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France has clinched its spot in the 2026 World Cup semifinals after a comfortable 2-0 victory over Morocco, a game in which Les Bleus proved they were far superior. Despite not scoring or assisting a goal on the day, one player stood out to Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimović: midfielder Michael Olise. France only won 2-0, but the margin could have been much greater based on the balance of play, and that was despite Kylian Mbappé missing a penalty earlier on after a save from Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé scored within six minutes of each other in the second half to give France a much-deserved victory. Despite not registering a goal or assist, Olise still bossed the game as France’s main creative outlet, showing his technical ability and his ability to find teammates with accurate, line-breaking passes. His play earned high praise from FOX Sports analysts Henry and Ibrahimović, who compared him to Tom Brady as Olise put on a display at Boston Stadium. “I want to talk about the pass of Michael Olise,” Henry said. “… As soon as you get the ball, it’s over. We’re here in Foxborough … Tom Brady, that’s one of your loop passes in between. This team is very good.” “He did amazing again,” Ibrahimović said of the Bayern Munich star. “He was the point guard. The Tom Brady of France today. “When you have a player like Olise … don’t think, just run and the ball will arrive – and it will arrive exactly where you want it.” France overpowered Morocco in one of the more one-sided quarterfinal matchups in recent history. France never really looked like getting out of second gear. And from the get-go, Morocco looked second best. “This France team is gonna destroy you, and it feels like they’re not even giving 100%,” Ibrahimović said. “I’m sorry to say, but it feels like that. Imagine if they would push and give 100%, where they suffer and they really push for it and fight for it.” “This is world-class,” he added. “If I talk about [Kylian] Mbappé, world-class players, you give them a little space, they will punish you. That’s the difference between world-class and the average player.” France now awaits the winner of Spain-Belgium in the semifinals. Henry believes this France team will have a difficult test no matter which team it faces, and he hopes there is still another level France can reach even after this overpowering performance. “I hope they’re going to have more gears, because whoever is coming next is going to be a big game,” Henry said. “If you play Belgium, there is a bit of rivalry there. And if you play Spain, you better be ready because they’re the European champions. You know what Spain can do. They got France out of the last Euros in the semifinal. “But yeah, let’s be calm, composed, focused. You did what you had to do today, and (did it) well, by the way. On to the next one. Recover, watch the game and see who you’re going to play. Analyze it with whoever you need to analyze it with and get ready. “It’s going to be, once again, difficult.” France will take on the winner of Belgium-Spain on Tuesday, July 14, at Dallas Stadium (3 p.m. ET on FOX and streaming on FOX One).​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

There’s something you should know about me: I’m a romantic. For better or worse, I am often blamed for idealizing emotion. Someone who thrives for beauty out of the simplest things in life. I also love to root for a narrative to be twisted on its head. It brings joy out of something unexpected. It’s a helpful character trait for a writer, but sometimes, it can be a detriment for a football analyst. And this was my dilemma Thursday as France, once again — like a sea monster destroying everything in its sight — won its World Cup quarterfinal, 2-0, against Morocco with history repeating itself, as this was the same scoreline from 2022 in Qatar when Les Bleus won out against the Atlas Lions in the semifinal stage. Me, the eternal romantic, thought Morocco could actually create the upset and reclaim a spot in the semifinals once again. But my goodness. How silly of me to become so romanticized with the notion that the Northern Africans could even be on the same level as France. In the words of Oscar Wilde: “After the first glass, you see things as you wish they were. … Finally, you see things as they really are, and that is the most horrible thing in the world.” And that’s what happened to Morocco, in a blistering heat in Foxborough, southwest of Boston, as Mohamed Ouahbi melted under pressure and played in a way that really was the opposite of what I believed his team to be. It says a lot when your best player of the day was the wonderful goalkeeper, Yassine Bounou, who stopped a first-half penalty from