It was Messi’s playmaking that inspired Argentina to stage a stirring fightback to complete a 2-1 victory over England and book a place in Sunday’s final against Spain.

The prospects are alluring now, the defending world champions will be up against the reigning European champions who blew France, the tournament favourites, away in the first semifinal.

But when the England media and their former players were dissecting Argentina’s game ahead of the second semifinal, most of them had no doubt in their minds that the likes of Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham would be too strong for the South Americans who had struggled to find their top form in the previous knockout games.

“We are going to put him (Messi) to bed,” Cole said on The Rest Is Football.

Former England stars Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, the other guests on the popular show, were surprised by Cole’s bold statement.

“You can’t say that,” Richards responded.

But the former Chelsea and England star tightened the screw even more.

“No, I’m saying it now. We’ve got the pace to deal with Argentina’s strengths. We’re going to reach the World Cup final. I can feel it in my bones,” he said.

Among the other ex-England stars who wrote off Messi’s Argentina were Wayne Rooney, Alan Shearer and Paul Scholes.

Rooney, Shearer and Scholes are all Premier League legends and each of them gave their predictions professionally.

Cole, on the other hand, went to the extent of ridiculing a player — Messi — who had scored eight goals in the tournament.

At 39, Messi was still the beating heart of Argentina, inspiring the team to fight back every time gritty opponents like Cape Verde, Egypt and Switzerland raised their game to give the three-time world champions a run for their money.

Now, ironically, it was England who failed to raise their level after taking the lead through Anthony Gordon in the 55th minute.

Making defensive substitutions, England seemed happy to protect their lead instead of finishing Argentina off with a second goal.

Messi sensed his moments and exploded into action, drifting to the right to make those runs at the England defence.

Eventually, Messi’s perseverance and Argentina’s bold play in the final third allowed Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez to score and earn their second straight final appearance.

Now, Joe Cole’s former England teammate, Gary Neville, had a heated argument with Roy Keane following England’s defeat in the semifinal, a match where Messi once again made the difference.

On Stick To Football, Neville was furious with England manager Thomas Tuchel for not allowing any of his players to man-mark Messi in the second half, giving the Argentine the space to make those dangerous runs from the right.

"For some reason he (Tuchel) didn't just go and say to Nico O'Reilly, I don't care whoever else is inside you, stay with Messi when he drops outside you, do not let him go," Neville said. "Man-mark him, and when he comes out here, force him to go back inside because if you go central, he can't cross it.”

That’s when Keane, the former Ireland captain, stopped Neville, reminding his former Manchester United teammate that opposition teams have failed to stop Messi for more than 20 years now — no matter what tactics they use.

“Do you not think teams have done that in the last 20 years? All the great coaches and players have done that, because he'll go, and you can stand next to him, he will be like ‘I'll do a little shimmy or I'll move."

Man-marking is a tactic used by teams in football to restrict the movement of the opposition’s best player.

Typically, a defensive midfielder stands next to the opponent’s star player, chasing him everywhere, putting pressure on him when he gets the ball, trying to deny him the space to move or make a pass.

This is what Neville felt England should have done against Messi in the semifinal.

But Keane responded by reminding him that Messi is an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner for a reason.

And that reason is that he finds a way to overcome the challenges to make the difference more often than not.

Unfortunately for England and millions of their supporters, Messi did Messi things on Wednesday, extending their 60-year wait for a major trophy.

And to borrow a phrase from Cole, it’s ‘the boy from Rosario’ who put England to bed.

In a video that has gone viral on the internet, Bellingham can be seen shaking hands with another Argentine player on the field as he stands and reflects on the result.

The Argentinian players then begin celebrating their victory together. Argentina's Valentin Barco also joined his teammates. Bellingham who could be seen standing in place for a few seconds, suddenly looked miffed, and walked over to the group.

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The England midfielder then hit Barco on the head. The Argentinian, in return, pushed him back. Other players quickly intervened and defused the situation before it could escalate further.

The England midfielder, who has scored 6 goals in this World Cup, struggled to create the same impact against Argentina in the semifinal clash.

Netizens, however, were quick to point out that Barco had allegedly passed thorny comments throughout the match.

Watch the video below:

This wasn't the only controversy that Bellingham found himself in that night. Earlier in the evening, the England player was also seen in a heated exchange with Argentinian captain Messi.

Speaking after the final whistle, he said that they were "discussing a foul, actually".

"But it was nothing bad. I'm sure everyone will do their thing and make it a big deal. But no, it was nothing really. I thought there was a foul earlier and he said, 'Well, what about the one on me?' and I was kind of saying, 'You're strong enough to take it,' you know what I mean?

"It's a privilege to play against Messi. There was nothing against him. I'm obviously on the losing side, which hurts a lot, but it's a privilege to go against him," he concluded.

Fifa's Stadium Code of Conduct bans "banners, flags, flyers, apparel and other paraphernalia that are of a political, offensive, and/or discriminatory nature" inside stadiums.

World soccer's ruling body did not immediately reply to a request for comment. The question of sovereignty over the islands in the South Atlantic known to the British as the Falklands and the Argentines as the Malvinas has been a long-running sore in relations between the countries.

They fought a short conflict over the islands in 1982, in which 649 Argentine soldiers and 255 British combatants died. Britain ultimately won and the vast majority of residents of the islands have said they wish to remain part of Britain.

But Argentina has long claimed it inherited the islands from Spain ​after its independence in 1816 and that Britain took control in 1833 through an illegal colonial act.

Lisandro Martinez and Giovani Lo Celso held up the banner, grinning, and waved to fans in the stands. It was unclear where the banner had come from. It is not the first time the question of political banners has come up during the World Cup.

Last month in Los Angeles, Iranian Americans waved pre-revolutionary flags that are symbols of protest against the Tehran government when Iran played. Those matches proceeded without incident.

Argentina airs complaint

Following their World Cup semi-final victory, Argentina's foreign minister said that Buenos Aires had filed a formal protest over a British warship near the Falkland Islands.

Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno posted on X to express "the strongest rejection" of the United Kingdom's HMS Medway's "unconsulted and illegal" passage through Argentine territorial waters, alleging a lack of proper notification.

Quirno said the Medway, which is based in the Falkland Islands, is accused of violating bilateral agreements in a July 13-dated diplomatic note of protest submitted to the United Kingdom's embassy in Buenos Aires.

"In diplomacy, work is not shouted about like goals, but we are driven by the same conviction: the pride of being Argentine and the constant defense of our interests," Quirno said in a statement.

Before the post went up, Argentine president Javier Milei told local broadcaster Radio Mitre that the World Cup victory was just "a football match."

"We are making enormous progress on the diplomatic front. We have managed to get the UN to force England to sit down and talk with us, but let's not confuse the score: This is a football match," Milei said, after celebrating the team's "glorious step" in advancing to the World Cup finals.

Yamal, who was born to Mounir Nasraoui, a Moroccan man, and Sheila Ebana, who is from Equatorial Guinea, is only 19 years old. His little sibling is three years old.

Dressed in his big brother's jersey with number 19, Keyne attends Spain's matches with their mother to support Yamal, often seen cheering and waving to him from the stands.

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The special bond between the two brothers is evident in the many moments Yamal has shared with Keyne, frequently posting photos of them together both on and off the pitch, offering fans a glimpse into their close relationship beyond football. Watch some of them here:

During this World Cup, the Spanish teen football star shared a photo with Keyne sitting next to him, jokingly saying: "Who will win this eye battle?" with a laughing so hard emoji. Take a look:

World Cup baby heartthrob

Videos of Keyne waving to his older brother from the stands and blowing him a kiss quickly went viral, melting the hearts of football fans around the world. Watch here:

Social media users were charmed by little Keyne's playful moves, with many sending their love to the three-year-old in the comments. "Munchkin has my whole heart," one user wrote, while another simply called him "a cutie."

Others were amused by Keyne's spontaneous reactions throughout the tournament, with one user commenting: "That kid's reactions are priceless," while many others praised his energy and natural charm. Watch here:

Asked about Keyne during one press conference at the World Cup, Yamal smiled and said: "My brother doesn't realise... He does what he does at home, and when the camera focuses on him, he gets up to mischief. "I like it when people like him. It's fun to see him on screen."

Showing that legendary Nadal spirit, Argentina dug deep again to beat England 2-1 in the World Cup semifinal on Wednesday to set up a final clash with Nadal's Spain.

Having shown incredible resilience to overcome Cape Verde, Egypt and Switzerland in the previous rounds, Argentina needed to show their fighting spirit again after Anthony Gordon gave England the lead in the 55th minute.

Head coach Lionel Scaloni made several changes in the second half after England went ahead against the run of play with Gordon's crisp finish from a counterattack.

It was one of those second-half substitutes, Lautaro Martinez, the feisty Inter Milan striker, who headed home Argentina's winner in the 92nd minute after Enzo Fernandez had scored the equaliser with a stunning long-range effort in the 85th minute.

While England superstars Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham failed to make any real impact on the game, it was the 39-year-old Lionel Messi who was at the heart of every Argentina attack.

Following England's goal, Argentina came in waves at the England goal as Thomas Tuchel's team was unable to cope with the intensity of the South Americans' pressing game in the middle of the park.

Every move pushed England further back as Alexis Mac Allister, Fernandez and the tireless Julian Alvarez tormented England with the speed of their passing in the final third.

It was the Argentina that the world saw in Qatar when they won their third World Cup after a gap of 36 years.

In North America, having arrived at the 2026 tournament with a lot of their key players carrying injuries, Argentina never looked on top of their game.

It was left to Messi to do the heavy lifting as the ageless wonder scored eight goals and provided assists to keep the Argentine dream alive of becoming the first team since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back World Cup titles.

On Wednesday, with England defending deep and with just five minutes of regulation time left, Messi was at it again, building a move from the right after a short corner kick, which found the Chelsea midfielder just outside the box.

Fernandez composed himself before sending a sumptuous right-footer to beat the outstretched hands of Jordan Pickford.

The England goalkeeper made a couple of outstanding saves to deny Argentina the opportunity to score the equaliser earlier in the second half.

In the end, it needed one of the best goals of the tournament to break through his defence.

Having found the equaliser, Argentina went for the kill. With delightful interplay, Scaloni's team ran England ragged.

And then the moment came in the 92nd minute when Mac Allister hit the post with a long-range effort as Messi picked up the ball on the flank.

With dancing feet, the magician made his move before sending an inch-perfect cross to Martinez, who found the perfect header, sparking wild celebrations on the field and in the stands.

England did try to create chances in the dying minutes, but by then they had completely lost the momentum as Argentina dictated the tempo, controlled possession and remained defensively solid.

When the final whistle blew, there was joy and relief as the Argentina players joined the celebrations with their adoring fans, clapping and singing their iconic anthem.

With tackles that kept flying, it was a scrappy game at the start, but it finished with the world champions finally playing like world champions.

And Messi, playing his first-ever match against the fierce rivals, did Messi things again, popping up everywhere every time Argentina needed inspiration to break England down.

Now they are one match away — against Spain in the final on Sunday — from making history.

Two completely different sports, but the teams had one striking similarity — a four-pronged attacking line-up.

France launched attacks with Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola and Michael Olise creating havoc in the final third of the opposition, with their speed and movement.

In cricket, the West Indies dominated with their batters giving a masterclass in the art of decimating rival bowling attacks.

But their biggest strength was their four fearsome fast bowlers, Malcolm Marshall, Andy Roberts, Michael Holding and Joel Garner, who blew the opposition away with their scorching speed, swing and bounce.

Even for most world-class batters of the time, facing them from the other end of the 22-yard strip was like challenging a prime Rafael Nadal on the French Open centre court — you had no chance.

But for all their dominance, the West Indies lost the 1983 World Cup final to a modest Indian team at Lord’s.

While analysing the ruthless French team after the two-time world champions stormed into the round of 16, we also felt that Mbappe and company could not let their guard down at any stage, as anything can happen in a World Cup knockout game.

The West Indies defeat in the 1983 World Cup final was a stark reminder that even the mighty can be brought to their knees.

But this was not anticipated by most experts and former elite footballers who share their opinions on global television platforms.

Time and again, they wrote Spain off, terming them as a team incapable of taking on France in the semifinals.

That their possession-based football would be torn to shreds by the French attacking quartet, who need less than four passes to find the back of the net.

The Spaniards, they said, can go on passing the ball — it takes one clean tackle to win back possession and launch a frightening counterattack.

