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Only two games remain at the FIFA World Cup, with France and England battling for third place before Sunday’s final.
France and England meet in the third-place playoff, while attention is also turning to Argentina against Spain, where Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal are set for a generational showdown.
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Here is what to know:
What’s the schedule for the third-place game?
What are the predictions?
France and England have met three times at the FIFA World Cup. England won the first two encounters, beating France ۲-۰ in the ۱۹۶۶ group stage and ۳-۱ in the ۱۹۸۲ first group phase. France claimed the most recent meeting, defeating England ۲-۱ in the quarterfinals of the ۲۰۲۲ World Cup in Qatar.
According to the Opta supercomputer, France are favourites to win the third-place playoff. After running ۲۵,۰۰۰ pre-match simulations, the model gave Les Bleus a ۵۰.۷ percent chance of winning in ۹۰ minutes. England were assigned a ۲۵.۶ percent chance of victory, while ۲۳.۷ percent of the simulations ended in a draw after regulation.
What do we know about the final?
Spain and Argentina will face off in the final on Sunday, July ۱۹, at New York-New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, with kickoff scheduled for ۱۹:۰۰ GMT.
Spain are chasing a second World Cup crown, while defending champions Argentina are looking to secure a fourth title. Their most recent meeting came in a ۲۰۱۸ international friendly in Madrid, where Spain recorded a ۶-۱ victory.
US President Donald Trump is expected to attend the final and present the World Cup trophy to the winners.
The winners will also receive something new alongside the trophy and gold medals. For the first time, FIFA will award championship rings, a tradition borrowed from North American sports. Thirty customised rings will be produced for the winning squad, while another ۱,۹۹۶ collector’s editions will be sold to fans.
The rings will then be customised to reflect the identity of the winning team and individually fitted before being presented at a later date. One side will feature the World Cup trophy, while the other will carry details specific to the champions.
Organisers are also monitoring air quality after smoke from Canadian wildfires triggered health advisories across parts of the New York metropolitan area. So far, there is no indication Sunday’s final will be affected.
What other things are happening?
Tuchel’s tactics trigger backlash
England’s World Cup semifinal defeat to Argentina has triggered fierce criticism of Thomas Tuchel, with many accusing the German coach of repeating the mistakes that have haunted England for decades.
After England squandered a ۱-۰ lead to lose ۲-۱, British media questioned Tuchel’s tactical decisions, particularly his defensive substitutions. Headlines described it as the “same old story”, while critics argued the coach “just shrank” in the biggest moment.
Former England captain Gary Lineker also questioned whether Tuchel is the right man to lead the team, saying he was hired specifically to deliver a major trophy after years of near misses under Gareth Southgate. Like his predecessor, Tuchel has been accused of becoming too cautious after taking the lead, with many arguing his changes invited pressure and ultimately cost England a place in the World Cup final.
From bathtub to World Cup final
Nearly two decades ago, photographer Joan Monfort thought little of a charity photo shoot showing a ۲۰-year-old Lionel Messi bathing a baby in a plastic tub. Years later, that baby was revealed to be Lamine Yamal, creating one of football’s most remarkable coincidences.
The images, taken in ۲۰۰۷ for a charity calendar produced by Sport newspaper and UNICEF, have resurfaced ahead of Sunday’s World Cup final, where Messi’s Argentina will face Yamal’s Spain. In the photos, Messi gently washes the infant, whose family had been randomly selected through a raffle in the Catalan city of Mataro.
Monfort, who captured the pictures while working on assignment, said the coincidence still amazes him. “I never believed things were destined to happen, but I’m starting to have my doubts,” he told The Associated Press.
The story has become even more extraordinary given what followed. Messi went on to establish himself as one of the greatest players in football history before leaving Barcelona in ۲۰۲۱, while Yamal emerged as the club’s next superstar just two years later. Now, the pair meet on opposite sides in the World Cup final, completing a journey that began with a chance photo shoot nearly ۲۰ years ago.
Wildfire smoke disrupts World Cup final preparations
Spain’s preparations for the World Cup final have been affected by hazardous air quality caused by smoke from Canadian wildfires, with players training outdoors in northern New Jersey on Thursday under hazy skies.
Media were only allowed to watch the opening ۱۵ minutes of the hour-long session, making it unclear how intense the workout was. Meanwhile, Argentina remained at its training base near Atlanta after Wednesday’s semifinal win over England, avoiding the worst of the smoke because of its more southerly location.
The smoke, driven south from wildfires in northern Ontario, has prompted air quality warnings across parts of the US Midwest and Northeast. Health officials urged people to stay indoors or wear masks outdoors as pollution levels reached unhealthy to hazardous levels.
Medical experts questioned the decision to hold outdoor training in such conditions. Dr Courtney Howard, an emergency physician and Global Climate and Health Alliance official, said elite athletes should avoid exercising outside when wildfire smoke reaches hazardous levels, recommending indoor, air-conditioned facilities instead.
