All posts tagged: World Cup 2026

Spain dethrone Argentina, Portugal slip

Spain dethrone Argentina, Portugal slip

Published by Webster

2 min readUpdated: Jul 21, 2026 12:16 PM IST The FIFA World team rankings have been rejigged at the end of the 2026 World Cup, with new champions Spain dethroning Argentina with their 1-0 win in the final at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. La Roja stormed to their second World Cup title after 16 years on the back of a 106th-minute strike from Ferran Torres, breaking Argentina’s hold on the trophy. Lionel Messi’s side thereby slid by a spot on the rankings, down to two, while France, who finished fourth at the World Cup, retained the No. 3 spot. England, who clinched the bronze medal match, beating France 6-4, held onto their fourth spot. ALSO READ |How Rodri won the Golden Ball with no goal, no assist, no defining stat Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal slipped out of the top five down to seventh while five-time World Cup champions moved up a rung to No. 5. Building on their historic semifinal run at Qatar 2022, Morocco surged to a program-best sixth in the global rankings. The …

‘What Spain do off the ball impresses me’: Thierry Henry on La Roja | Football News

‘What Spain do off the ball impresses me’: Thierry Henry on La Roja | Football News

Published by Webster

5 min readJul 20, 2026 04:00 PM IST With their 1-0 win over defending champions Argentina in the FIFA World Cup final in New Jersey on Sunday, Spain won their second World Cup to add another star to their jersey. With Ferran Torres scoring the solitary goal of the much- anticipated final in the 106th minute in extra time, Spain became the first nation to be the reigning World Cup champions in men’s and women’s football in the world.  The Luis de la Fuente-coached side had started its World Cup campaign with a 0-0 draw against Cape Verde with Torres missing an easy chance in the match.  Former France striker and 1998 World Cup winner Thierry Henry has termed Spain’s belief in their playing style as the key for their World Cup triumph and shared how everyone had written Spain off after the draw against Cape Verde.  Henry was initially asked about what other countries need to do to win the World Cup before he spoke about how Spain were good on the ball and …

The World Cup is over. Spain’s coaching revolution isn’t

The World Cup is over. Spain’s coaching revolution isn’t

Published by Webster

“The coach,” Johan Cruyff liked to say, “is the most important player in the team.” Nearly three decades after he transformed Spanish football, the 2026 World Cup felt like the ultimate vindication of that philosophy. Spain reached the final under Luis de la Fuente. Standing opposite him was Argentina’s Lionel Scaloni – an Argentine who earned his UEFA Pro Licence through the Spanish coaching system. De la Fuente, quite fittingly, had even been one of Scaloni’s instructors. ALSO READ | Ferran Torres extra-time strike dethrones Argentina; Spain crowned champions The subplot of the final was teacher versus student. Yet, that was only the latest exhibit in Spanish football’s extraordinary coaching revolution. Just weeks before the World Cup kicked off, the Champions League final had featured two Spanish coaches – Mikel Arteta and Luis Enrique. Unai Emery had won the Europa League. In England, Arteta’s Arsenal finished ahead of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. Luis Enrique had already guided Paris Saint-Germain to another Ligue 1 title. Look around the world’s biggest leagues and competitions, and Spanish coaches …

Mbappe pips Messi in Golden Boot race, all-time leading World Cup scorers’ list

Mbappe pips Messi in Golden Boot race, all-time leading World Cup scorers’ list

Published by Webster

3 min readJul 19, 2026 05:01 AM IST Kylian Mbappe created history on Saturday in the World Cup third-place match vs England when he scored a brace which helped him overtake Argentine legend Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race as well as the all-time leading World Cup goal-scorers list. Mbappe now has 10 goals in the 2026 World Cup, two more than Messi while he also has a total of 22 goals in the tournament’s history, one more than Messi’s 21. The Argentine icon will have a chance to overtake the French superstar on Sunday on both lists as he lines up to take on Spain in the World Cup final at the Metlife Stadium but for now, Mbappe rules the roost. He had scored eight goals to win the Golden Boot four years ago in Qatar, where France lost to Messi and Argentina in a penalty shootout in the final. Mbappe, however, couldn’t power his team to the bronze medal with France going down 4-6 to England as the Three Lions claimed third …

Cocaine, pistols and a World Cup final: Who is Slavko Vincic?

Cocaine, pistols and a World Cup final: Who is Slavko Vincic?

Published by Webster

On Sunday, Slavko Vincic will referee the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain. It will be the last match of his career. Vincic very nearly never got here at all, and not for any reason to do with a football pitch. On the night of 30 May 2020, police raided a farm outside Bijeljina, in Bosnia, as part of an operation against an alleged prostitution and drug-trafficking ring. They detained 35 people. Among them was Vincic, who says he had travelled to the town on business and accepted what he understood to be a lunch invitation. “I found myself on this ranch by chance,” he told Slovenian television afterwards. “I accepted an invitation to lunch, which turned out to be my biggest mistake. I have nothing to do with the group that was arrested and detained, nor do my business partners.” Police seized cocaine, ten pistols, body armour, and more than ten thousand euros in cash. A year later Tijana Maksimovic, identified by investigators as the operation’s organiser, pleaded guilty to a charge of …

Who is officiating England vs Argentina semis?