While this philosophy may work against most teams, Spain is a different kettle of fish.

La Roja had already proved it by taming the French in the 2024 Euro semifinal, when they went on to win the title.

But this time around, the prospect of seeing the brilliant French attackers — all of whom came into the World Cup after enjoying impressive club seasons — was too alluring.

Spain getting off to a slow start in that goalless draw against Cape Verde played into that narrative that they were a team who would struggle to reach the final with France in their half of the draw.

Compared to the sizzling start made by France in the tournament, Spain needed time to find form. With their two key players, Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams, battling injury concerns, it was easy for the critics to write Spain off.

But Spain never lost hope; they gradually built momentum, picking one win after another before knocking out two formidable rivals — Portugal in the round of 16 and Belgium in the quarterfinals.

Yamal, the teen sensation, was beginning to show the flashes of brilliance that saw him become the breakout star of the triumphant Euro 2024 campaign.

Still, their performances were not good enough to convince the pundits, who strangely forgot that this was a team managed by Luis de la Fuente.

The 63-year-old has many qualities as a football coach; the biggest of them perhaps is his patience.

Having primarily worked at the grassroots level, De la Fuente has shaped a generation of young Spanish footballers, helping the country win the European championship twice at the under-19 (2015) and under-21 (2019) levels.

In all these years, De la Fuente has remained true to the Spanish philosophy of passing and controlling the midfield, counter-passing and short-passing combinations.

All these elements were on display when Spain won Euro 2024. That form and rhythm reappeared in the semifinal against France on Tuesday as they dominated possession, winning the ball back when France attempted to build momentum and tormenting their opponents with their incisive passing in the final third.

The combination of midfield control and passing intent surprised the French team as much as it surprised the pundits who backed Mbappe and his teammates to the hilt to make the semifinal look like a walk in the park.

Ironically, it was the Spanish team that had fun with the ball at their feet as France endured a torrid time, chasing shadows and ultimately paying the price for not strengthening their midfield.

There is one key difference between the French football set back and the shock West Indies cricket defeat in 1983.

Unlike Spain, the Indian cricket team was not a World Cup contender despite their impressive performances in the tournament. They blossomed into a world-class unit two years later in the 1985 World Championship of Cricket in Australia, when they emerged champions after an unbeaten run.

Spain was already a world-class team. Now they have reminded the critics of the perils of writing off a team built on a simple philosophy of passing the ball.

France, widely regarded as one of the pre-tournament favourites, were second best throughout as Spain controlled midfield, cut off supply to Kylian Mbappe and punished a succession of French errors.

"Obviously, this Spain team are very strong and they proved it tonight," Deschamps told a press conference.

"We were slightly below our usual level and made more technical mistakes than in previous matches. We were also a step short physically."

France had reached the last four on the strength of a fearsome attack, but Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise and Mbappe were all kept quiet as Spain denied them space and repeatedly regained possession.

Deschamps said his team had needed to operate at full capacity to trouble Spain but had fallen short in every key area.

"We know the quality Spain possess, and to have any chance of going through we needed to be at our absolute best," he said. "We were not."

France were also disrupted by an injury to defender William Saliba, while Adrien Rabiot had to temper his aggression after being booked early in the game.

Deschamps said Spain's ability to read passing lanes and break up attacks had prevented France from establishing any rhythm.

"They are very good at linking their play and reading the direction of passes in order to intercept them," he said.

"We did not find the solutions. The fact that we failed to reproduce the attacking and technical quality we had shown until now is partly our fault, but Spain also deserve credit for preventing us from doing so."

The defeat ended France's hopes of reaching a third successive World Cup final, four years after they lost to Argentina on penalties in Qatar.

Deschamps said the players had been devastated in the dressing room but refused to dismiss the progress they had made during the tournament.

"The disappointment is immense," he said. "This is a group of competitors, and seeing the journey end hurts.

"I do not want to throw away everything we have done, but in this match Spain showed they had something more."

France will now play in Saturday's third-place playoff against England or Argentina.

Deschamps also questioned the standard of the refereeing, saying several decisions had been open to debate and asking whether Salvadoran Ivan Barton had been up to the level required for a World Cup semifinal.

"The fourth and the fifth official were top level, I chatted with them on the sideline," the coach said. "But the field referee... I won't say anything but I'm asking you: did he have the level for a World Cup semifinal?"

"(I am) very happy with the team's attitude from start to finish. I think we played a great match, we did everything we had to do today to reach the final," said the Tottenham defender.

"It's a dream come true... We knew (France) was a very, very tough team, one that had been doing things really well, and honestly, this is the team's achievement, not mine at all," he added.

The 26-year-old said Spain had played a "fantastic match" to beat the two-time world champions.

They move on to Sunday's final against the winner of Wednesday's semi-final between England and Argentina.

Spain, who won their first World Cup 16 years ago, neutralised a France attack that had scored 16 goals before the semifinal and had been regarded as one of the tournament's most dangerous. France did not manage a shot on target until after the 80-minute mark.

"The message was that we were up against one of the best teams in the world, but that they were up against the best team in the world," De la Fuente told a press conference.

"These players show commitment, solidarity and talent. They make the difficult look easy. They have talent and the right attitude towards life and sport.

"I see a happy dressing room and a nation behind us. We've recaptured the spirit of 2010. The character of this team is evident in the fact that those who didn't play have stayed behind to train after the match."

De la Fuente praised a squad he said had been built on humility, shared purpose and the absence of egos, saying Spain's strength came from everyone moving in the same direction.

"I believe the most important thing is knowing how to choose your travelling companions. If you make the wrong choice of travelling companions, you could end up with a problem," he said.

"We know that this team — not just the players, but everyone who makes up the squad — works towards a common goal, with the same enthusiasm, and we are ordinary, generous people who seek the common good before our own individual interests."

Spain, who won Euro 2024, have now equalled Italy's record of 37 consecutive unbeaten matches, but De la Fuente said his players still had room to grow.

"This team never ceases to amaze me. The scope for improvement is endless," he said. "It was a labour of love, a process. It was about reaching the crucial moment in the best possible shape."

De la Fuente said he would like to face Argentina in the final because of his close friendship with manager Lionel Scaloni, while also praising England and describing the other semifinal as a match that "could easily be the World Cup final".

"I don't believe in the idea that finals are there to be won. They're there to be enjoyed," he said. "What's to come could be the icing on the cake."

Spain's early dominance got its reward in the 20th minute, though, when a hopeful cross by Marc Cucurella flew across the penalty area. 

Lucas Digne didn't get enough purchase on his attempted headed clearance and as the Aston Villa player instinctively swung out a leg he kicked Yamal, sending the Barcelona star crashing to the turf.

El Salvadoran referee Ivan Barton pointed immediately to the spot and after a brief delay as French players loitered, Oyarzabal stepped up to sweep in a spot-kick that beat the dive of French goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

France's rocky start got worse after 31 minutes when key central defender William Saliba hobbled off with an injury to be replaced by Maxence Lacroix.

Spain almost doubled their lead with a sublime passing move on 38 minutes when wonderful interplay on the edge of the area sliced open France's defence, with Dayot Upamecano's block denying Fabian Ruiz.

France enjoyed their best spell in the closing minutes of the first half and only excellent anticipation from Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon denied Mbappe after Rabiot's clever through ball.

Spain though reasserted themselves at the start of the second half and Deschamps' failure to adjust France's tactics again left the Spanish midfield in charge.

On 58 minutes, Spain struck the hammer blow. Porro and Olmo worked a sensational one-two on the edge of the area that sent Porro through and the Tottenham defender clipped a fine finish past Maignan.

Only a fractional offside decision denied Spain a third goal in the 61st minute, when Lamal had the ball in the net.

Deschamps made a flurry of substitutions but France were unable to penetrate Spain's smothering defence, their best chance coming when Mbappe's shot was blocked at the near post by Simon.

French frustration was symbolised by Mbappe in the closing minutes, booked for following through on Simon as Spain closed out the victory.

Twenty-two months after rupturing his cruciate ligament in a clash with Thomas Partey playing for Manchester City against Arsenal in the Premier League, the 30-year-old found the perfect time to again hit the heights of his pre-injury performances.

"Step by step, one step further," Rodri said after Spain won 2-0 to book a place in their first final since winning the title in 2010. "The team is elated. It's the second time we've reached a final, and we need to stay calm and get some rest."

The signs that Rodri has been returning to the levels that had been so central to City's dominance of English and European football during and after the club's treble-winning 2022-23 season had been increasingly visible throughout the tournament.

But it was on Tuesday that Rodri performed in a manner most reminiscent of the form that yielded his world record unbeaten streak from February 2023 to May 2024, when he went undefeated for Pep Guardiola's City side in 74 consecutive matches.

He served as the fulcrum of a Spain performance that saw De la Fuente's obdurate side frustrate and suffocate a French line-up that had been expected to dazzle with its attacking elan.

Instead it was Rodri who dominated, forming an unbreakable defensive triangle with Aymeric Laporte and Pau Cubarsi to deny Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise the time and space they sought in central areas to trouble Unai Simon.

Tellingly, the Spanish goalkeeper did not have a save to make as Rodri frequently snuffed out potential danger long before it emerged, nicking the ball off the toe of Dembele or repeatedly leading Mbappe down blind alleys.

French frustration was apparent early on, with coach Didier Deschamps forced to replace the ineffective Adrien Rabiot at halftime in an unsuccessful effort to wrest control of midfield.

Rodri's distribution, meanwhile, kept France on the back foot as he switched play to full backs Marc Cucurella and Pedro Porro, all while covering more than 12.5 km in a performance that took Spain back to the final.

"Given the characteristics of both teams, you knew one was more explosive and the other more possession-oriented," Rodri said. "The support from the full-backs – from the whole team – has been sensational.”

The World Cup has been free of the violent disorder that blighted some tournaments in the 1980s and 1990s but authorities are taking no chances for the last of the seven matches at Atlanta Stadium.

"The Atlanta Police Department has enhanced its citywide public safety and security posture," the APD said in a statement.

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"Additional personnel and resources are already deployed and will continue to be strategically assigned... to help ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone."

The APD said the proactive measures were the result of continual assessment of what was required to secure the matches in Atlanta.

"Adjustments are a routine part of managing an event of this magnitude and are intended to ensure a safe and enjoyable FIFA World Cup experience," the statement added.

Argentina's security minister, Alejandra Monteoliva, said on Tuesday that enhanced security had been discussed at a meeting in the United States on Monday.

Monteoliva indicated that, for the first time at the tournament, rival fans would be channelled into Atlanta Stadium through separate entrances on Wednesday.

"There will be 1,600 officers... We want the celebration to be peaceful," she told local radio in Argentina.

FIFA's ticket sales policies for the tournament mean that segregating fans inside the stadium, as happens routinely in domestic football matches in England and Argentina, would be nigh on impossible on Wednesday.

The APD said it works closely with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and its "public safety partners" on planning for such events but never "discuss specific operational risk assessments or the details of planning".

The soccer rivalry between Argentina and England was forged through five previous meetings at World Cups, several of which have featured controversial incidents.

It intensified in the wake of the 1982 military conflict between the two countries over the Falkland Islands and South Georgia in the South Atlantic, which resulted in 907 deaths.

Monteoliva said that Argentina fans would not be able to take any flags or banners into Atlanta Stadium which claimed sovereignty over the islands, which the Argentines call Islas Malvinas.

"The entry of elements that have any type of provocative message, whether of political or racial content, is prohibited. They will not be able to enter flags or posters with that content," Monteoliva said.

The reputation of England fans has improved greatly since the days when hooligan elements ran riot at the 1982 and 1998 World Cups.

"The way England fans have conducted themselves across North America has done our country proud," the Football Supporters' Association, which provides support and services to England fans, said in a statement ahead of the semi-final.

"We've continued to show that the outdated stereotypes don't define us... let's make sure we continue to look after one another, represent England with pride, and give everyone another reminder of why we have the best fans in the world."

When the defending champions face England in Wednesday's World Cup semifinal in Atlanta, Lionel Messi and company will swap their traditional sky blue and white stripes for their dark blue away kit.

Argentina wore dark blue against England in the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, when Diego Maradona scored his infamous "Hand of God" goal and dazzling solo effort later dubbed the "Goal of the Century" in a 2-1 victory.

Twelve years later, Argentina again wore dark blue when they eliminated England on penalties in the round of 16 at the 1998 World Cup in France after a dramatic 2-2 draw.