Kylian Mbappé. Maybe then, you thought, Morocco might stand a chance. But Mbappé, just like this French side, doesn’t ever stop charging. France, in fact, isn’t a team. It is an ocean. And you, Morocco, can only hope not drown in your dinghy. Morocco didn’t register a shot on target until the 82nd minute. It only had five touches in the opponent’s box — France had 25 — and did not register a single big chance. It was lost at sea. What angered me was the strategy because this was not the Morocco I knew from this tournament. I was there at New York/New Jersey Stadium in the first match of the group stage, witnessing the magnificent Ayyoub Bouaddi, only 18, turn Casemiro into a middle-schooler. I saw bravery against the Netherlands and tenacity against Canada. That’s why today it perplexed me. Morocco, quite simply, showed France too much respect. Don’t get me wrong: Didier Deschamps’ team deserves the ultimate respect. But it doesn’t need a red carpet to walk on, which is what happened today. And if you allow France to even have an inch, the 2018 winner, 2022 runner-up and 2026 semifinalist won’t take a mile. It will eat your entire map. Kylian Mbappé continues to marvel at us as he scored his eighth goal of the tournament, leveling Lionel Messi for the Golden Boot race and only one behind the Argentinian in the all-time record of 20. Ousmane Dembélé netted his fifth and Michael Olise has actually transformed himself into somewhat of a modern hybrid version of Zinedine Zidane — a legend who scored but, most importantly, created. So now comes the winner of Spain and Belgium, and to me, in this moment, there is no point in romanticizing anything anymore. Let’s just call it as it is: This is France’s World Cup to lose. And there’s nothing poetic about that statement. These are just the facts.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Before Erling Haaland was making history for Norway in the 2026 World Cup, was he dropping rhymes? Yes, he was. The superstar striker made a remix of a song he rapped in 2016, “Kygo jo,” with DJ and music producer Kygo, who has worked with high-profile groups/artists including Ed Sheeran, Imagine Dragons and Selena Gomez, according to ANI. Haaland originally released the song with then-Bryne teammates Erik Botheim and Erik Tobias in 2016, forming the group “Flow Kingz.” In a post to Instagram on July 8, Haaland captioned audio of the remix, saying “made it moment” and asking if this means he’s “officially an artist now?” As for his work on the pitch, Haaland helped Norway reach the quarterfinal round of the World Cup for the first time in the country’s history. Haaland has been shredding defenses this tournament, scoring seven goals in four games, including three braces (June 16 against Iraq, June 22 against Senegal and July 5 against Brazil); Haaland didn’t play in Norway’s June 26 loss to France. Norway, which advanced through Group I at 2-0-1, went on to defeat the Ivory Coast in the round of 32 (2-1) and Brazil in the round of 16 (2-1). Next up for Haaland and Norway is a quarterfinal round showdown against England on July 11 from Miami Stadium in Miami, Florida.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

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

The World Cup quarterfinals stage is set and kicks off on Thursday with France vs. Morocco. Despite a thrilling road to this point of the tournament, some teams unexpectedly found their way into the bracket of eight remaining teams. The bracket has sneaky good teams and confident squads who are bound to make a run to the final on July 19. So these are my World Cup quarterfinals power rankings. And remember: These are my rankings. If you don’t like them, get your own. Odds are as of Thursday morning. Odds To Win: +3300 Coming in at eight is the team we just saw beat Colombia, and that’s going to be Switzerland. Switzerland is sneaky good, but I don’t think anyone’s going to argue with the Swiss at No. 8. Odds To Win: +3000 Our friends Belgium, who just kicked our ass, come in at No. 7. Odds To Win: +2700 This is a hard one, but I’m putting Morocco at six. Morocco could certainly be high, but I’m going to put it at six. I could’ve probably put Morocco ahead of Spain. Ed. Note: Morocco was sent home after losing to France, 2-0, on Thursday. Odds To Win: +360 This is probably the most controversial one: Spain at No. 5. I think a lot of people would put Spain higher. Odds To Win: +460 This one hurts me the most, especially after that game, where they went down to the Azteca and beat Mexico in a historic win. It’s coming in at 4, and it’s got to feel confident going forward. Odds To Win: +1400 Norway was a lot of people’s “dark horse,” and they have lived up to that and more in the sense that they are not a dark