage time. After the final whistle, several England players got in the faces of a handful of Argentina players, a scene that included Bellingham slapping Argentina midfielder Valentín Barco in the back of the head. But the scuffle and the background noise didn’t stop the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner from taking in the moment as his teammates lifted their talismanic captain into the air and sang along with the supporters in the stands. After the match, Bellingham explained what caused the exchange with Messi. “We were discussing a foul actually,” Bellingham later said. “It was nothing bad. I’m sure everyone will do their thing and make it a big deal [out of it]. But it was nothing big really. “I thought there was a foul earlier and he said: ‘What about the one on me?’ I said: ‘You’re strong enough to take it.’ You know what I mean? After a first half with 19 combined fouls (Argentina had 12, while England had seven), England drew first blood when Gordon found the back of the net in the 55th minute before Argentina’s late rally. Concurrently, both Messi and Bellingham have been among the standout performers of the tournament. “It was a privilege to play against him, it was nothing like that against him. I’m obviously on the losing side which hurts a lot. But a privilege to line up against one of the best,” Bellingham said. Messi has totaled eight goals — which is tied with France superstar striker Kylian Mbappé for the most in the tournament — and four assists, highlighted by a hat trick against Algeria and a brace against Austria (both feats came in the group stage). Meanwhile, Bellingham has scored six goals, highlighted by braces against Mexico in the round of 16 and Norway in the quarterfinals. Argentina’s quest to repeat as World Cup champions comes to a head on Sunday afternoon when it plays Spain in the 2026 World Cup Final (3 p.m. ET on FOX and FOX One). Meanwhile, England will play France in the third-place match on Saturday afternoon (5 p.m. ET on FOX and FOX One).​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Before the season began, many expected reigning Cy Young Award winners Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes and reigning MVPs Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani to defend their crowns as the top players in their respective leagues. A few months later, a lot has changed, and a path has opened for some new contenders. Tigers ace Skubal missed more than a month of action (but returned remarkably quickly) after undergoing an innovative elbow procedure. Skenes was one of Pittsburgh’s two All-Star representatives, but he entered the break with a 3.57 ERA. Yankees superstar Judge hasn’t played in more than a month after suffering a stress fracture in his rib. And Ohtani … well, sorry to the other National League MVP hopefuls, but he’s still Shohei Ohtani. Ahead of the second half, here are my midseason picks for the major awards. NL MVP As long as Ohtani holds up physically, you can lock this in now. Despite dealing with knee and biceps issues this year, Ohtani is cruising toward his fifth MVP award and third straight since joining the Dodgers. At the plate, he has the fifth-highest OPS in Major League Baseball. On the mound, he has the second-lowest ERA among all pitchers who have thrown at least 50 innings. Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong is providing value all over the field and Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber leads MLB in home runs, but there’s just not much anyone can do when one player is both one of the best hitters and one of the best pitchers in the sport. In the mix: Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs; James Wood, Nationals; Kyle Schwarber, Phillies AL MVP The MVP door is open in the American League with Aaron Judge injured, and Alvarez is seizing his opportunity. The Astros slugger leads all qualified MLB players in on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS and has a chance to win the Triple Crown. Alvarez leads the AL in home runs and RBIs and is just four points behind Rays All-Star Yandy Díaz in batting average. In the mix: Bobby Witt Jr., Royals; Junior Caminero, Rays; Ben Rice, Yankees NL Cy Young Award Like the MVP race above, as long as “The Miz” holds up physically, this is his award to win. He leads all qualified MLB pitchers in ERA, strikeouts, WHIP and opponents’ batting average by a commanding number. In fact, no qualified starter has ever held opponents to a lower batting average than what Misiorowski is doing now (.148). Not including the shortened 2020 season, the only qualified starter in MLB history with a strikeout rate as high as Misiorowski’s over the course of a full season is Gerrit Cole in 2019. In the mix: Cristopher Sánchez, Phillies; Zack Wheeler, Phillies; Chris Sale, Braves; Chase Burns, Reds AL Cy Young Award This is the closest battle in the American League. Blue Jays ace Dylan Cease has the most strikeouts and highest strikeout rate in the American League, and if by season’s end he starts to close the gap on Schlittler in innings pitched, then this conversation will be different. But Schlittler sports an ERA that’s a half-run better — his 2.05 ERA and 0.94 WHIP are both the best marks among all qualified AL starters — and the 25-year-old has done it while making three more starts than Cease. In the mix: Dylan Cease, Blue Jays; Joe Ryan, Twins; Parker Messick, Guardians NL Rookie of the Year Finally, we get to a closer race. Reds All-Star Sal Stewart, who has two more hits than Wetherholt and leads all qualified rookies in RBIs, has started to close the gap. Also keep an eye on Colorado’s TJ Rumfield, who leads all NL rookies in hits and OPS. But the overall value Wetherholt is providing — he leads all NL rookies in WAR by a significant margin, in large part due to his exceptional defense — still has him ahead of the field. In the mix: Sal Stewart, Reds; TJ Rumfield, Rockies; Foster Griffin, Nationals AL Rookie of the Year Through his first 93 big-league games, McGonigle has more walks than strikeouts. That is a remarkable feat for any player, let alone a 21-year-old in his first big-league season. Royals superstar Bobby Witt Jr. is the only American League