England manager Thomas Tuchel understands the thinking.

"I would have done the same if there was any superstition combined with it," he told reporters on Tuesday. "So credit to them. I was not aware of that."

The German acknowledged that even at the highest level of professional sport, superstition remains a powerful force.

"I have my superstitious routines. I will not tell you because another superstition is that if I tell you, it will not work," he said, prompting laughter.

"We have routines that keep you grounded and calm through the day, and that will not change. We have, of course, also our lucky charms, and these things are just normal in high-level sport."

If the shirt choice was driven by history and superstition, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni appeared reluctant to embrace the narrative.

"Well, I didn't ask for the blue one. I don't know who did, but perhaps it's tradition," Scaloni said.

"I really don't know. I can't speak to that. And if Thomas had no issue, well, then you can say the same for myself."

Argentina's dark blue shirt draws from the country's culture in featuring swirling blue fileteado-inspired motifs across a black base.

Fileteado is a UNESCO-recognised style of decorative art and lettering from Buenos Aires, characterised by vibrant colours, flowing floral motifs, 3D shading and highly stylized Gothic typography.

Whether it is a lucky charm or just another shirt, Argentina will be hoping history repeats itself with a win over England.

While next year's edition in southern Africa remains a 14-team competition, the three lowest-ranked qualifiers will now take part in a preliminary round with just one of them progressing to a 12-strong main group stage.

That will now feature just two pools of six, with a new 'super seven' stage replacing the previous 'super six' round-robin. 

Significantly, there will be no quarterfinals with the tournament denied the further jeopardy and interest that comes with an extra round of clear-cut knockout matches.

An additional team in the round-robin phase, however, increases the prospects of an extra match between India and Pakistan.

The passion for cricket in the sub-continent, which in turn generates huge broadcast rights and commercial revenues for the ICC, makes a match between India and Pakistan the most lucrative in the sport.

But India and Pakistan no longer meet outside of ICC events, with political tensions between the bordering nations meaning they are effectively barred by their own governments from facing each other.  

The last bilateral series India played in Pakistan was in 2006 (Test and ODI series).

In a statement, the ICC insisted the new World Cup structure "creates greater context, competitiveness and consequence during the event."

"The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup will see the participation of 14 eligible teams but the revised format will entail a three-stage competition leading to the Finals, which creates greater context, competitiveness and consequence during the event, ensuring meaningful competition from the opening match through to the Finals," the game's governing body said in a statement on Wednesday.

Another change approved at the ICC's recent board meeting in Edinburgh will see the next men's T20 World Cup in 2028 remain a 20-team competition, but with 10 sides qualifying from the group stage rather than eight. 

The two best performing teams in the 'Super 10' will automatically secure a semifinal spot, with a new eliminator stage to decide their opponents.

The holders will be seeking to make it to consecutive finals by beating Thomas Tuchel's side in a fixture that evokes 1986 and Diego Maradona, as well as the lingering sovereignty dispute over the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean.

"We are in good shape and we really can't wait. This is a World Cup semi-final and our hopes are intact. We are so grateful to these players for getting us here again," Scaloni told reporters on the eve of the showdown in Atlanta.

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Argentina, with an ageing side led by a 39-year-old Lionel Messi, have had to battle their way through the knockout rounds to get here.

Twice they were pegged back before beating Cape Verde 3-2 in extra time. Then they needed a late comeback to defeat Egypt 3-2 in Atlanta, before requiring another draining half-hour of extra time to sink 10-man Switzerland 3-1 last Saturday. 

"A month and a half ago I would have taken getting to the semi-final if you had offered me that, so I don't mind how we got here," said Scaloni, who coached the Albiceleste to glory in 2022.

"I can't reproach my players. Whether we are tired or not I don't care. This is a World Cup semi-final."

The nations have clashed on five previous occasions at World Cups, most notably the 1986 quarter-final when Diego Maradona opened the scoring with the infamous 'Hand of God' before his superb individual effort sealed victory.

"I think everyone remembers that game, and Diego's performance, above all the second goal which will remain in all our hearts because it was so beautiful," Scaloni said.

"It was a marvellous goal and any football lover remembers it that way. And it just happened to be against England."

Tensions simmered that day in Mexico City, with the game played four years after Britain sent a military taskforce in 1982 to reclaim the Falkland Islands following an invasion by Argentine troops.

Scaloni has in recent days sought to ensure politics stays out of the semi-final.

"The reality is this is a football match. I am not going to mix everything up, especially regarding things that happened so long ago," he said.

"It was a very sad time in our history and we can't do much about it. This is a football game, that's all."

Meanwhile, the former West Ham United defender acknowledged that his side will have their work cut out trying to stop England's star players, Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, who have accounted for 12 out of their team's 13 goals at the tournament.

"We always look at what we can improve and how we can neutralise these great players in the best way. Maybe we will make a change, but it is also possible that we play the same team. 

"They are two great players, among the best in the world. Any coach would like to have them."

Set 259 to win, India cruised home with 28 balls to spare to go 1-0 up in a three-match series. 

It was their first triumph of a tour where they had suffered 2-0 and 4-0 T20 series losses to Ireland and England respectively.

Gill top-scored with 80, from just 75 balls, before limping off with what appeared to be cramp. A team spokesman told AFP after stumps that Gill was expected to be fit for Thursday's second ODI in Cardiff.

It was at Edgbaston last year that Gill, also India's red-ball skipper, became the first batsman to make a double century in one innings of a Test match and a score of 150 in the other.

Gill and T20 captain Shreyas Iyer shared a century partnership after India lost Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in quick succession to be 48-2.

England did reduce India to 160-4 after Gill retired.

But Washington Sundar (52 not out) and Axar Patel (57 not out) put the result beyond doubt with a blizzard of boundaries in an unbroken stand of 102.

"When you see your middle and lower middle order score runs and finish the job, it gives you confidence as a captain," said Gill at the presentation ceremony.

Earlier, India took five wickets for 19 runs as England collapsed from 61-0 to 80-5.

'Right areas'

"We have a youngish bowling attack," said Gill, himself still only 26. 

"Our batting is more experienced than our bowling, so even if we had a target of 300-320, we backed ourselves to chase that.

"Our bowling in the middle overs was very pleasing. We bowled in the right areas."

Player of the match Patel, who had previously taken four wickets in England's 258 all out, completed a fine fifty when he slog-swept off-spinner Will Jacks for four. 

Sundar ended the game in style, with a straight six off leg-spinner Adil Rashid that saw him to his fifty.

Kohli fails

The massed ranks of India spectators cheering Sundar and Patel had fallen silent when star batsman Kohli was plumb lbw to fast bowler Jofra Archer for just five.

Kohli has already retired from both Test and T20 cricket and this series could be the last the 37-year-old plays for India in England. 

England are number one in the T20 rankings following their 4-0 series whitewash of world champions India.

But they are only eighth in the ODI standings and in danger of not qualifying for next year's 50-over World Cup in southern Africa.

After their top-order collapse, they were still struggling at 107-6.

But Joe Root -- dropped on seven -- with a run-a-ball 76 not out and Liam Dawson, whose 68 was his highest ODI score, shared  a seventh-wicket partnership of 121 that kept them in the game.

"To get us to a decent total in the end that we thought we could potentially defend, it's a great effort from the lads," said England captain Harry Brook.

But after India's fast bowlers, including the returning Jasprit Bumrah, did the initial damage, England were all out with 13 balls of their innings remaining after left-arm spinner Patel followed up with 4-62.

Gurnoor Brar sparked England's collapse when Jacob Bethell holed out to deep square-leg and two balls later he had Ben Duckett (43) caught at third man by Bumrah.

Fast bowler Bumrah, rested from the recent T20 reverses to help manage his workload, finished with a typically miserly 1-31 in nine overs after having Brook caught at slip for just one. 

Jos Buttler fresh from a blistering century in the T20 series finale at Southampton, managed only five in his 200th ODI when he skyed Prasidh Krishna and Brar clung on despite colliding with Gill.    

The France captain pointed to breakdowns in both the game plan and its execution after Les Bleus were denied a third consecutive appearance in the World Cup final. Spain consistently created an extra man in midfield, leaving Rodri and Fabian Ruiz with the time and space to dictate possession.

"We were three against two in midfield and against Spain, that's hard," Mbappe said. "Fabian and Rodri had plenty of time to play. There was a lack of communication on the press. I think we should have done man-to-man press and force them to run with us."

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France entered the semifinal having won its first six matches and scored 16 goals, but struggled to establish its attack against Spain. Mikel Oyarzabal converted a penalty in the 22nd minute after Lucas Digne fouled Lamine Yamal, and Pedro Porro doubled the advantage shortly before the hour mark.

Mbappe said France's plan had been to apply pressure high up the field and prevent Spain from settling into its preferred possession game. Instead, Spain regularly played through the press and quickly recovered the ball whenever France briefly regained it.

"We didn't play the game we wanted, technically, tactically," Mbappe said. "When you don't do what you have to do in a World Cup semifinal, you don't win."

The Real Madrid forward also criticised France's work with the ball, saying poor first touches and missed opportunities prevented his team from testing Spain when openings appeared.

"We were too sloppy technically," Mbappe said. "We could not hurt them when we could have."

Didier Deschamps tried to shift the match by removing Adrien Rabiot at halftime and later introducing Desire Doue and Rayan Cherki. The changes did little to disrupt Spain's control, and Mbappe was held scoreless after entering the match with eight tournament goals.

He remains tied with Argentina's Lionel Messi for the Golden Boot lead. Mbappe also scored eight goals at the 2022 World Cup, when France lost the final to Argentina in a penalty shootout.

"As the captain, I have to take all the responsibility and I have no problem with that," Mbappe said. "We wanted to go to the final. We didn't go."

France will face the loser of Wednesday's Argentina-England semifinal in Saturday's third-place match in Miami Gardens, Fla.

Last year, McIlroy became just the sixth golfer in history to complete the career Grand Slam of golf's four major titles and in April he successfully defended his US Masters title.

Meanwhile Scheffler, the reigning British Open champion, has arrived at Royal Birkdale, near Liverpool, bidding to become the first man to keep hold of the Claret Jug since Ireland's Padraig Harrington in 2008. 

McIlroy was disarmingly frank when asked about his golf legacy, telling a press conference on Tuesday: "I don't really care. I would like to think that the people that love and care about me think a certain way of me, but I'll be long gone. I'll be dead."

The 37-year-old Northern Irishman added: "I think it would be a pretty unfulfilling pursuit if you’re just chasing records and results.

"You have to enjoy the journey to get there. I've learned that the hard way at times by chasing results and records too much."

A year ago at Royal Portrush, Scheffler spoke in unusually revealing terms about how he endured a daily struggle with his constant desire for more success and questioned whether it was all worth it "to celebrate winning for a few minutes".

Nevertheless, the 30-year-old American went on to win his first British Open title and like McIlroy, he too referenced his own mortality when dismissing questions about his standing within golf during a separate press conference.

"I have never once thought about how I'm going to be remembered," said Scheffler.

"Like when I die: 'Hey, Scottie won four majors and 20 tournaments and he won this much money' -– that has zero effect on me.

"History to me just isn't that important. I don't necessarily want to be remembered for winning the tournaments, I'd much rather be remembered for the way that I did it.

"This is going to sound a little morbid: at the end of the day, I'm going to live my life, and it's going to end. 

"When it ends, I'm going somewhere else, and I'm not going to be here anymore."

Scheffler, realising he may have created another headline after his 2025 remarks, said: "Is that going to be a quote after last year's 'What's the point?’? This year: 'We’re all going to die."

The blockbuster clash shattered France's hopes of a third consecutive finals appearance as La Roja's structured play locked down Kylian Mbappé and the French attack.

In the 22nd minute, Spanish teenager Lamine Yamal drew a foul in the box from Lucas Digne. Mikel Oyarzabal stepped up and converted the penalty to put Spain up 1-0, marking the first time France has trailed in this entire World Cup.

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Spain took command through their positional play after an even start, limiting France's chances and controlling the tempo.

France's defensive woes worsened in the 29th minute when William Saliba departed in the first half of the semi-final at Arlington, Texas, with an undisclosed injury.

Saliba was replaced by Maxence Lacroix in the 30th minute. 

Pedro Porro doubled the lead in the 58th minute after a one-two with Dani Olmo sent him through to finish past Mike Maignan.