horse anymore. I still think that, even with what Lionel Messi is doing right now, what Erling Haaland is doing is as good, and I could even make arguments that it’s better given the supporting cast. Not a lack of supporting cast, because that’s disrespectful to the rest of the Norway players, but he’s not playing on a team as good as Argentina. Odds To Win: + 400 Speaking of Argentina, they’re still at 2. They have had two games now that, while they have been exciting, that’s two games that they’ve struggled with and had to suffer, which is still surprising that they came out on the winning end. Credit to them. Still, I’m being a little bit generous with Argentina. Argentina has been a little shaky. Odds To Win: +180 Is there really any other choice at this point? Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembélé. I don’t need to say any more than that.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

It’s always a kinship. The England men’s national soccer team posted a video on Thursday morning of superstar striker Harry Kane giving former England striker Peter Crouch, a FOX Sports World Cup analyst who is contributing to coverage of the 2026 World Cup, an English legacy cap. Crouch and Kane enjoyed a warm embrace after the Three Lions’ win over Mexico in the round of 16. Kane had a goal and assist in the 3-2 win. Crouch was on site in Mexico City as part of FOX Sports’ “World Cup NOW” coverage. Crouch appeared in the 2006 and 2010 World Cups for England, while scoring five goals in 2008 Euro qualifying and four goals in 2010 World Cup qualifying; he racked up 42 caps for the club. Outside of playing for England on the world stage, Crouch played 18 seasons in the Premier League: one season with Norwich City, Southampton and Burnley, two one-year stints with Portsmouth, three seasons with Aston Villa, Liverpool and Tottenham and eight seasons with Stoke City. The 6-foot-7 striker holds the Premier League record with 53 career header goals. As for Kane, the Bayern Munich and former Tottenham star has knocked through six goals in the 2026 World Cup, scoring in four of England’s five matches this tournament and pulling off two braces (June 17 vs. Croatia and July 1 vs. DR Congo). Kane and England won Group L after going 2-1-0 in group play, which they followed up by defeating Panama in the round of 32 (2-0) and DR Congo in the round of 16 (2-1). Next, they’ll square up against Norway in the quarterfinal round on July 11 from Miami Stadium in Miami, Florida.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Christian Pulisic has become the target of many critics of the U.S. men’s soccer team following its round of 16 loss to Belgium at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. However, he has a pair of U.S. Soccer icons in his corner, too: Landon Donovan and Tim Howard. Both Donovan and Howard expressed some empathy for Pulisic after some of the criticism he’s received for his underwhelming play during the World Cup and his early departure from its elimination loss. But Donovan also pleaded with Pulisic to make some changes to how he conducts business and treats others off the pitch. “This is an opportunity to help and to change your life forever,” Donovan said on his podcast, “Unfiltered Soccer,” with Howard. “One of the biggest problems — I speak to people who are at U.S. Soccer. I speak to his sponsors. I speak to his teammates. I speak to the staff and the coaches. People are fed up with the way things are handled around him. “And it’s not necessarily him, but it’s his agents, his family, his hangers-on, the people who are influencing. People are fed up with it. They treat people poorly. They do things poorly. It’s always a ‘no’ whenever you wanna ask, ‘Can we do an interview?’ It’s always a, ‘No, you can’t get near him.’ He doesn’t say ‘hi’ to the commentators who do all the games all the time when they walk by. All the other guys come over and shake hands and say, ‘Hello.’ “There’s just this sense about him that you can’t get near him. And I actually don’t think it’s from him. I think it’s from I think it’s from the people around him. They need to stop, and he needs to man up and have a conversation with them and say, ‘Look guys, this is not helping me.’” Donovan said that he went through something similar to what Pulisic is going through now when the USA was eliminated in group play at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, with Donovan being viewed as the face of the team at the time. “I have been in his shoes. … I know the feeling. The feeling is identical,” Donovan said. “I would just say this: It led me to therapy. It led me to take a look at my life and my career honestly for the first time. It allowed me to have massive, important conversations with people I love