Who is officiating England vs Argentina semis?

Published by Webster

5 min readUpdated: Jul 15, 2026 05:11 PM IST The place in the World Cup final is up for grabs as the second semifinal is set for an epic and much awaited encounter between the defending champions Argentina and the high flying England. The match will take place at the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on July 15. FIFA has officially appointed American referee Ismail Elfath to take charge of this blockbuster game, as he has got a massive task on his hands to fairly conduct this showdown between two of the very best nations. England will enter the game after a big win against the sturdy Norway side in the quarters, thanks to another splendid brace by their star midfielder Jude Bellingham who cancelled out Andreas Schjelderup’s left footed cross-cum-finish to round off the day with a Man of the Match award in a tight 2-1 (AET) win. On the other side, La Albiceleste qualified for the semifinals for a second successive World Cup after a 3-1 (AET) victory over Switzerland. Alexis Mac …

Patrick Vieira rips into France after semifinal exit against Spain

Patrick Vieira rips into France after semifinal exit against Spain

Published by Webster

3 min readJul 15, 2026 02:12 PM IST Spain sealed their place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final with a commanding 2-0 victory over France in the semifinal on Tuesday night in Arlington, outclassing the two-time champions with a brilliant team performance. Former French midfielder Patrick Vieira did not hold back in his assessment of the defeat, criticising the collective display of Didier Deschamps’ side on the grand stage. “It was a big expectation for France to win the World Cup. We all are really disappointed by the result but mostly by the performance, because we needed our top players to perform today and they didn’t do it. It wasn’t one or two that were missing, all of them were missing. Collectively we were really bad,” Vieira said on ITV. Stars like Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, and Michael Olise tried all night, but the Spanish defence stood firm and kept them quiet for the better part of the game. Mikel Oyarzabal provided the breakthrough from the penalty spot in the first half after Lamine …

Meet officiating team for France vs Spain semifinal

Meet officiating team for France vs Spain semifinal

Published by Webster

The first semifinal of FIFA World Cup 2026, is set to take place as 2018 winners France will face Spain, who are looking to book their place in the finals since they won it the last time in 2010. The match will be played at the Dallas Stadium in Texas, USA on July 14. It has been confirmed by FIFA that El Salvador’s Ivan Barton will officiate the game between the two European sides. Last time’s runners up France enter this mouth-watering clash after defeating Morocco with a 2-0 win in the quarter finals thanks to goals from Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele. La Roja qualified for the semis after a tight 2-1 victory over Belgium, thanks to another late winner by the super sub Mikel Merino. The officials for this exciting contest are: Match Referee: Ivan Barton (El Salvador)Assistant Referee 1: David Moran (El Salvador)Assistant Referee 2: Antonio Pupiro (Nicaragua)Fourth Official: Glenn Nyberg (Sweden)Reserve Assistant Referee: Mahbod Beigi (Sweden) Know more about the referees for the France vs Spain semifinal Ivan Barton (Match Referee) …

It’s Muchachos vs Wonderwall in the battle of Arg vs Eng anthems, with the Falklands looming large

It’s Muchachos vs Wonderwall in the battle of Arg vs Eng anthems, with the Falklands looming large

Published by Webster

A schoolteacher in Buenos Aires, Fernando Romero, was cooking his breakfast when the lines gushed out of his mind: “I was born in Argentina, land of Diego and Lionel, Of the kids from Malvinas, which I will never forget.” He set the lyrics to the background score of a popular song Muchachos, composed by the reggae and punk nine-piece band La Mosca Tsé-Tsé at the stroke of the century. What Argentines refer to as Islas Malvinas and claim sovereignty over, are the Falkland Islands – a self-governing British Overseas Territory now, but also the cause of the 10-week war in 1982. Little did Romero then know that, in December 2020, a week after Maradona’s death, his song would become his country’s sporting anthem, rendered passionately by the fans in stadia, players in the locker room and by masses in the streets. Romero was not the first one to adapt the song which meant “Boys, we will get drunk”; several adaptations could be heard during club games in most stadia around Buenos Aires. But this became …

Spain have the best defence. France have the best attack. But this World Cup semi-final won’t be decided by either

Spain have the best defence. France have the best attack. But this World Cup semi-final won’t be decided by either

Published by Parlour News

On paper, Tuesday’s World Cup semi-final in Dallas, widely billed as the “final before the final”, looks straightforward. Spain arrive with the tournament’s meanest defence. France boast its most devastating attack. But labels rarely decide knockout football. This blockbuster between Europe’s two modern-day heavyweights will hinge on one thing: transition. Not possession. Not territory. Rather, what happens in the seconds after the ball changes hands — who reacts quicker, who exploits space faster, and who prevents the other from doing so before defensive shape is restored. France will take on Spain on July 15 in Dallas Where will the semi-final be won? France have never needed sustained spells of pressure in this World Cup. Almost every meaningful goal has followed the same script: win a duel, recover possession high up the pitch, then attack vertically. Three or four passes later, before the opposition can reset, the ball is in the net. Spain have taken the opposite route. They have conceded just one goal all tournament, against Belgium in the quarter-finals, because they defend by keeping …