Coach Didier Deschamps threw on Theo Hernandez and Rayan Cherki after the second hydration break in a desperate bid to get back into the match. But France could not find a way back into the game against solid opponents who refused to yield.

Spain, World Cup winners in 2010, will seek their second title against England or Argentina at New York/New Jersey Stadium on Sunday.

France had reached the past two World Cup finals, winning in 2018 in Russia and losing on penalties to Lionel Messi's Argentina four years ago in Qatar in an epic final despite a hat-trick from Mbappe.

[With inputs from Reuters]

It was at Wembley in 1966 that the Three Lions’ only World Cup final appearance came. Roared on by the home crowd, England beat bitter rivals West Germany 4-2 in the final for their only major trophy in history.

But on Wednesday, England will be up against Argentina to add the latest chapter to the most storied rivalry in international football.

The war over the Falkland Islands, known as the Malvinas in Argentina, in 1982 has continued to spark tensions between the two countries to this day.

The political ramifications often spill onto the field. Diego Maradona never shied away from admitting that the history between the two countries inspired him to jump high in the air at the Azteca and punch the ball into the England net for the ‘Hand of God’ goal.

That goal would have been ruled out today with VAR, but back in 1986, Tunisian referee Ali Ben Nasser failed to see Maradona’s hand, and a generation of England supporters still haven’t got over the pain of seeing their team go out to a blatant act of cheating.

But the 1986 quarterfinal was not defined by Maradona’s hand alone. It was also that magical left foot, his balance and poise, and that mazy run from his own half as he dribbled past four England outfield players before beating the goalkeeper to score the greatest individual goal of all time.

One man single-handedly elevated a game of football into mythic status with a combination of dark art and bewitching talent.

Now, 40 years later, it’s Lionel Messi, the illustrious compatriot of the late Maradona, who stands on the cusp of history.

At 39, Messi is redefining greatness, pushing physical boundaries to new limits as his eight goals and impact on the field have kept Argentina’s hopes alive of becoming the first team since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back World Cup titles.

On paper, England have the better team, but World Cup knockout games are not won on paper. This is where Argentina can be dangerous — even though they are struggling for top form and rhythm.

But what they still have is what most coaches would die for — an undying team spirit, with players ready to go to the end of the world for their hero, Messi.

Many of the younger members of the team, including Julian Alvarez, were children when Messi became a global phenomenon in 2008.

Now, these players are giving their all in the Argentina shirt to ensure every World Cup knockout game does not become Messi’s last match.

On social media, an old photo of Alvarez emerged with Messi. The striker was only 11 when he got to pose with his idol during the 2011 Copa America in Argentina.

Eleven years later, in 2022, Alvarez’s sumptuous link-up play with Messi played a big role in Argentina winning the World Cup after 36 years.

It also ended Messi’s wait for the biggest trophy in his life.

Coming off an injury layoff, Alvarez was rusty at the start of the 2026 World Cup. But now he is growing into the tournament, with his stunning right-footed shot from outside the box sealing victory against Switzerland in a nerve-racking quarterfinal clash.

Messi will need Alvarez again in the semifinal to make those tireless runs to open spaces for him to weave his magic.

Even one moment of magic from the ‘Boy from Rosario’ could prove decisive.

England, on the other hand, will have to deal with public expectations of ending 60 years of hurt, the political drama surrounding this fixture, the shadow of the 1982 war between the two countries and the lingering national trauma of Maradona’s Hand of God.

But Harry Kane, England’s talisman, remained a picture of composure in the pre-match press conference.

“I think it’s not something you want to focus too much on, surrounding the history,” the prolific striker told reporters.

“That’s all part of it and that’s what you guys (in the media) will talk about, and the fans will be involved in.

“But from a player’s point of view, it’s us against a great team.”

Remarkably, Messi, who made his international debut in 2005, will play England for the first time in his career. The little magician was liberated from the shadow of Maradona’s cult status after finally winning the World Cup in 2022.

But the media in Argentina, especially an editorial in Clarin, the largest newspaper in the South American country and the second-largest in the Spanish-speaking world, reminded the football world that the legend of Maradona is challenging Messi again.

Can he rise to the occasion like Maradona famously did in 1986 and drag Argentina over the line against England?

This fixture also has a history of violent tackles. It was in the 1966 World Cup quarterfinal between the two teams that the first unsavoury incident took place.

Antonio Rattin, who passed away recently, refused to walk off after being sent off by the referee. The Argentina midfielder, who spoke no English, claimed he did not understand the referee’s call and had to be escorted by policemen.

It was a game littered with fouls, which eventually led to the introduction of red and yellow cards in football.

Now the media in both countries have left no stone unturned in opening old wounds — from the Falklands War to Maradona’s Hand of God and David Beckham’s red card in the 1998 World Cup round-of-16 game.

Kane said all the right things in the press conference, but according to Tim Vickery, the South American football expert, ‘the atmosphere of the game will obviously contaminate it’.

Expect an ill-tempered game; the referee must be on his toes. And this game could not have come at a more critical time, with Argentina already under the scanner from the media and fans over FIFA’s alleged favouritism.

Pure football fans will hope the match is remembered for a moment of genius from Messi, or Jude Bellingham’s powerful runs and Alvarez and Kane’s elite finishing skills, not for any controversial VAR or refereeing decisions.

But in a Sharjah home, an Argentinian expat and his English wife have discovered how love can conquer hate and politics.

Their near three-decade-long marriage has also proved that football, at the end of the day, is just a game, even if it takes place on a stage as big as the World Cup.

In his own words, Jorge Ferrari, a veteran Sharjah-based photographer who captured the iconic tennis match between Roger Federer and Andre Agassi on the Burj Al Arab helipad in 2005, is a passionate fan of the Argentina national team.

But as Argentina prepare for their World Cup semifinal against England, he is chilled because his wife, Rebecca, is not going to tease him if Lionel Messi’s team bow out of the tournament.

“She is not very passionate about football, but she watches the World Cup, every England match. She supports her team, she doesn’t tease me if England win,” he said.

“So at home, we don’t really have any stories to share because there has never been anything remarkable.”

The couple, who met in Kuwait a few years after the iconic Maradona match against England in 1986, did encounter something unusual when the two teams played again in the 1998 World Cup.

In the round-of-16 clash, David Beckham was sent off for kicking Diego Simeone following a foul by the Argentine player, reducing England to 10 men against their fierce rivals.

England still managed to take Argentina to penalties after the score remained tied at 2-2.

But it was Argentina who won the shootout.

“I remember we were watching that match with a group of English fans. We used to always hang out with them on the weekends. I was trying to be at my best behaviour. Not screaming when Argentina scored the goals. It was not just my wife, she is always cool, but as I was with all the English friends, so I was very careful,” Ferrari said.

“But when Argentina won, all of them left without uttering a word, they didn’t say anything to me. The hosts, who were also English, went to their bedroom. I was left alone with my wife. We left quietly. We remained good friends with all those people, but that moment was so awkward.

“So since that day, I never watch a match with anyone else. I always watch it at home. My wife joins me if it’s not very late at night. She is always cool, she supports her country, but she doesn’t go mad when they win or when they lose. And she always tolerates me, that’s why home is the best place for me whenever Argentina plays a World Cup match.”

Rebecca, a big fan of former England striker Gary Lineker, comes from a small town in the southwestern part of England where there is no big local club.

“My hometown in Cornwall is not very passionate about football. Of course, everyone supports England and watches the World Cup. Football overall in England is very big, and people are very passionate. But once I went to the stadium in Argentina for a club match, the atmosphere, the passion, was incredible. It was something that I had never witnessed before,” Rebecca recalled.

“And my husband is very passionate about football. When Argentina won the World Cup four years ago, we were watching at home, me, my daughter and my husband. And when they won the final (against France), I turned around to check on him. I thought he had a heart attack.

“He just collapsed on the sofa, he was just lying on the sofa, and I asked him, ‘What’s wrong with you?’ And he then got up and started screaming and jumping around. It was incredible.”

Ferrari and Rebecca will be watching Wednesday’s semifinal from the comfort of their living room.

“I was talking to our three children. One of them is in Saudi Arabia and the other two are in Australia. I told them that on Wednesday, they must choose their favourite parent. It was just banter!”

When the final whistle blows on Wednesday, one team will jump for joy and the other will drop to their knees. But Ferrari and Rebecca have proved that even the result of international football’s greatest fixture can never be bigger than the deep connection they share.

The request was approved, bringing one of football's most enduring superstitions back into the spotlight.

Argentina's dark blue shirt has become much more than an alternate kit. For many supporters, it is part of the country's football folklore, forever associated with some of the nation's greatest World Cup triumphs over England.

The belief comes from a remarkable pattern. Every time Argentina have beaten England at the FIFA World Cup, they have done so wearing the dark blue shirt. Every time they have lost, they have worn their traditional striped home kit.

Even England manager Thomas Tuchel admitted he understood the decision.

"I would have done the same if there was any superstition combined with it."

Tuchel added that superstition remains a normal part of elite sport.

"We have, of course, also our lucky charms, and these things are just normal in high-level sport."

Here's a look at every FIFA World Cup meeting between Argentina and England, and how every victory over the Three Lions came with Argentina wearing their now-famous dark blue shirt.

1. 1966 World Cup Quarter-final

England 1-0 Argentina:

Argentina wore their traditional sky blue and white striped shirt in their first World Cup meeting with England.

Geoff Hurst scored the winner after captain Antonio Rattín's controversial red card, handing Argentina their first World Cup defeat to the Three Lions.

2. 1986 World Cup Quarter-final

Argentina 2-1 England:

Argentina switched to their dark blue shirt and produced one of football's most iconic victories. Diego Maradona scored both the "Hand of God" and the "Goal of the Century" to send Argentina through.

3. 1998 World Cup Round of 16

Argentina 2-2 England (Argentina won 4-3 on penalties):

Wearing dark blue once again, Argentina knocked England out after a dramatic draw that featured David Beckham's infamous red card before winning the penalty shootout.

4. 2002 World Cup Group Stage

England 1-0 Argentina:

Back in their traditional striped home shirt, Argentina were beaten by David Beckham's first-half penalty and were eventually eliminated in the group stage.

5. 2026 World Cup Semi-final

Argentina 2-1 England:

After requesting permission to wear their dark blue shirt once again, Argentina came from behind to defeat England and book their place in another World Cup final.

Coincidence or superstition, the pattern is undeniable.

Argentina have now faced England five times at the FIFA World Cup, winning every match in their dark blue shirt and losing every one in their traditional sky blue and white stripes.

Whether the jersey really is lucky is up for debate, but its place in Argentine football folklore is undeniable.

For the highly anticipated match, the Trionda Final was picked as the Official Match Ball. Created exclusively for the tournament's semi-finals, bronze final and final, its striking gold, black and white design celebrates the journey to football's greatest prize and all 16 Host Cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Beyond the blockbuster showdown on the pitch, many things will take place, including a star-studded Super Bowl-style halftime show for the first time in World Cup history. Here's a preview on what to expect before, during and after the Argentina vs Spain clash:

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Where and when

The event will take place on Sunday in the 80,663-capacity New York New Jersey Stadium, which previously hosted Norway's match against Brazil in the Round of 16.

Pre-show

The closing ceremony of football's biggest tournament, held every four years, will start with a pre-show 90 minutes before kick-off. It will feature performances from Laura Pausini, Nicole Scherzinger, Robbie Williams, and social media personality IShowSpeed. There will also be a special appearance by superstar Tom Cruise, bringing together some of the world's biggest names in music and entertainment for an unforgettable celebration.

Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award winner Jennifer Hudson will also deliver a special rendition of the United States national anthem.

Fifa said fans at the stadium will have an active role to play in the show and should plan to arrive early, as the closing ceremony begins at 13.30 local time, one hour and a half before the Argentina vs Spain match. The football governing body announced that more artists and special guests will be announced over the coming days.

Half-time show

A star-packed lineup of the first-ever World Cup final halftime show was revealed, with organizers confirming that the entire musical performance will last 11 minutes.

Canadian megastar Justin Bieber will join Madonna, Shakira and K-pop sensation BTS for the show. Coldplay's Chris Martin is curating the extravaganza, a first for a football World Cup final and one that has raised concerns over how long the game's halftime break will be.

The show, which will also feature characters from "Sesame Street" and "The Muppets," will support Fifa's Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative working to raise $100 million for children worldwide during the World Cup.