in my life about all things, not just soccer, and it changed my life forever, in a positive way.” While Pulisic’s 2026 U.S. team went further than Donovan’s 2006 squad, the 27-year-old didn’t do a ton to contribute to the team’s success. He logged zero goals and an assist during the tournament, with a calf injury forcing him to miss parts of all three group matches. He departed Monday’s loss early in the second half due to an ankle injury, with his comment that he has “time to rest” to FOX Sports’ Jenny Taft particularly catching heat on social media. As Pulisic is dealing with some backlash, Howard said that he hopes the USA star isn’t on social media for a bit. But, like Donavan, Howard also suggested that Pulisic change his off-field approach. “Yeah, rubbed some people the wrong way,” Howard said of Pulisic’s post-match remarks. “I don’t envy Christian Pulisic right now. That’s a difficult place to be. I do, though, believe that the sort of perceived nonchalantness is not that he doesn’t care. I think he’s hurting. I think he’s aware. I think that’s his own defense mechanism. All I can is, I think it’s impossible for him to feel the way that he felt — being one of the leaders on that team and being the biggest name and the best player with his ankle hurt and getting crushed going out of a World Cup — I would find it almost impossible for him to give a legitimately nonchalant interview. “So, there’s something else going on there.” This isn’t the first time Donavan has pointed remarks toward Pulisic. He took multiple swipes at the AC Milan star for opting not to play for the USA in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup due to rest. But as Donovan acknowledged that he doesn’t have “a great relationship” with Pulisic, he hopes he’s able to change how he conducts himself off the pitch so he doesn’t alienate himself from the fans. “He has a big challenge ahead,” Donovan said. “I’m looking ahead to the next game, the next U.S. game in this country, what do you think that’s going to look like? Think about that, is he going to get booed when they announce him? Maybe. People are livid. It’s a long, winded way of saying, this can be a good moment in your life. A lot of things need to change, and I actually think it’s not him — it’s the people around him.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Remember the coronation that never quite happened? A few years ago, Kylian Mbappé was the consensus heir. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo would eventually ride off, and the kid from Bondy — a World Cup winner as a teenager, the first teenager to score in a final since Pelé — would inherit the throne. In 2022, he nearly took it by force: a Golden Boot, a hat trick in the final, one of the great individual World Cups ever played. Argentina lifted the trophy anyway, and the narrative moved on without him. Four years later, it’s time to move it back. Mbappé, at 27, is the best player in the world right now, and the 2026 World Cup is making his case game by game. Seven goals in five matches — braces against Senegal and Iraq, another against Sweden, the winner from the spot in a street fight with Paraguay. He became France’s all-time leading scorer along the way, passed Ronaldo and Miroslav Klose on the World Cup scoring charts, and now sits on 19 tournament goals, one behind Messi’s all-time record. Nobody in history has scored more World Cup knockout goals. Nobody has scored more World Cup winners. He leads a France team that looks like the most complete side in the tournament — and he hasn’t even needed to be great every night for Les Bleus to win all five. Yes, Messi is having a magical farewell, and Erling Haaland is dragging Norway into places Norway has never been. But Messi is 39, playing his last dance. Ronaldo just exited his final World Cup in the round of 16. And Haaland, for all his ruthlessness, is a specialist — the greatest penalty-box predator alive, and proudly nothing else. Mbappé is the full package. World-class pace that still breaks defensive lines in a dead sprint. The technical ability to beat a man off either side. He can live on the left touchline or through the middle. And he is a clinical finisher through and through. Strikers usually get one or two of those gifts. He got the whole package. So why did some stop saying it? Blame the noise in Madrid. Real Madrid’s season was a soap opera—no trophies, a manager under siege, and Mbappé cast as one of the villains, jeered inside his own stadium in May. Lost in the drama: he won the Pichichi again. His numbers never dipped, but the love did. Now he’s found it, and it shows. Watch him this summer — laughing through hydration breaks, sprinting to embrace Didier Deschamps after scoring against Sweden days after the coach