Mbappe finished his third World Cup campaign with 10 goals to the lead the Golden Boot standings, two ahead of Messi.

The third-place decider is often described as the World Cup's most unwanted fixture. No player begins a tournament dreaming of featuring in it, yet one of the semifinal losers has to walk away with bronze while the other leaves empty-handed.

Argentina staged yet another dramatic comeback at the FIFA World Cup 2026, defeating England 2-1 at Atlanta Stadium on Thursday to book their place in the final for the successive time.

When the world tuned in to the 2026 World Cup semi-final between Spain and France, all eyes were fixed on the superstars. The pre-match narrative was dominated by Kylian Mbappe's lethal finishing, Michael Olise's fluid football and the brilliance of Lamine Yamal.

Beyond Spain’s 2-0 victory over France in the World Cup semifinal in Dallas lay a far more compelling story than the scoreline itself -- one of a tactical masterclass from Luis de la Fuente that Didier Deschamps never truly recognised, let alone countered.

Footballing immortality had been within touching distance. On a sweltering afternoon in Dallas, it slipped away.

Spain suffocated France deep in the heart of Texas on Tuesday, powering into their first World Cup final since lifting the trophy in 2010 with a spellbinding 2-0 victory thanks to goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro.

Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro. These are not the names most casual World Cup viewers would recognise.

Kylian Mbappe rued the end of France's World Cup dream on Wednesday, blaming tactical and technical blunders for his side's 2-0 semifinal defeat to France.

European champions Spain beat France 2-0 in the World Cup semifinals on Tuesday, producing a controlled display to book a place in Sunday's final.

France recalled Bradley Barcola to their attack and Aurelien Tchouameni in midfield for their World Cup semifinal against Spain on Wednesday as Luis de la Fuente named an unchanged side.

Showcase the striking "stadium-runway" style of France’s national football team during the World Cup season. Stars like Marcus Thuram and Kylian Mbappé traded sports gear for luxury Chanel, Hermès, and Louis Vuitton bags in Boston.

It is one of the puzzling paradoxes of this World Cup: France captain Mbappe is shining as brightly as ever for Les Bleus ahead of Wednesday's semifinal [1am, Bangladesh Time] against Spain in Dallas.

The dazzling Yamal is still catching up off the field, but his record against Mbappe on the pitch is impressive.

France vs Spain, 1am, Wednesday [Bangladesh Time] Argentina vs England, 1am, Thursday [Bangladesh Time]

Speaking on German broadcaster Magenta TV while covering the FIFA World Cup, Klopp recalled the elaborate efforts Liverpool made to convince the then-teenage French forward and his family to choose Anfield over Paris Saint-Germain.

Coming into the 2026 FIFA World Cup, France were always tipped as the team to beat.

Mbappe is a competitive beast that simply refuses to be contained, and at this point the World Cup is fast becoming entirely synonymous with the French superstar.

Mbappe became the youngest player to reach 20 World Cup appearances at the age of 27 and also equalled Hugo Lloris' French record for matches played at the tournament.

France produced a performance that stripped away the romance and reminded everyone why they remain one of international football's gold standards.