Also added to the lineup were Nigerian singer-songwriter Burna Boy and Venezuelan classical conductor Gustavo Dudamel.

Coldplay will feature in a collaboration with PS22 Chorus, an acclaimed choir of students from a New York public elementary school.

World Cup trophy

Following the final, the World Cup Trophy will be jointly presented to the winning team's captain by US President Donald J. Trump and Fifa President Gianni Infantino. "We will be together with the president enjoying the final and handing the trophy to the winner, of course, together," Infantino said.

Infantino has cultivated a close relationship with Trump, awarding him with a newly created Fifa peace prize at the World Cup draw in Washington last year.

Golden Boot contenders

Following the match, he player who scored the most goals in the Fifa World Cup will be awarded the Adidas Golden Boot. According to Fifa, if two or more players score the same number of goals, the number of assists (as determined by the members of the Fifa Technical Study Group) shall be decisive.

If two or more players are still equal after taking into account the number of assists, the total minutes played in the tournament will be taken into account, with the player playing fewer minutes ranked first.

As of now the top contenders for the Golden Boot are:

• Argentina's Lionel Messi (8 goals, 4 assists)

• France's Kylian Mbappe (8 goals, 3 assists)

• Norway's Erling Haaland (7 goals, 0 assists)

• England's Jude Bellingham (6 goals, 1 assist)

• England's Harry Kane (6 goals, 1 assist)

• France's Ousmane Dembele (5 goals, 2 assists)

• Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal (5 goals, 1 assist)

All contenders still have a chance to change this order as France is set to face England just hours before Argentins versus Spain final match.

Where to watch in UAE

If you're not prepare a footbal special night with friends on that day in Abu Dhabi, there's no shortage of venues offering everything from giant screens and fan zones to luxury lounges and cinema experiences. Read this Khaleej Times article to know more about where to catch the World Cup final in the UAE capital.

In Dubai, too, whether you're looking for a lively fan zone, a sports bar packed with supporters, or a premium dining experience with giant screens, the city has plenty of options for every kind of fan.

(With inputs from AFP)

“(Lionel) Messi is still shy now; he was much more shy when he was starting out and he finds himself there with a tiny baby in a plastic bath full of water. And with his mother. At the start, there was not much interaction. It was difficult for all of them. But, bit by bit, it started to happen and in the end, it’s a pretty good photo.”

In December 2007, Montfort took a photo of a 20-year-old Lionel Messi, who had begun his legendary Barcelona career just over four years earlier, and Lamine Yamal — who was just six months old.

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It was published in a 2008 charity calendar organised by Barcelona’s club foundation and Catalan newspaper Diario Sport, with the money raised going to charitable organisations including Unicef and different NGOs around Catalonia.

Members of the Barcelona squad were photographed alongside children. Hundreds of families collaborated with the initiative for a number of years and most of the photos have now been forgotten, outside of the families of the children who have treasured private memories.

It just so happens that Yamal, Barca’s teenage star of the future, ended up paired with the man who would go on to win the Ballon d’Or eight times.

The bathing photo, as well as a number of other images from the shoot, including one where Messi is seen cradling a baby Yamal in a towel and another where his mother Sheila Ebana helps wash her son, have returned to public view because one was posted on social media on Thursday night by Mounir Nasraoui, the father of Barca’s Yamal — the record-breaking 16-year-old who is starring for Spain at this summer’s European Championship.

“It’s something incredible,” Montfort says. “Back then, nobody could imagine that this baby would be who he is now — and you could not have known that Messi would become who he became, either.

“We are talking about 2007. Messi was only beginning at Barca then. Destiny plays an important role in these things.”

In December 2007, Messi had already won two La Liga titles and a Champions League, but was still just an emerging talent in a squad full of established stars including Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto’o, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol, Thierry Henry and many other household names.

“They gave you a list of players — 12: one for each month,” Montfort says. “You have to take your time. Often footballers come in and say, ‘Let’s go, let’s do it. I’m in a rush; what do you want to do?’.

“It can be a bit cold, especially in a photo where you need interaction between two people who do not know each other. Then, when one is six months old and the other is 20, it can get difficult, but it turned out pretty well.

“The mother helped a lot. Her presence was super necessary, so the baby did not feel it was too strange. You look for a tender image — something sweet and nice.”

Montfort says he always tried to make sure each family got a copy of the photos he took to keep themselves, especially in this case given the effort Yamal’s mother made to take him to Camp Nou from the town of Mataro, north-east of Barcelona.

“I’d always want to give them a photo; it makes them really happy,” Montfort says. “The player might not be too worried but the parents of the kids would be very excited. They lived in Mataro, 40km away from Barcelona. Not everyone would do that, with a young baby too. They would have to make the trip, then wait for the player to arrive; for everything to be set up.”

Six and a half years later, Yamal started to get the train regularly from Mataro when he joined Barca’s La Masia academy.

What makes Lamine Yamal such a special footballer?

His progress has been phenomenal: a La Liga debut aged 15 in April 2023, an international debut at 16 last September, and now Yamal is a key part of the Spain side which on Friday beat Germany 2-1 to make the Euro 2024 semi-finals.

“It’s a one-in-a-million chance that this could happen,” Montfort says. “It’s such good fortune.

“These days, it happens a bit more as people have their phones and share photos, but this is like the photo of Guardiola as a kid applauding (former Barcelona and England manager) Terry Venables being carried on players’ shoulders. When Venables died, Pep posted the image.”

This photo of a 15-year-old Guardiola, himself then a La Masia student and Barca ball boy, later a Barca player and coach, and now Manchester City manager, is from April 1986. Englishman Venables was then midway through his three-year spell as Blaugrana coach and was hoisted aloft by players Paco Clos and Migueli after the team came from 3-0 down and then won a penalty shootout in a European Cup semi-final against Goteborg. 

Montfort is still taking photos, these days for Madrid-headquartered Diario AS. He was surprised when a former colleague from Diario Sport contacted him after the photo of Messi and Yamal was posted and went viral.

“He asked me, ‘Was this my photo?’,” Montfort says. “I said ‘yes’. He sent me the photo and I asked him, ‘Who is the baby?’ and he started to laugh, and said ‘Lamine, Lamine’.

“He told me the father had put it on social media. In Sport, they could hardly believe it. They had just realised too.

“It’s been really surprising, all this. We take so many photos, so many images. Some of them will remain.

“For Lamine to grow up to be a footballer, and to have this photo, I’m just really happy it happened. It’s especially nice in today’s football, when so much is to do with money and power.”

Lamine Yamal hit global headlines when he made his Barcelona first-team debut on April 29, 2023, at the age of 15. A winger blessed with dazzling skills, Yamal had already drawn comparisons with Lionel Messi, Barcelona’s icon who left the Catalan club in 2021 after a glittering near two-decade-long career that propelled the Argentinian into the galaxy of all-time greats.

The La Liga spotlight was on Yamal, who came through La Masia, the famed youth academy of FC Barcelona where Messi honed his skills, as the teen prodigy was tipped to become the star of a club in transition.

Barcelona was also facing a crunch financial situation — unable to buy big names after a host of big names departed or retired.

It was against this backdrop that Yamal was beginning to show his incredible talent and a solid temperament as a footballer.

For someone so young, it was a rare combination to have at the elite level.

Yet, Lamine’s father, Mounir Nasraoui, who was born in Morocco, refused to get carried away by his son’s meteoric rise.

It was only after Yamal produced jaw-dropping performances for the Spanish national team at the Euro 2024, which included a sublime goal against Kylian Mbappe’s France in the semifinals, that Nasraoui finally revealed what the family had been hiding from the public for years.

As the Euro 2024 reached the business end with Yamal as the breakout star, Nasraoui shared an old photo of his son on Instagram.

Messi was bathing Yamal in that photograph taken in 2007 as Nasraoui dropped the caption: “The beginning of two legends.”

By 2007, Messi had burst onto the scene as a teenage phenomenon, but it took him 12 more months to become a goal-scoring machine.

Yamal was only six months old when that picture was taken as part of Barcelona’s charity calendar initiative in association with UNICEF.

Nasraoui kept those pictures as a secret until Yamal became Spain’s secret weapon in their 2024 Euro triumph.

Despite the obvious talent, nobody expected a 16-year-old to dominate the European Championship.

When Yamal’s string of outrageous performances took the breath away, Nasraoui finally dropped the Messi picture, sparking a tsunami of reels and videos on social media.  

Yamal has gone from strength to strength since then, playing big roles in Barcelona’s back-to-back La Liga titles in 2025 and 2026.

The youngster also inherited Messi’s iconic Barcelona number 10 shirt last year after signing a new contract with the Spanish club.

Despite an injury issue towards the end of the La Liga season, Yamal arrived in North America for the 2026 World Cup as Spain’s biggest hope.

He was brought on as a second-half substitute after Cape Verde, the third smallest country to qualify for the World Cup, frustrated the Spaniards in a heroic display of defensive football.

Yamal made those runs, but failed to unlock  Cape Verde's defence which held on for a famous draw.

The goalless draw was celebrated like a World Cup triumph in Cape Verde, a country of 156,000 people.

But for Spain, one of the top two favourites alongside France, it was a major blow.

Yamal, though, returned to start their next game against Saudi Arabia on Sunday.

Until he was substituted in the 64th minute of the game, Yamal was unstoppable on the field, scoring his first World Cup goal in the team’s 4-0 win, which put Spain’s campaign back on track.

The curly-haired player also made six attempts on goal overall, and completed a highly impressive 88 per cent of his passes.

Before kick-off, the Saudi fans taunted him with ‘Where is Yamal?’ chants from the stands at the Atlanta Stadium.

Yamal responded with one message: “I am here” with a picture of him on Instagram celebrating his goal in the match.

While it’s intriguing to see the Yamals' love affair with Instagram, what is even more fascinating is that the sport’s brightest young talent also eclipsed Messi’s World Cup record on Sunday.

Yamal’s first World Cup goal came at the age of 18 years and 343 days. Messi, on the other hand, was 18 years and 357 days old when he scored his first World Cup goal in 2006, almost a year before Yamal was born.

Incredibly, Messi had to wait until he turned 35 to lift the World Cup trophy in 2022.

Yamal may not have to wait that long to win football's biggest prize. The incredibly talented Spanish team, with Yamal as the fulcrum, have what it takes to go all the way in North America.

Pogacar stormed to another dominant stage victory on France's Bastille Day national holiday to extend his overall lead to more than three and a half minutes.

It was his 24th stage win since his debut Tour in 2020 and leaves the four-time overall winner with his largest ever lead at this stage of the three-week race.

But he faced some boos on the mountainous roads around the central Cantal region.

"Haters gonna hate, it's always like this, even though (in) cycling (there) is not as much as... in tennis or football there is much more booing and going against one team or one player," said the 27-year-old Slovenian.

"If they boo me on the road, they actually boo the whole bunch because you don't know who it is, because we pass all together.

"I always think about tennis, Novak Djokovic, how great a mentality he has.

"He had one of the toughest careers about this, about getting boos and unnecessarily, because he's the greatest.

"When someone is booing, I look up to Novak Djokovic and think about him."

Djokovic was most recently booed on the Wimbledon Centre Court after smashing a ball in frustration having lost a point and his serve.

Pogacar insisted that those jeering him were just a tiny minority. 

"In cycling, it's actually not so much booing, it's like 99 percent of people are cheering for everybody," he said.

"When you see the kids, you can see that there is a family of kids and they are wearing different jerseys.

"One is wearing Visma, one is wearing Groupama and one is wearing UAE and you can see that they have their favourites, but it's in the family and it's really nice to see.

"Cycling fans are the greatest between all the sports, so we should be happy and grateful for all the fans and to all the booers that are there, I think they just give more boost to my teammates and they put wood on the fire."

'Tadej on a different level'

As for his huge lead, Pogacar said he was still wary about the high mountain stages yet to come, particularly in the Alps in the final week.

"The (way) the Tour so far was laid out (was) really good for our capabilities of the team," said Pogacar.

"That was our advantage (in) the first 10 days and we will see when the big mountains come, like Alpe d'Huez or Markstein.

"I hope that my form will be also good for this kind of days, but I think for sure the competitors will be also ready for the big mountains.

"I need to be really focused and not to get too ahead of myself and keep calm and think about that anything can happen in one day and one day you can lose 30 minutes easily."