buried his mother, playing with the joy of a man who spent a year being told he was the problem and is now, indisputably, the solution. The smile is back. So is the terror he inspires. Thursday brings Morocco in Boston, a rematch of the 2022 semifinal, and perhaps Messi waiting at the end — the ghost of Lusail, four years later, in New York. You could not script it better. And here’s the kicker: for all he’s done, Mbappé has never won a Ballon d’Or. Win this World Cup as the star of the show — the record within reach, the Golden Boot in play, the best team in the field — and that conversation ends in about four seconds. In 2022, he did everything except lift the trophy. In 2026, he might do everything, period. The throne’s been sitting empty long enough.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Forty teams are out. Just eight left standing. We have reached the quarterfinal round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and these eight teams are still in contention to win it all. Now, it is not easy to predict how things will play out in the later rounds of the World Cup, and we are surely due from some big surprises. Here is my ranking of the eight teams remaining with a look at why they could win the title and why they might not. Why: Under head coach Rudi Garcia, Belgium is a team that is gaining steam as the tournament progresses after a slow start. The team starts a relatively older starting lineup that has used its wisdom to its advantage. Against the U.S., Belgium was hardly bothered by the opponent’s home-field advantage, the USA’s equalizer in the first half or the controversy with Folarin Balogun’s red-card suspension being reversed. Belgium is a comfortable and smart team right now that is very effective at attacking from out wide and picking up runners in the box. Why Not: At some point, age might start to work against the Red Devils. On top of that, playing Spain in the quarterfinals requires competing in the midfield against Pedri and Rodri. As well as Charles De Ketelaere played against the United States, he is likely not the caliber of forward that could be a difference maker in the later rounds of the World Cup. Why: As we saw in the shootout win over Colombia in the round of 16, Switzerland is one of the most defensively disciplined teams remaining in the tournament. Spain has conceded no goals but also dominates possession. Switzerland does not possess the ball nearly as often, but its defense typically always has answers. Murat Yakin is one of the best coaches remaining in this tournament and has built up a team that is smart, compact, defends well and picks the right moments to attack. Switzerland is clearly a team on the rise. Why Not: Defending against Argentina is another level from what the Swiss have done thus far. But perhaps an even bigger concern is the injury to Johan Manzambi, who has been one of the tournament’s top breakout performers. The 20-year-old versatile attacker did not play against Colombia due to a knee injury he picked up in the team’s final training session. Not having him against Argentina is a huge blow. Why: Four years ago in Qatar, Morocco advanced to the semifinals of the World Cup. Since then, the team has only continued to improve and grow. Both its senior team and youth national teams indicate this team will be good for years to come. Morocco has an elite right side of the field with winger Brahim Díaz playing well and Achraf Hakimi being arguably the best right back in the world. Central midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi is also one of the best teenagers in the world. Morocco should be heavily motivated against France, as the two nations have strong historical ties with six Morocco players being born and raised in France. Why Not: Morocco has a significant injury problem with Ismael Saibari likely out for its game against France. Saibari scored in each of its group stage games and was key to the team’s offense. In a game where Morocco needs all hands on deck, the Atlas Lions will be missing its top forward. Morocco is a great team, but it is still behind France. But now facing Les Bleus shorthanded, Morocco has a huge uphill climb. Why: Norway has arguably the best center forward of his generation in Erling Haaland, who has seven goals in four appearances at this World Cup. He is carrying Norway to its best ever tournament run. But the team’s main supporting cast, in Martin Ødegaard and Antonio Nusa, has also been stellar. Why Not: The biggest concern for this team is its depth. Haaland has at least one goal in every game he has played, and Ødegaard has been key to controlling the midfield. But if either of them has a bad game, are the team’s other options good enough to pick up the slack? Probably not. Why: Harry