World Cup Page 4 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Back home, Norway players saluted, receive audience with king
OSLO, Norway -- Tens of thousands of Norwegian fans gave their national soccer team a heroes' welcome on Monday at the foot of the Royal Palace.,Led by Crown Prince Haakon and most of the Norway squad, the Viking row chant rang out one last time for the World Cup quarterfinalists.,Norway, appearing ...

Police investigating death of South Africa's Jayden Adams after World Cup
Police in Cape Town, South Africa, have opened an investigation into the death of soccer player Jayden Adams, whose body was found shortly after returning from playing in the World Cup.,A 25-year-old midfielder on South Africa's national team, Adams was found dead at a home in the Schotsche Kloof ne...

Spain, France meet in 'final before the final' World Cup semi
Spain and France rightly feel that the winner of their semifinal on Tuesday will go on to claim the World Cup.,England and Argentina, who play in the other semifinal in Atlanta on Wednesday, would disagree but as Spanish coach Luis de la Fuente said of their showdown in Arlington, Texas, "It's not a...

Tickets to one World Cup semi 2x more expensive than other
The 2026 World Cup semifinals feature a pair of matches between global powerhouses, but ticket prices for one match are currently more than double those of the other.,France are No. 1 in the FIFA men's world rankings and will play No. 3 Spain in Dallas on Tuesday. Spain spent much of the World Cup b...

Senegal fire coach Pape Thiaw after World Cup elimination
Senegal have terminated the contract of head coach Pape Thiaw after the country's elimination in the 2026 World Cup.,The Senegalese Football Federation announced on Sunday that it had parted ways with the 45-year-old coach, who had been on the job since 2024.,"It was decided to initiate a procedure ...

As 2026 World Cup winds down, potential 2030 expansion to be discussed
FIFA officials will look at the possibility of expanding the World Cup by another 16 teams before the 2030 event, president Gianni Infantino said in an interview.,Infantino told Bluewin, a Swiss media outlet, that growing from 48 to 64 teams could make sense.,"That's definitely an issue that will be...

Argentina oust Switzerland in extra time, advance to semifinals
Julian Alvarez scored the tiebreaker in the 112th minute and Lautaro Martinez added an insurance goal in stoppage time as defending champion Argentina defeated 10-man Switzerland 3-1 in the World Cup quarterfinals on a hot and humid Saturday night in Kansas City, Mo.,Alexis Mac Allister also tallied...

FIFA: 'No evidence' ball hit wire on regulation England goal vs. Norway
England's lone regulation goal in its eventual 2-1 extra-time defeat of Norway in a World Cup quarterfinal Saturday in Miami Gardens, Fla., was not without controversy.,Norway argued -- and video replay appeared to show -- that a goal kick from their goalkeeper Orjan Nyland bounced off a wire suppor...

South Africa's Jayden Adams, 25, dies after playing in World Cup
Jayden Adams died at age 25 after playing in three World Cup games last month for South Africa, the country's football players union confirmed Saturday.,No official cause of death was released. ,"The South African Football Players Union (SAFPU) is devastated by the untimely passing of Mamelodi Sundo...

Report: Germany, Jurgen Klopp agree to contract
Jurgen Klopp and the German Football Association are in agreement on a deal that will make him the head coach of the German men's national team, The Athletic reported Saturday.,All that remains is to reach an agreement with Red Bull -- where Klopp has been the head of global soccer since January 202...

Defensive Switzerland set sights on stifling Lionel Messi, Argentina
The knockout stage of the World Cup has not been easy for defending champion Argentina.,They needed extra time in the round of 32 to earn a 3-2 victory against Cape Verde before requiring a late rally from a two-goal deficit against Egypt to claim a 3-2 win in the round of 16.,Goals may be harder to...

Belgium GK Thibaut Courtois on injury sub: Team above everything
Thibaut Courtois has kept Belgium in many a match throughout his national team career. But an injury substitution before a heartbreaking loss may have been the goalkeeper's final World Cup moment.,Courtois said he would have been able to play through a leg injury, but he accepted being taken out for...

Mikel Merino's goal lifts Spain past Belgium, into semifinals vs. France
Mikel Merino came off the bench again to save Spain, scoring the go-ahead goal in the 88th minute to defeat Belgium 2-1 in a World Cup quarterfinal in Inglewood, Calif., on Friday.,A spot in the July 19 final will be at stake when Spain plays France in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday. The French are se...

New Portugal coach would welcome back Cristiano Ronaldo
Portugal's new 71-year-old coach said "age doesn't matter" and there still is a place on the team for 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo.,Jorge Jesus signed a four-year deal on Friday to coach Portugal through the 2030 World Cup.,Jesus succeeded Spain's Roberto Martinez, whose contract expired with Monda...
Spain vs. Belgium Best Bets: Three Picks for Friday's World Cup Quarterfinal
Get the best bets for Spain vs. Belgium in the World Cup quarterfinals, including match result, player prop and second-half betting picks....

Kylian Mbappe 'fine' after early exit; 20th WC goal helps France top Morocco
FOXBOROUGH -- The nation of France can relax. Kylian Mbappe is fine.,After Mbappe scored his eighth goal of this World Cup and the 20th of his tournament career Thursday, he departed early from France's 2-0 quarterfinal victory over Morocco but insisted that he'll be ready to go for next week's semi...

Kylian Mbappe nets 20th World Cup goal, exits France win vs. Morocco early
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Kylian Mbappe scored his eighth goal of this World Cup and the 20th of his tournament career after halftime, but exited before full time in a potential injury scare in France's 2-0 quarterfinal victory over Morocco on Thursday.,Mbappe exited in the 77th minute after he had been ...

Stingy Spain take scoreless streak into semifinals vs. Belgium
Mikel Merino is relishing Spain's opportunity to advance to the semifinals of the World Cup, although first up is a quarterfinal matchup against Belgium in Inglewood, Calif., on Friday.,Merino played a major role as Spain stayed alive with his stoppage-time goal in a 1-0 win against Portugal in the ...

Stingy Spain takes scoreless streak into semifinals vs. Belgium
Mikel Merino is relishing Spain's opportunity to advance to the semifinals of the World Cup, although first up is a quarterfinal matchup against Belgium in Inglewood, Calif., on Friday.,Merino played a major role as Spain stayed alive with his stoppage-time goal in a 1-0 win against Portugal in the ...

England's Jarell Quansah gets 2-match ban for red card vs. Mexico
FIFA extended England defender Jarell Quansah's red-card suspension to two matches on Thursday, meaning he will also miss the World Cup semifinal if his team advances that far.,Quansah was already ineligible for Saturday's quarterfinal clash with Norway in Miami Gardens, Fla., after drawing a red ca...