As for his rivals, for some the Tour is already over and the real battle is for the minor placings with Jonas Vingegaard in second just over a minute and a half ahead of Isaac Del Toro in seventh.

"Tadej for now is on a different level and he's basically doing a different race than us," said Spaniard Juan Ayuso, who moved up a place to fourth and took the best young rider's white jersey off Del Toro.

"It's nice to be back in the jersey," he added.

"Every day you have to give the best you have because we're seeing that there's five or six riders that we're aiming for two spots on the podium.

"So it's going to be a really, really hard battle to be on that podium in Paris."

He is just one place and 13 seconds ahead of teenage French debutant Paul Seixas.

The 19-year-old gained eight seconds on Ayuso but said that he was not even thinking about the white jersey.

"There is a long way to go in the Tour, you have to be able to not do something silly and everyone was on their limit," he said.

"I wasn't even thinking about what I needed to take the white jersey, I was just fighting to stay with that group."

World champion Pogacar won his third stage at this year's Tour -- and for the third time on Bastille Day -- to extend his lead over Jonas Vingegaard to more than three and a half minutes.

It is the largest gap Pogacar has ever had over his rivals at this stage of the race.

It was also the four-time champion's 24th stage victory at the Tour, moving the UAE Team Emirates rider to within one win of Frenchman Andre Leducq -- who twice won the Tour in the 1930s -- in fourth in that list.

And even some jeers from the side of the road did not detract from his enjoyment.

"Today was an incredible day. The team did a super good job," said the 27-year-old Slovenian.

"We targeted this stage since a long time ago and it also happens that two years ago Jonas beat me in the sprint fair and square."

That was two years ago, and the last time that Vingegaard beat Pogacar in a battle to win a stage.

"I didn't know I'm gonna win until the last kilometre and then I remember it's Bastille Day and I try to honour the yellow jersey," added Pogacar.

"And thanks to all the fans that they came today to the road and it was an amazing atmosphere, even though (there was) some booing.

"All the guys that were booing, they give us more power."

Vingegaard wilts

The reigning champion exploded into action 15.5km from the finish of the 166.6km stage in the Cantal mountains -- and area of extinct volcanoes -- and quickly opened up a decisive lead.

Behind him, the battle was for the minor placings -- both on the day and in the overall standings.

Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel dug in to finish second on the day, 32sec behind Pogacar, with French teenage hope Paul Seixas pipping Florian Lipowitz to third place two seconds later.

"It was an extremely hard day and being able to take third place on a day for the Tour's toughest guys is brilliant," said Seixas, who moved up to fifth overall.

Vingegaard wilted on the uphill drag to the finish line and came home seventh at 44sec.

He is now 3min 36sec behind Pogacar with Evenepoel climbing to third overall another 30sec back.

Pogacar's team-mate Isaac Del Toro was the biggest loser on the day, dropping from third to seventh overall after finishing the stage eighth at 1min 31sec.

However, behind Pogacar the battle is intense with just over a minute and a half separating Vingegaard from Del Toro, and only 38sec separating Evenepoel from his Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe team-mate Lipowitz in sixth.

It took about 50km for the day's breakaway to form as Mads Pedersen's Lidl-Trek team set a furious pace to set him up for the intermediate sprint, where he extended his lead in the green sprinters' jersey competition.

A 31-man group did get away but soon it was Spaniard Javier Romo who went solo for around 50km before Pogacar's UAE Emirates-XRG team reeled him in with 38km left.

That was also the signal for former Giro d'Italia winner Richard Carapaz to launch his bid for victory on the 7.8km-long Puy Mary climb.

He stretched that out to around a minute and a quarter on the rapid descent to the key 4.4km-long and punishingly steep Col de Pertus but once Pogacar launched his blistering attack just over a kilometre from the summit of that climb, the final result was never in doubt.

He flew past Carapaz 250m from the summit and crested that with a lead of 20sec over a group including Vingegaard, Evenepoel, Seixas, Lipowitz and Spaniard Juan Ayuso.

By the foot of the descent, Pogacar had a lead of around 16sec on the chasers, but he was simply too strong for them to close that and even eked out more time to the finish.

Captain Shubman Gill top scored with 80, before retiring hurt with his side needing 110 runs from 24.2 overs, and Axar Patel hit 57 as they reached their target of 259 comfortably on a balmy evening.

Washington Sundar (52) wrapped up the match with a flourish, hitting a six that also brought up the 100 partnership with Patel, for a final score of 262-4 off 45.2 overs.

Patel had earlier taken four wickets in a man-of-the-match performance by the left-arm spinner.

"The way the T20 series went, I think this is the perfect start for us," he said.

Top-order batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli had both gone cheaply, the first caught by England captain Harry Brook for 11 and the latter dismissed lbw for five to Jofra Archer, but rising hopes of a home victory were soon dispelled as the runs piled up.

Gill said he had suffered cramp but was already feeling better: "I wanted to finish the job for the team but I had to come out. Very glad with the result," he added.

England had started the day by winning the toss and opting to bat but lost both openers and Brook in the space of six balls to slump to 64-3 after a 61-run opening stand.

Jacob Bethell was first out, caught by a diving Washington Sundar off Gurnoor Brar, and fellow-opener Ben Duckett (43) followed two balls later when he was caught by Jasprit Bumrah on the boundary.

Brook was caught for one by Rohit at slip off Bumrah's first delivery of his second spell, with Jos Buttler coming to the crease in his 200th ODI.

Buttler went for five, caught by Brar off Prasidh Krishna, and England were reeling after Sam Curran was out for a duck at 80-5.

The collapse continued when Will Jacks was caught one-handed by a diving KL Rahul but Liam Dawson and Joe Root, dropped on seven by Shivam Dube, dug the home side out of a hole with a 121-run partnership.

Dawson departed for 68 off 83 balls, his highest score in international cricket, while Root battled on to 76 not out.

Nottinghamshire seamer Josh Tongue, making his ODI debut, was bowled middle stump by Patel with 13 balls remaining to close out England's innings.

"I think we lost five for 20 in that middle period, which is always going to put us on the back foot," said Brook. "We would have definitely liked to have played slightly better in that period of the game."

The match was England's first since Brendon McCullum was sacked as head coach of the test team, with the series useful preparation for next year's World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

Two more ODIs follow, in Cardiff on Thursday and at Lord's on Sunday.

Few World Cup rivalries have produced so many moments that transcend sport, becoming part of the political and cultural history of two nations.

As England and Argentina prepare to meet in the World Cup semi-finals on Wednesday, Reuters tracked down eyewitnesses who were inside the stadium for each of those defining incidents.

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Across six decades, they recall the anger, disbelief, jubilation and heartbreak of matches that helped forge one of football's fiercest rivalries, offering a rare first-person account of occasions that still echo far beyond the final whistle.

1966 - Argentine Rex Gowar

Rex Gowar was born and raised in Argentina, and finished secondary school in England. In the summer of 1966, along with two friends, he bought tickets for the World Cup quarter-final at Wembley.

"We just wrote away for tickets, it was so easy and so cheap back then," Gowar said.

"We knew England would be playing, but when we bought them we weren't certain it would be against Argentina."

The game's turning-point came in the first half when Argentina midfielder Rattin was sent off, with the game held up for several minutes as he refused to leave the pitch.

"We were all so surprised by what happened," Gowar said.

"Rattin was haranguing the referee all the time, asking for explanations of why he kept blowing against Argentina for fouls.

"We were behind the goal, where the teams came out, so when Rattin eventually sauntered off, he passed in front of us before going down the tunnel.

"The abiding memory of that match was the English manager Alf Ramsey calling the Argentines animals, and there's a picture of him stopping one of his team changing shirts with an Argentine player."

Geoff Hurst scored England's goal in the 1-0 win, and they went on to win the World Cup.

1986 - Photographer Gary Hershorn and Reporter Rex Gowar

The sides met in another quarter-final 20 years later. The game at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City came four years after Argentina and Britain fought a war over the islands known by the British as the Falklands and Argentines as the Malvinas.

Gary Hershorn was covering his first World Cup as a photographer.

"It was in everybody's mind that there was a bigger geopolitical scale to this game than any other we covered during that World Cup," Hershorn said.

Maradona scored two goals in quick succession early in the second half, and the first is one which England and the world have never forgotten, but many of those who were there failed to spot the "Hand of God" incident.

"Unfortunately, I was at the opposite end to where it happened," Hershorn said.

"So I didn't get to see it or photograph it. In the moment when it happened, I wasn't aware of it, not until after the game when I went back into our dark room did I have a sense that something big had happened."

Gowar was there as a Reuters reporter.

"I was way up in the press box and I missed it," Gowar said.

"I mean, I could have seen it, I was looking in that direction. It was all so quick.

"But a colleague beside me said 'that was with his hand'. I think some people saw it straight away, but it was so sudden."

For Hershorn the moment is a bittersweet memory.

"I had a terrific run with Maradona," he said.

"I took a lot of really nice pictures of him over the course of the World Cup, but that one play was always a regret for me having actually not had anything."

Gowar, meanwhile, was the person who relayed Maradona's words to the world.

"A bunch of journalists went down to the changing rooms, but I couldn't get in there," he said.

"An Argentine colleague passed me the quote, saying, 'This is what he's just said' so I went to the desk and they said, 'write it up, quick'.

"There was some excitement about the quote — 'a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God' — in our newsroom, but the extent to which it would become a sort of ongoing narrative, I don't think I thought that at the time."

Argentina won 2-1 and went on to lift the trophy.

1998 - Nigel Martyn, England's reserve goalkeeper

Martyn was on the bench when the sides met in the last 16 in St Etienne.

"I remember it just being a really important game that we were focused on winning," Martyn said.

"I think the feeling of rivalry was being more whipped up by the media."

The first half ended 2-2, and Beckham was sent off just after the break for kicking out at Diego Simeone. England went on to lose on penalties, with media and fans laying the blame at Beckham's feet.

"I felt that it was unjust because there really wasn't much in it, certainly not enough for a red card," Martyn said.

"I think it was very harsh some of the things that were said and written. He cared about the team and was crestfallen by getting sent off and us getting knocked out of the tournament."

England did have the upper hand when the sides met again four years later and Argentina failed to advance from the group stage.

"The 2002 World Cup game against them felt a lot more of a grudge match," Martyn recalled.

"And beating them 1-0 with a Beckham penalty felt like revenge."

In Weston McKennie, Chris Richards, Ricardo Pepi and Alejandro Zendejas, the Frisco-based outfit produced a quartet that underlined the organisation's reputation as the leading talent factory in Major League Soccer.

"We're a big believer in domestic talent," FC Dallas president Dan Hunt tells Reuters. "And we want to try to help not only FC Dallas win, but the national teams win.

"Because without a strong national team, I really think it hurts the domestic league too. So we stay true to who we are."

All four players featured during the US' run to the last 16 but it is Dallas' status as the venue that hosted the largest number of World Cup matches across the tournament's 16 venues that points to the potential of an even brighter future.

Dallas Stadium will host its ninth and last World Cup match on Tuesday when France face Spain in the tournament's first semi-final, bringing an end to more than four weeks of festivities.

"We're so thankful that we had nine games and we've had unbelievable matches here," says Hunt, who also served as co-chair of the North Texas World Cup organising committee.

"I mean, that England-Croatia game. Japan twice was amazing here. Argentina twice. Even having Cristiano Ronaldo's last World Cup game. I mean, these are just amazing things."

The Hunt family have been integral to the sport, both in the region and nationally, since Dan's father Lamar founded the Dallas Tornado in 1967.

A year later the team were one of the original members of the North American Soccer League, continuing in that competition until it folded in 1981.

The Tornado's deep roots and the ongoing investment in youth football through the existing MLS outfit, believes Hunt, are among the key reasons why the Dallas area consistently produces the country's best players.

"Sports are a big deal in Texas," he said. "Families are willing to invest, spend the time and effort to do it. We have the climate for it too, even though it gets hot.

"The reason why this is such a great youth soccer market goes all the way back to the Dallas Tornado, because a bunch of those players stayed after their days were done, started youth clubs.

"There are both boys and girls who coached at the local high schools or did camps and clinics.

"And so you have this huge ecosystem of teams where the games are so competitive all the time and they're always fighting and they push each other to be so much better."

Hunt is confident the system that produced McKennie and company has received a further boost from hosting the World Cup and can continue to develop players at all levels.

FC Dallas experienced growth in their youth teams by around 10% in 2025 with a further uptick of at least 7% expected this year as the impact of the World Cup drives interest in the sport.