Kane is living up to expectations at this tournament with six goals. He can carry England to wins at times when it is not playing well (such as the 2-1 win over DR Congo). The best news for England was in the round of 16 win over Mexico when Jude Bellingham was the best he has looked all tournament, by far. The same could be said for Anthony Gordon. If that is the case, England is building up an offense that has multiple strong points of attack. Why not: The team’s defense has been too leaky at times. In the last round, Mexico scored two goals, and England’s goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford, had to bail out his teammates several times. Against DR Congo, England was lucky to have only conceded one. England was also poor defensively against Croatia. When better teams come along, it is a major question whether England’s defense can hold up. Why: Argentina knows how to win and fights extremely hard when up against the wall. The win over Egypt shows just how well it handles adversity. The team also has the greatest player of all time in Lionel Messi who can win games by himself. Why not: There is an age factor. La Albiceleste have kept most of its same players from the 2022 team that won the World Cup. It was hard for Argentina to win in 2022, and the 2026 team is likely not as good. Messi is four years older at 39. Plus, the team is still very reliant on him. The first two knockout rounds were especially taxing on this team, as it took 120 minutes to beat Cape Verde, and the 3-2 win over Egypt required a huge push at the end to mount a comeback. How much is going to be left in the tank? Why: Through five games, it has been impossible to break down Spain’s defense, which has conceded zero goals. Luis de la Fuente’s team is getting solid production out of center forward Mikel Oyarzabal with four goals, but a total of five players have scored for Spain in this tournament (not counting an own goal). That gives Spain a balanced attack with a number of ways to win games. Combined with its tournament-best defense and arguably the best central midfield tandem in Rodri and Pedri, Spain has a lot going for it. Why Not: With a 0-0 draw and two 1-0 wins over Uruguay and Portugal, Spain has walked a fine line at times. Oyarzabal is an excellent forward, but is he able to carry this team in a way Kane, Mbappé and Haaland can? Until Yamal gets going in the way he has for Barcelona, Oyarzabal needs to be that guy. Why: From top to bottom, France had the most talented team in this tournament. What is even better for the French is that its top-three players are all in fantastic form. Kylian Mbappé has seven goals at this tournament. Michael Olise has arguably been the best playmaker at the World Cup. Finally, Ousmane Dembélé, who entered this tournament without a World Cup goal, scored. Now the reigning Ballon d’Or winner has four goals and two assists to open a second point of attack. Then surrounding this team are world-class players at every position. Why not: It will take a Herculean effort to knock off France in any of the three remaining rounds. But it is possible. The toughest job for head coach Didier Deschamps is managing the massive egos within the squad. As French 1998 World Cup winner Frank Lebouef recently said: “I would say that the best enemy of France is France itself. Again, if you don’t find the chemistry, if you have ego issues between the players, they’re not going to win anything. And when we are the favorites, it’s never good with France.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

For landing USA men’s World Cup coach Mauricio Pochettino and his women’s national team counterpart Emma Hayes, the U.S. Soccer Federation’s leadership deserves enduring credit. Both programs were rudderless after respective unprecedented setbacks at the 2024 Copa América and 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Both needed a refresh. In response, USSF president Cindy Parlow Cone and CEO JT Batson lured the best two coaches available against all odds. Former Chelsea manager Emma Hayes was hired to coach the USWNT. Mauricio Pochettino, one of the best-regarded club bosses in Europe following successful stints with Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain, was recruited to lead the men. But while Hayes won the U.S. women their fifth Olympic gold medal in just her 10th match in charge, Pochettino’s once-promising tenure ended in flames on Monday in Seattle, where the Stars and Stripes suffered an incomprehensible 4-1 loss to Belgium that rendered their entire 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign on home soil an abject failure. The U.S. men have never suffered a more lopsided, embarrassing defeat in the knockout stage of any previous World Cup, a