Kylian Mbappe's two goals in France's 6-4 defeat by England in the third-place play-off moved him two goals clear of Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race. Messi still has one match left to respond. Jude Bellingham's goal against France moved him into third place in the standings on seven goals.
Gianni Infantino flew to New York on Saturday for the third-place game in New York. He had to take a Qatari jet because he couldn't get away from New York, so he flew to East Rutherford 24 hours before kick-off. FIFA is selling a piece of the final pitch in the FIFA Store for 390 euros.
The World Cup has underscored the fact that the global style of football is largely shaped by a Spanish-dominated Europe. Spain has won three of the past five European Championships and is the most successful country in European club competitions this century. Spain’s head coach, Luis de la Fuente, has internalised the guiding philosophy of Johan Cruyff, Pep Guardiola and Unai Emery. England's squad benefits from the Premier League, which is highly international.
England beat France 6-4 to take third place in the World Cup in Miami on Saturday. It was the highest-scoring World Cup game since 1982. Kylian Mbappe scored twice for France and is now the top scorer in World Cup history with 22 goals. Lionel Messi's Argentina play Spain in the final on Sunday.
Smoke from Canadian wildfires that engulfed the Northeast US in haze is expected to mostly clear from the New Jersey area just in time for the World Cup final on Sunday. US President Donald Trump continues to lay blame on Canada for the smoke crossing the border. Trump planned to attend the cup final.
Donald Trump is honoured with an Iran War Participation Trophy for taking part in the war. The trophy is erected near Martin Luther King’s memorial in Washington, DC. It reads: “While some concern themselves with the outcomes, President Trump demonstrated the courage to participate”
In Mexico, a baby girl was named Quiñona Ysisidra Morita Haaland Guevara after Mexican and Mexican-born soccer players. In Peru, there is a wave of new baby Haalands. In Argentina, Enzo, Emiliano and Lionel are the most popular boy names in the province of Salta.
Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei accused the US of repeatedly violating a memorandum of understanding signed by the presidents of the two countries. He said the alleged breaches showed that US President Donald Trump’s signature was “utterly worthless” and devoid of credibility. Khamenei warned that as the “American enemy is seeking to escalate the conflict,” the Iranian people have “unforgettable lessons” for it.
Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa, Jude Bellingham, Bradley Barcola, Ousmane Dembele and Malo Gusto scored for France. Kylian Mbappe scored twice to raise his tally to 10 goals in this World Cup and 22 in his World Cup career.
The Fifa World Cup 2026 is over. The tournament will add $40.9bn (£30.4bn) to global GDP. The US is the leading economy among the co-host nations, accounting for almost half of the total. The final is expected to draw an audience at least 10 times that of the Super Bowl.
This year's World Cup started on July 8 and ends on July 14. ITV has a World Cup Classics section on its streaming platform. It has great World Cup classics from World Cups past, like the Brazil-Czechoslovakia match from Mexico 1970. The quality varies, but the intensity doesn't.
Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran condemned the bombing of the Darkhovin Nuclear Power Plant in Khuzestan province in southwestern Iran. Construction of the current reactor began in 2022 at a site on the Karun River, about 70 km south of Ahvaz and 100 km north of the Persian Gulf. The facility is in the early stages of construction and contained no nuclear material when last visited by the IAEA. US Central Command said the latest air strikes began at 6pm ET (10pm GMT) on Saturday at the direction of President Donald Trump.
Bahrain and Kuwait intercepted missiles and drones launched from Iran. Air raid sirens also sounded in Jordan's capital, Amman, and Israel detected Iranian missiles targeting the coastal city of Aqaba. US Embassy in Jordan urged American citizens to avoid the airport and seaport because of a credible threat.
France 24 looks back at some of the most striking images from the week in pictures. The World Cup came to an end with England finishing third and the Tour de France was brought to a standstill by the heatwave in France. There was also war in Ukraine and extreme heat and wildfires around the world.
To fully opt out, you must disable tracking on each browser and device you use. Clearing cookies may reset your preferences. You may also want to update your settings in the Privacy Center to ensure your account is fully opted out. Review our Privacy Policy at axios.com/legal.
The World Cup Final 2026 is taking place on Sunday, July 19 at 1:30 p.m. ET at MetLife Stadium. Spain take on Argentina in the final, which will be broadcast live on Fox. The halftime show will be performed by BTS, Justin Bieber, Madonna, Shakira and Burna Boy. Coldplay will perform with the PS22 chorus.
At least 11 people were killed across the Gaza Strip late on Saturday, including three children and their parents, local health officials said. A family of five was killed when an Israeli strike hit a residential apartment in northwest Gaza City. The family's only surviving member was a child, who was not inside the house at the time of the strike. Three more people died when an airstrike hit a group of civilians in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City, and a woman was killed in shelling east of Zeitoun.
For the first time in World Cup history, the final will pause for an 11-minute halftime concert featuring Madonna, Justin Bieber, Shakira and BTS. FIFA's law has always said halftime should not exceed 15 minutes, but the halftime show is expected to stretch that to more than 20 minutes. The longer delay will affect the match between Argentina and Spain.
This year's World Cup final between Spain and Argentina will have a half-time show with Madonna, Shakira, BTS and Justin Bieber. The show will take place on Sunday night at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. It's already caused controversy in the sporting world as the performance will last up to 25 minutes.
The White House's World Cup task force head defended Argentina's national soccer team after they displayed a banner asserting the country's territorial claim to the Falkland Islands after their semi-final win over England. FIFA's stadium code of conduct bars political banners and other materials containing political messages inside tournament venues.