The hosting of the tournament also led to work starting on the redevelopment of the club's Toyota Stadium, which was used as a training base by Sweden.

"You hope that this inspires the American Messi," says Hunt.

"You hope this inspires a kid that might not have picked soccer, who's this special athlete and has a special brain for the game to come play and hopefully play here at FC Dallas or at MLS teams, and we develop players like this.

"We keep developing more and more top talent here. I'm so excited about our next generation of young players.

"Really, the only thing that limits us is fields. We have, one way or another, between 40 and 55 fields under management. I could build another 100 and I could fill every single ground."

This year’s ICC Development Awards winners were selected from the regional nominees announced in June, recognising excellence across seven categories spanning development and participation, female cricket initiatives, team performances, digital engagement, and social impact.

The Emirates Cricket Board had an immensely successful year in 2025 and left the gala event with three prizes. The first of which is the Marriott Bonvoy ICC Development Initiative of the Year, which the Emirates Cricket Board claimed in recognition of its landmark Girls U15 Academy League. A first for the region, the initiative delivered impact far beyond the boundaries of cricket, creating opportunity, inclusion and belief for young girls who previously had limited access to competitive sport.

For a second year in a row, the Emirates ICC Female Cricket Initiative of the Year was shared by two countries as both the Emirates Cricket Board and Türkiye Cricket collected the honour.

In the UAE, the legacy of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 inspired a nationwide movement to grow girls’ cricket through the Interschool criiio Gulf Cup and the Emirates Cricket Board’s Get into Cricket – Girls Only programme.

The initiatives took cricket into schools, communities and emirates where opportunities for girls were previously limited or non-existent.

The Emirates Cricket Board also received the ICC Associate Member Women’s Team Performance of the Year award after the UAE Women’s team made history against Zimbabwe. In their first-ever series in the 50-over format after gaining ODI status, they played out a 2-2 series draw against Zimbabwe before winning the subsequent T20I series 2-0 to secure a maiden series victory against a higher-ranked Full Member nation on foreign soil.

“These awards are a massive encouragement for the Emirates Cricket Board management, officials, players and support staff. We want to thank the International Cricket Council for creating this opportunity and recognition for Associate Members who overcome big challenges to deliver such initiatives," said Zayed Abbas, ECB Board Member.

"The success of our initiatives has renewed our commitment, passion and vigour and we are more determined than ever to produce a series of similar initiatives in the years ahead.

 “The recognition that our women’s team has rightly earned has warmed our hearts and given us incredible motivation for the sustained growth and development of women’s cricket in the country. Our players have shown to the world their skills, abilities and determination to not only compete but to beat the ICC Full Members, which makes us immensely happy and proud."

Then lunch was served. Initially quiet at the table, the former Argentina fullback gradually relaxed into easy conversation, thawing the room with warmth and easy humour and drawing laughs from even the famously stern Capello.

Six years later, the understated coach from the small town of Pujato takes Argentina into a World Cup semifinal against England, one victory from a second successive final and a chance to lead Argentina to become the first team since 1962 to win back-to-back World Cup titles.

Back in February 2020 at the Bilbao summit, Scaloni was still best known as a former hardworking player who had built his career in Spain playing for Deportivo La Coruna and Racing Santander, with less memorable spells in England and Italy, before drifting into Argentina's national set-up after serving as Jorge Sampaoli's assistant at the chaotic 2018 World Cup.

Argentina's Round of 16 exit in Russia had pushed Lionel Messi away from the national team, exhausted by the old accusation that he could not reproduce his Barcelona brilliance in blue and white.

Scaloni was handed Argentina in no small part due to the fact that Mauricio Pochettino, Diego Simeone and others had declined the AFA's poisoned chalice.

Few then imagined Scaloni would go on to become one of the most successful figures in the country's football history.

Aided throughout by former players Pablo Aimar and Walter Samuel, Scaloni first coaxed Messi back. Then came the Covid-19 pandemic, the postponement of the Copa America and, eventually, the day in Rio de Janeiro that changed everything.

At the Maracana in 2021, thanks to Angel Di Maria's 21st-minute goal, Argentina beat Brazil in the Copa America final, ending their 28-year trophy drought and giving Messi his first major senior title with his country. It was the spark for the golden era that conquered France in the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar.

Yet Scaloni has never turned Messi or Argentina into a way of seeking vindication for his work. He conquered the world without appearing to believe he owned it.

That restraint has become part of his power. In a football culture often caricatured as extravagant or arrogant, Scaloni has built a side around emotional force without making himself the show.

"I'm not a coach because I like the 4-3-3," he said at a press conference ahead of the game with Switzerland. "I like to be in a group with colleagues, drinking mate, eating asado (barbecue), playing cards ... if you only think of the game you end up burned out."

He also represents an Argentine coaching school that has spread across South America and beyond. Eight of the 10 CONMEBOL teams in the most recent World Cup qualifiers were managed by Argentines, while six Argentine coaches worked at this World Cup.

Brazil, by contrast, suffered their second-worst World Cup finish, ending 11th after a Round of 16 loss to Norway. For the first time, no Brazilian head coach was present at a World Cup, with Brazil themselves led by Italy's Carlo Ancelotti. Before Euro 2024, former Barcelona and Brazil fullback Sylvinho, then Albania coach, told Reuters that Argentine players often think earlier and more seriously about their long-term development.

He pointed to Scaloni, once his rival in Galicia, recalling how the Argentine regularly travelled to Madrid with Sylvinho's Celta Vigo teammate Eduardo Coudet, now River Plate coach, to attend Spanish FA coaching courses while still playing.

That discipline helps explain the boy from a small agricultural town in Santa Fe and his relationship with work, fame and responsibility even after becoming a World Cup winner.

Scaloni has had every chance to become louder. Instead, he has kept stepping aside, allowing Messi and the players to remain the protagonists. His tears after Argentina's comeback against Egypt in the Round of 16, when they trailed 2-0 late in the second half, said plenty.

They recalled the image of him after Gonzalo Montiel's decisive penalty against France in 2022: motionless, hands over his face, as if trying to confirm that reality had not played a trick on him.

His greatest achievement, however, seems to be solving how to manage Messi without being consumed by Messi's figure and all the pressure that surrounds him.

Under Scaloni, Argentina became more than a side built around Messi. Instead, players seem to feel inspired and driven by their icon to become pillars of the same mission, brilliantly described by midfielder Leandro Paredes: "We work so that Messi's last game never arrives." Scaloni, typically, reached for perspective after Saturday's victory over Switzerland.

"This is nothing more than a football match," he said.

Match by match, the former defender once seated among more celebrated coaches has grown larger than them all.

So far, so good as they prepare to take on Lionel Messi's Argentina in the semi-finals.

The German has overseen a largely happy camp, dancing with his players in the dressing room in Mexico City after their battling win against the co-hosts.

But his tone changed following Saturday's 2-1 quarter-final victory over Norway, when he described his team as "lucky".

"The result is fantastic. The last four is amazing, but I'm not happy with the performance," he said.

That downbeat assessment drew a stinging retort from midfielder Jude Bellingham, who scored twice as England came from behind.

"Whatever, whatever," said the Real Madrid midfielder after a gruelling 120 minutes in the searing Miami heat.

The pair have a complicated history, but the exchange was a stark reminder that Tuchel will not shy away from speaking his mind.

The 52-year-old will not care that he has riled Bellingham, who has scored six goals and once again proved himself to be England's man for the big moment.

The Football Association knew who it was getting when it hired the former Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss to replace Gareth Southgate in 2024.

Southgate had reshaped the team during his largely successful tenure, breaking down barriers between players from rival clubs and forging a cohesive unit.

But his team never got over the line -- defeated in the semifinals and quarterfinals at the World Cup and twice losing in the final of the Euros.

Winner

The blunt and charismatic Tuchel arrived as one of the big beasts of world football, with league titles at PSG and Bayern Munich under his belt.

His crowning glory was Chelsea's 2021 Champions League win in Porto, where he outsmarted then Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.

Tuchel picked a team of "specialists" for the 2026 World Cup, raising eyebrows by leaving out a number of high-profile players including Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

He admitted he relished the pressure of making big decisions as was grilled on his choices.

The Three Lions arrived at the World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States as one of the favourites and so far the England boss has got his big calls right.

Substitute Anthony Gordon set up both goals for Harry Kane as England came from behind to avoid an embarrassing defeat against DR Congo in the last 32.

In the following round he threw on a clutch of defenders as his 10 men held out for a 3-2 win at the Estadio Azteca.

One of the enduring images from the game in Mexico was of giant defender Dan Burn clearing the ball again and again as Tuchel's team held firm, perfectly illustrating his ideal of a "brotherhood".

Tuchel started his first international coaching job in January 2025 after signing an 18-month contract.

The German said at the start of his reign that his aim was to add a "second star" to go with the one that represents England's sole World Cup success, in 1966.

He convinced his bosses that he was the man for the job and penned a new deal to lead the team to the Euro 2028 tournament in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

England have rarely hit the heights during the current tournament but have found a way each time and have made no secret of the fact they are here to win.

The next step is a tough test against a battle-hardened Argentina on Wednesday, before a potential final against France or Spain.

Tuchel is two games away from glory and ultimate vindication.

For Bachchan, the tournament has become more than just a sporting spectacle, turning his daily schedule upside down as he stays awake at odd hours to catch the action.

The actor, who frequently shares personal reflections on his long-running Tumblr blog, recently penned a heartfelt post about sacrificing sleep to follow the matches and finding himself increasingly drawn to the tournament’s underdog stories.

Known for documenting everything from film shoots and family moments to current affairs on the platform, Bachchan has cultivated a loyal readership that eagerly follows his daily musings.

The blog, which he launched on April 17, 2008, has become a daily ritual for the actor.

He has updated it every single day without missing an entry, offering fans a glimpse into both his personal life and his thoughts on everything from films and sports to social issues.

In his latest entry, the veteran actor admitted that the World Cup's unconventional match timings have left him with little sense of routine.

"The timelines and the idea of time has gone awry... the reason of course is the WC 2026... times to see are weird and makes our days even worse... but we see, we cheer, we have remorse," he wrote.

Beyond the sleep deprivation, Bachchan reflected on the drama unfolding on the pitch. He acknowledged feeling frustrated by what he described as inconsistent refereeing decisions but said the tournament's unpredictability is ultimately what keeps fans invested.

The veteran actor said he has especially enjoyed seeing teams that few expected to progress rise to the occasion. While some of football's most recognised sides have exited the tournament, others have taken their chance to surprise fans and gain well deserved recognition.

"Most of the renowned and well known football countries have, with great regret, lost... but I am elated by the fact that those we never imagined have given fight and gained recognition," he wrote, adding that fans never truly know who the best team is until the final whistle.

The actor also found himself fascinated by the unique dynamic of international football, where players who spend much of the year competing against one another at club level must quickly unite in pursuit of a common goal.

Comparing it to the Indian Premier League, he noted that cricketers similarly set aside franchise rivalries when they don the Indian jersey.

"Like in IPL, the players play for different team franchises and become competitors. But when they are all put together for the national team they are one," he observed, adding that such unity "needs character."

Another aspect of the tournament that impressed Bachchan was the emergence of exceptionally young players performing under immense pressure. Seeing teenagers represent their countries on football's biggest stage prompted him to reflect on his own youth.

For Bachchan, it was also a reminder of how rapidly the world has evolved, creating opportunities that previous generations could scarcely have imagined.

Reflecting on the pace of change, he wrote that while older generations often look back with curiosity about what might have been, there is comfort in knowing today's youth will experience possibilities still to come.

Ending his post on a lighter note, Bachchan stepped away from football to appreciate something much simpler, a rare sunny day in Mumbai after weeks of gloomy weather.

"There is a bit of Sun out around where I live and I need to soak in whatever little I can... have not seen the Sun for months... so... happy sunshine," he signed off.

As the team's aircraft arrived at Oslo Airport, it was greeted with a ceremonial water salute from airport fire trucks.

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Fans and airport employees lined the arrival area, waving Norwegian flags. Airport staff were also seen waving flags from inside the terminal, atop fire trucks and from elevated airport service platforms, creating a patriotic welcome across different parts of the airport.

One particularly touching moment saw a young boy holding a handwritten sign reading, "Takk for innsatsen," which translates to "Thank you for your effort."