disappointment more than 30 million Americans had the misfortune of watching unfold live. The damage it caused to the USMNT’s credibility is incalculable. Yet less than 12 hours later, U.S. Soccer confirmed that it’s still considering bringing Pochettino back for the 2030 World Cup cycle. Yes, you read that correctly. “We have a great deal of respect and gratitude for Mauricio, his staff and everyone part of the program,” the statement read in part, adding that the two camps had agreed to continue discussing a possible extension. “We have shared excitement about our potential and also shared clarity about the amount of work at all levels still required to achieve our ambition.” Since his much-celebrated arrival in September 2024, Pochettino talked up his roots in a place where, per his own words on the eve of Monday’s train wreck, soccer is “more important than religion.”  He said he wanted to mold in his own image a collection of American players that had gotten far too comfortable. “When I was a player with Argentina,” Pochettino said at his introductory news conference in New York City, “Copa América, World Cup or friendly, it was the same: Show that you’re the best, and win the game for your country. “That’s what it means to be competitive,” he added. “We’re going to be focusing on that.” The standard Pochettino holds his players to also applies to him. Had the 54-year-old overseen the sort of capitulation he did on Monday with his national team, at a World Cup hosted in his home country, he would have been fired before leaving the stadium. It would be the same in Brazil or France or Germany or any of the other nations whose success the USA hopes to one day emulate. Pochettino could’ve resigned on the spot, like Portugal’s Roberto Martínez did shortly after losing 1-0 to Spain a few hours before the USA’s debacle against Belgium. Instead, Pochettino blamed his players before pointing the finger at himself. “Maybe the explanation is so easy — it wasn’t our day, in the quality and individual,” he said. “Of course, the principal [person] responsible is myself and, yes, we need to see and to check what we did, because it wasn’t the performance or [the] way that normally we play.” Pochettino is a good coach. The USSF was fortunate to sign someone of his caliber, with experience at the highest level, before the most important moment in its 113-year-history. And until Monday, against mostly inferior foes, everything was great. But when it was all on the line, Pochettino was badly outmaneuvered by his Belgian counterpart, Rudi Garcia. His job was to get the best out of his team in the game he was hired to win. He didn’t come close. Had the U.S. lost in extra time, the way Jürgen Klinsmann and Bob Bradley did at the same stage in 2014 and 2010, maybe a case could be made to give Pochettino an entire four-year cycle. A 4-1 defeat is indefensible. If that Copa América failure cost Gregg Berhalter his job, as it had to, Pochettino shouldn’t survive a collapse many multitudes worse. That’s not to say that Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams and the rest of what was once considered a golden generation of talent shouldn’t shoulder their share of the fallout. And most of the public’s ire has been directed their way. Those players know they’ll never live this down. Squandering the opportunity provided by a home World Cup is a stain that will persist beyond their careers. Every single member of that roster will take it to his grave. For Pochettino, the sting will subside in comparatively short order. He’ll return to the Premier League, or take another national team job four years from now, or four years after that. There might not even be lasting damage to his reputation. The rest of the world will chalk up Monday’s fiasco to the U.S. just not being good enough. But the Americans punched above their weight for decades before Pochettino got here, including a scoreless draw with England four years ago in Qatar. Yet the man billed as a massive upgrade wasn’t able to prevent his team from being humiliated in Seattle by the weakest of the eventual quarterfinalists. Before you say it was just one game, it wasn’t. In Pochettino’s 22 months at the helm, he lost seven of eight matches against European opposition, including a 5-2 drubbing by this same Belgian team in March. The Americans haven’t beaten one elite opponent during his tenure. In a sport where tiny margins decide wins and losses, millions of Americans saw that Pochettino hadn’t adequately prepared his squad for the biggest game in American soccer history. Hiring Pochettino was a coup for U.S. Soccer. Rewarding him with an extension on the heels of such a profound calamity would be an even bigger own goal.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports