01:31
cairo, gmt + 2
14 July
Tuesday, 2026
Mon, 13 Jul 2026 - 08:02 GMT
A day after overcoming Norway 2-1 in extra time to reach the last four, England found themselves preparing for a meeting with the reigning champions, adding another chapter to one of the World Cup's most enduring rivalries.
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Any further expansion of the World Cup, increasing the number of teams participating at the finals to 64, will be discussed after this year's edition, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said without providing any details.
England's reward for another display of resilience at the World Cup is a semi-final against old rivals Argentina, a fixture laden with history and one that offers Thomas Tuchel's side the chance to move within one game of ending a 60-year wait.
The use of technology has been at the heart of every major controversy at the tournament, including the saga around the red card for Folarin Balogun that drew in U.S. President Donald Trump.
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said on Thursday that Belgium would provide his side's sternest test yet in the World Cup quarter-finals, with his team having reached the last eight without conceding a goal.
A disappointed Morocco said they had hoped to progress past the World Cup quarter-finals, but had to accept they lost to a better team as France eliminated them 2-0 in Thursday's tie.
Morocco have no special plans for their World Cup quarter-final against France but know they will need to match their heavily fancied opponents in all departments, coach Mohamed Ouahbi said on Wednesday.
The Egyptian Football Association said on Wednesday it had approved a contract extension for national team coach Hossam Hassan after Egypt's successful campaign at the World Cup.
Egypt appeared on the brink of one of the tournament’s greatest upsets, leading 2-0 with just 11 minutes remaining against the defending champions before conceding three late goals to suffer a heartbreaking elimination.
The meeting is a rematch of the 2022 World Cup semi-final, when France ended Morocco's historic run in Qatar, but this time the North Africans arrive not as surprise outsiders but as a confident, gifted side who have been open about their ambition to win the tournament.
The shootout swung in Switzerland's favour when their goalkeeper Gregor Kobel saved Cucho Hernandez's penalty after Davinson Sanchez had earlier hit the crossbar for Colombia.
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