The players were later seen disembarking the plane smiling and waving to the crowd gathered to welcome them home.

Social media users praised the team's achievements, with one comment reading: "You guys won the World Cup no matter who gets the trophy."

Later that day, heartbreak gave way to celebration as around 100,000 fans flooded the streets of Oslo to welcome Norway's team home, transforming their World Cup exit into a remarkable national celebration.

Later that day, disappointment turned into celebration as an estimated 100,000 fans flooded the streets of Oslo to welcome Norway's team home, transforming their World Cup exit into a remarkable national celebration.

The Norwegian Royal House later shared photos from the special reception.

The team's open-top bus parade through central Oslo was repeatedly slowed by the sheer size of the crowds. At one point, the bus was even forced to reverse as police escorts struggled to clear a path.

Undeterred, the players soaked up the atmosphere, waving to supporters and celebrating as the festivities continued well into the evening.

Hours after the parade began, it reached City Hall Square, where tens of thousands of fans were still waiting to greet the team.

"I don't think anyone had imagined this," captain Martin Ødegaard told Norwegian broadcaster NRK. "The support we have received in the USA and here at home in Norway has been beyond all expectations. It has been absolutely incredible to see."

The celebrations ended on the steps of the Royal Palace, where the squad performed one final "Viking row" with the crowd below. Crown Prince Haakon took his place on the drums, leading tens of thousands of fans in a fitting finale to an unforgettable homecoming.

Despite falling short of lifting the trophy this time, the extraordinary welcome made one thing clear: Norway's players returned home as heroes.

It won't be the last World Cup for this team they'll be back, chasing another chance to make history.

In Peru, hundreds of parents are naming their newborns after the prolific striker, reflecting the global impact of his rise to football superstardom.

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According to Peru's National Registry of Identification and Civil Status (RENIEC), 468 babies have been registered with "Haaland" as a given name, while 91 newborns received the full name "Erling Haaland." Another four babies were registered as "Erling Braut Haaland."

The registry said most of these registrations were made after the World Cup began, with the numbers climbing as Norway advanced through the tournament.

Haaland has been one of the standout players at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, scoring seven goals during Norway's impressive campaign and helping the Scandinavian nation become one of the tournament's biggest stories.

His performances, coupled with his widespread popularity on social media, have turned the 25-year-old into a global sporting icon.

The naming trend is the latest example of Peru's long-standing fascination with football stars.

RENIEC data shows that 33,809 Peruvians are named Neymar, making it one of the country's most popular football-inspired names.

There are also 3,402 people named Messi, 1,185 named Cristiano Ronaldo, 1,241 named Yamal, and 238 named Mbappé.

The phenomenon highlights how football's biggest stars continue to influence fans far beyond the pitch.

For many Peruvian families, naming a child after Haaland is both a tribute to one of the game's brightest talents and a symbol of the excitement generated by the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The Norway striker was spotted arriving home on Monday carrying what appeared to be a raccoon holding a drink, leaving fans baffled as photos and videos of the moment quickly spread across social media.

Many wondered whether it was real or just a toy or prop.

Haaland soon put the speculation to rest by sharing a photo on X posing with the taxidermy raccoon.

"It followed me home," the Norway striker joked in the caption.

Haaland later shared a video on snap revealing the collection of souvenirs he had brought home from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including a $750 taxidermy raccoon holding a glass bottle.

Fans quickly flooded the comments with amused reactions.

"The luckiest animal from the animal kingdom rn."

"Bro said, 'You're coming back home with me.'"

Among the items on display are two taxidermy squirrels, one wearing a hat and another holding a can. Alongside them is the now famous raccoon holding a glass bottle.

The collection sparked another wave of reactions from fans.

"That is such a Haaland move!"

"Such a Viking thing to do lol."

While most players return from major tournaments with jerseys, medals, or match balls, Haaland has once again shown he's anything but ordinary.

His quirky choice of souvenir has become one of the most unexpected off-field moments to emerge from the World Cup, giving fans yet another reason to talk about the Norwegian star.

Here's where to watch the final:

1. Palm Arena, Palm West Beach

If you're after a stadium-like atmosphere, Palm Arena is screening the final across multiple giant screens. There will also be food stalls, beverages from 5 pm to 7 pm.

Good for: Groups and football fans looking for a lively crowd.

Details

• Date: July 19

• Minimum spend: Dh250 per person for tables

• VIP beanbags: DH350 minimum spend

• Age: 21+

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2. Zenon Dubai, Downtown

For a more upscale experience, Zenon is transforming its restaurant, terrace, and lounge into an immersive World Cup venue. Guests can choose between indoor digital screens and a cooled outdoor terrace with a more intimate lounge.

Highlights

• Immersive digital displays

• Outdoor terrace with projector

• À la carte dining

• Complimentary valet parking

Where: Kempinski Central Avenue, Downtown Dubai

3. Belgian Beer Café, Grand Millennium Hotel Dubai

Expect a proper football pub atmosphere with DJs, face painting, games, and matchday food.

Fans can also enjoy:

• Beverage buckets from Dh120

• Dedicated sports menu with sharing platters, sliders, and wings

4. Footy Central, Emirates Golf Club

One of Dubai's dedicated football fan zones returns for the final.

Besides the match screening, visitors can also enter prize draws worth more than one million Qashio Points, redeemable for airline miles.

Ideal for: Football fans wanting a dedicated viewing venue.

5. Topgolf Dubai

If you want to combine the final with games, food, and beverages, Topgolf Dubai will also be screening the match as part of its Footy Central promotion.

Guests booking tables can enter the same World Cup prize draw.

6. VOX Cinemas

Prefer watching the final on the biggest screen possible? VOX Cinemas is broadcasting the World Cup final live in select cinemas across the UAE, including Dubai.

Good for: Families and fans wanting cinema-quality picture and sound.

7. Emirates Our Home FIFA World Cup Fan Zone

This dedicated fan zone offers several ticket options, including family seating, dining experiences, and VIP packages.

Ticket options

• Family experience: Dh200

• Dining experience: Dh300

• VIP: Dh600

• Diamond VVIP table for eight: Dh6,000

Part of each ticket value is redeemable on food, beverages, and merchandise.

8. The Huddle

One of Dubai's most reliable sports bars for major tournaments, The Huddle will be screening the final with multiple screens, food offers and its signature lively atmosphere.

Locations include Bur Dubai and Al Barsha.

9. Bla Bla Dubai

Fans wanting to watch by the beach can head to Bla Bla at JBR, where multiple screens, food and drinks combine with a relaxed outdoor setting.

10. Speakeasy, Sheraton The Walk

Football fans in JBR can catch the final at Speakeasy, where match-day sharing platters are paired with a beverage bucket. Options include a one-metre hot dog, an Offside Meat Platter or a Side Kick Veggie Platter, each served with a bucket for Dh230.

Where: Sheraton The Walk, JBR
When: July 19
Price: From Dh200

11. Reel Cinemas

For fans who want to watch the final on a cinema screen, Reel Cinemas is broadcasting the match live on July 19. The screening runs for around two hours and 50 minutes, with listings available at Dubai Mall and Dubai Marina Mall. English and Arabic commentary screenings are listed for 11 pm at Dubai Marina Mall.

Men in Blue are entering the match with three proper seamers — Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna and Gurnoor Brar, and a medium-pacer — Shivam Dube, who is playing his first ODI after almost two years.

Virat Kohli is returning to international cricket after almost seven months. He missed the home ODI series against Afghanistan due to a leg injury. The Three Lions had already announced their playing XI a day before the match and made no changes to it.

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At the toss, England skipper Harry Brook said, "We're gonna have a bat today. Looks like a good surface, don't quite know what's gonna happen, but we fancy our chances with the bat first. Hopefully, we can get a little bit of spin in the second innings."

Indian skipper Shubman Gill said, "We're looking to bowl first. Well, I think most of the boys have been playing the T20S, and the rest of the boys got a bit of rest; I had a bit of training. Got here a couple of days before, so we were practising. So the environment, the vibe has been really good."

On the return of the senior players, he said, "Yeah, definitely most of the seniors are back. We have got Virat Bhai, Rohit Bhai, KL and Boom back in the squad. So the experience is going to be massive for us."

The squad

England (Playing XI): Jacob Bethell, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook(c), Jos Buttler(w), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jofra Archer, Liam Dawson, Josh Tongue, Adil Rashid

India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill(c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Gurnoor Brar, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna.

Mbappe, who was substituted late in France’s 2-0 victory last Thursday, was partly rested during Monday's session.

The injury is not expected to prevent him from playing on Tuesday.

“Kylian is fine,” France coach Didier Deschamps told reporters.

Asked if Mbappe had trained, he added: “Yes, he trained. He is allowed to do 10 minutes in one drill instead of 15.”

Meanwhile, Deschamps insisted he still sees Spain as World Cup favourites on Monday ahead of Les Bleus' blockbuster semifinal against the European champions.

France take on Spain at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Tuesday in a match widely seen as a collision of the best two teams in the tournament.

While Deschamps' side have lit up the World Cup with a string of scintillating performances, Spain's campaign has built momentum gradually following a shock 0-0 draw against minnows Cape Verde in their opening game.

Deschamps, though, maintains that France -- beaten by Spain in their last two meetings -- will be the underdog on Tuesday. 

"Forget about the first game against Cape Verde," Deschamps said of Spain's campaign. "Ever since then Spain have confirmed that they are the favourites. 

"I don't want to add extra pressure to (Spain coach) Luis (de la Fuente) and their team -- he knows very well that people are expecting great things of Spain.

"But Spain can attack well, and they can defend very well. They've only conceded one goal in the last six or seven matches."

Spain coach De la Fuente meanwhile smiled when asked for his response to Deschamps' comments at an eve-of-game press conference.

"Since the beginning, I've always said that the fact that people say we're favourites or not doesn't mean anything," De la Fuente told reporters. "It doesn't. It's not decisive." 

"We are two great national teams facing each other, just as there are two great national teams facing each other in the other semifinal," De la Fuente added, stressing that his team was comfortable living with the pressure to succeed.

"Regardless of whether we're favorites or not, it doesn't mean create additional pressure," he said. "We have that pressure anyway. We want to do well for our country."

Deschamps meanwhile believes Tuesday's game has all the makings of a classic.

"With the quality of the two teams offensively, I think we could think that is going to be a spectacular game," he said.

Deschamps is also not overly concerned by the threat posed by Spain winger Lamine Yamal, who scored in La Roja's victories over France in the European Championship semi-final in 2024 and the UEFA Nations League last year.

"We know the strength of the opposing team. We have our own strengths," Deschamps said.

"Have I studied Yamal and his assets? Yes, he's one of the players that can really make a difference on the pitch. 

"And all opponents should try to limit the strength of the other team, but we have many solutions. 

"When it comes to a one-on-ones it could be tough. But having a one-on-one against some of my players is not an easy task either."

Deschamps confirmed that France captain Kylian Mbappe, who left the quarter-final win over Morocco late in the second half after taking a knock, was "100 percent" fit for the semifinal.

While husband David Beckham and fellow fans jumped to their feet in excitement, Victoria appeared to simply observe the match, barely changing her expression. Even after England secured the win, viewers noticed she never seemed to crack a smile.

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Comedian Jenny Johnson joined in on the fun by sharing a series of zoomed-in photos of Victoria throughout the match on social media, with the caption reading:

"I wanted to take a moment to single out England's number one fan, Victoria, Lady Beckham!!!! There's nothing like cheering your heart out for England from home, then they cut to Victoria and we see that classic Posh Spice smile! It's so infectious! I used to think I got animated while watching sports, but Victoria blows my enthusiasm out of the water! Each time I see her I shout, 'SPICE UP YOUR LIFE!!!!' because her energy is electric!!! See for yourself!" she joked.

David Beckham was quick to respond, playfully defending his wife while embracing the viral moment.

"She was celebrating inside, I promise. Her reactions were slightly slower than mine," he replied.

Fans quickly joined in on the fun, flooding the comments with jokes of their own.

"Cheering causes wrinkles, darling," one person wrote.

Another added, "If you're a true Spice Girls fan, you'd know those were VB's excitement expressions."

England's 2–1 victory over Norway was one of the tournament's most thrilling matches so far. With both teams battling until the final whistle, England ultimately booked their place in the next round.

While England celebrated a hard-fought victory, Victoria Beckham's signature poker face proved to be just as memorable as the action on the pitch, becoming one of the match's most talked-about viral moments.