player worth more bWAR than McGonigle, who has the fifth-highest on-base percentage in the AL. If White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami comes back swinging the way he was prior to his hamstring strain, that could at least make this race a little more interesting. In the mix: Munetaka Murakami, White Sox; Parker Messick, Guardians; Kazuma Okamoto, Blue Jays NL Reliever of the Year Miller has struck out nearly half of the batters he has faced, is a perfect 25-for-25 in save chances, and still hasn’t allowed an extra-base hit this season. He’s one of just six relievers all time with a strikeout rate over 48% in at least 30 innings of work, and he has the lowest ERA of that crop (0.91). Don’t be surprised when he gets Cy Young votes. In the mix: Jhoan Duran, Phillies; Raisel Iglesias, Braves; Dylan Lee, Braves AL Reliever of the Year When Jeff Hoffman stumbled out of the gates this year in Toronto, Varland ended the ninth-inning uncertainty. Varland, a 15th-round pick by the Twins in 2019 who was named an All-Star for the first time this season, is a perfect 19-for-19 in save opportunities. He has a 1.10 ERA — the lowest mark of any AL closer — and has the highest strikeout rate among all qualified AL relievers. In the mix: Cade Smith, Guardians; Bryan Baker, Rays; Jacob Latz, Rangers NL Manager of the Year The Phillies were 9-19, tied for the worst record in MLB and already 10.5 games back in the NL East, when Don Mattingly took over for Rob Thomson on April 28. They’re 45-24 under Mattingly and are now just two games back of the first-place Braves at the break. Of course, if the Marlins do the unthinkable — they’re only four games back of first place — this award belongs to Miami manager Clayton McCullough. In the mix: Clayton McCullough, Marlins; Walt Weiss, Braves; Oli Marmol, Cardinals AL Manager of the Year What a time on the South Side of Chicago. Just a year ago, the White Sox lost 102 games. Now, they enter the second half in first place in the AL Central, they have the second-best run differential in the American League, and the vibes couldn’t be better for this franchise on the rise. In the mix: Kevin Cash, Rays; Skip Schumaker, Rangers; Stephen Vogt, Guardians​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

ATLANTA STADIUM — Watching Argentina’s coach speak the day before his team produced one of the most epic semifinal comebacks in World Cup history, it was impossible not to think that Lionel Scaloni was trying to soften the potential blow for the soccer-crazy nation’s almost 47 million citizens. La Albiceleste has been so successful under the unassuming 48-year-old — winning a World Cup and two Copa América crowns in the last five years — that the prospect of losing has become almost incomprehensible to most fans. Maybe even to Argentina’s players, who never seem to know when they’re beaten. Scaloni, the thinking went, had to be the realist among the dreamers. And then, midway through the press conference that followed Wednesday’s win — a victory that will see Argentina face Spain in Sunday’s World Cup final just outside New York City — he revealed that he and his staff had begun scouting La Roja before actually advancing to the championship match. “We’ve analyzed the game a little bit,” Scaloni said of Spain’s 2-0 win over France in the other semi, which was played in Dallas on Tuesday. “It’s a great team. I would say they deserved to win that semifinal. They played very well. They beat a team that I thought was very difficult to beat, and they beat them squarely. “We also saw them at that point as a potential rival,” he continued. “And now we’ve analyzed them a bit more.” It was a low-key astonishing admission. Every half-decent coach, in any sport at any level, implores their players never to look ahead as a matter of course. Control what you can. Focus on only the task in front of you, or risk getting sidetracked. Yet there was Scaloni, already preparing for a title bout that might never come. It’s as if he knew, having watched his players grind their way to victory at every turn since being hired to lead his country in 2018 — not least in the 2022 World Cup final, when they squandered two leads against a more talented Les Bleus squad and yet still found a way to prevail — that such prep work was necessary. “I think that this team plays the best when we are facing a difficult situation with adversity,” Scaloni said after defeating England, which led 1-0 with just five minutes of the regular 90 remaining. “We had a challenging game, a challenging situation. We smelled blood in the water, and we went for it.” Now comes the ultimate test. It’s a special match for Scaloni and many of his players. Lionel Messi is a Spanish citizen who moved to Barcelona as a child to follow his dreams of becoming an elite professional. Although Messi left Europe for South Florida three years ago to join Inter Miami of MLS, he remains immensely popular everywhere in Spain with the possible exception of Madrid, the home of Barça’s chief rival. “Not all Spaniards love him, but the majority do,” Scaloni said of Messi. “He’s very special for them as well, [as] the best player in history.” Seven of the 26 men on Argentina’s roster play for Spanish clubs. Scaloni himself lives in Mallorca with his Spanish wife and children; he once played for the La Liga club there and represented Deportivo La Coruña and Racing de Santander, too. He’s become friends with La Roja coach Luis de la Fuente. “Everybody knows that I’m in Spain, have a Spanish family, and on Sunday — though I’m very, very sorry — I’m going to try to beat Mr. De la Fuente,” he said. After Wednesday, how can anyone not like Argentina’s chances of becoming the first repeat World Cup champ since Brazil in 1962? Nobody is more sure of his team than its coach. “We’re going to win the final,” Scaloni said, before seeming to catch himself. “We’re going try to win the final,” he clarified. “I know how special this team is,” he added. “We’ve got to prepare for the game, but everybody has to celebrate as well. There are very few moments that we have where we can just be truly joyful. Tomorrow, we have to think about what’s next.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports