Round of 16:
Paraguay 0 - 1 France
Canada 0 - 3 Morocco
Portugal 0 - 1 Spain
United States 1 - 4 Belgium
Brazil 1 - 2 Norway
Mexico 2 - 3 England
Argentina 3 - 2 Egypt
Switzerland 0 - 0 Colombia (Switzerland win 4-3 on penalty kicks)
Quarter-Finals:
France 2 - 0 Morocco
Spain 2 - 1 Belgium
Norway 1 - 2 England (after extra time)
Argentina 3 - 1 Switzerland (after extra time)
And that gives us the following semi-finals:
France v. Spain
England v. Argentina
France (who won the World Cup in 1998 and 2018) will play Spain (who won the World Cup in 2010) at 2 PM Central today at JerryWorld in Arlington, Texas. France (who went to the final of the World Cup in 2022) and Spain (who won the Championship of Europe in 2024) have been the two best teams in the Tournament, and whoever wins today will be favored to win the Final on Sunday.
Spain and France met in the semifinal of the 2024 European Championships, and Spain won that game 2-1. But France has looked sharper in this tournament, and so they are slightly favored today. Here are the odds on the moneyline:
France: +135
Spain: +210
Draw (pays off if the game goes to Penalty Kicks): +210
It's a huge game in the relationship between France and Spain. If Spain wins this World Cup, they and France will both have two World Cups. But if France wins the World Cup, then they would have three World Cups and Spain would only have one.
France in glorious home uniforms -- blue shirt, white shorts, red socks. Spain in their alternate uniform; white shirt, dark red shorts with gold trim, white socks. The dark red looks almost like the maroon for Mississippi State.
ReplyDelete20 minutes: France 0 - 0 Spain
ReplyDeleteSpain has won a penalty kick! Mikel Oyarzabal lines it up -- and the kick is GOOD! Spain lead 1-0 after 21 minutes, and they are on their way to winning the 2026 World Cup.
ReplyDeleteThis is great news for neutral fans, because now France really have to attack, which will lead to a more interesting game.
ReplyDelete22 minutes: France 0 - 1 Spain
ReplyDeleteLatest odds on Polymarket:
ReplyDeleteSpain: 52 percent
Draw: 28 percent
France: 21 percent
Water Break: France 0 - 1 Spain
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time France has trailed in the 2026 World Cup.
ReplyDelete30 minutes: France 0 - 1 Spain
ReplyDeleteLatest odds on Polymarket:
ReplyDeleteSpain: 55 percent
Draw: 27 percent
France: 20 percent
35 minutes: France 0 - 1 Spain
ReplyDeleteAs expected, the game is much better now. France is trying to attack, and Spain looks extremely dangerous on the counter-attack.
ReplyDelete40 minutes: France 0 - 1 Spain
ReplyDeleteLatest odds on Polymarket:
ReplyDeleteSpain: 53 percent
Draw: 28 percent
France: 20 percent
MBappe has a breakaway down the left side, but the Spanish goalkeeper comes way out of the box to get his foot on the ball just seconds before MBappe does. Great defense there.
ReplyDelete45 minutes: France 0 - 1 Spain
ReplyDeleteThere will be six minutes of injury time at the end of the first half.
ReplyDeleteHalftime: France 0 - 1 Spain
ReplyDeleteLatest odds on Polymarket:
ReplyDeleteSpain: 55 percent
Draw: 28 percent
France: 18 percent
Spain dominates France from beginning to end and rolls to a remarkably easy 2-0 win.
ReplyDeleteSpain are worthy and easy winners, and they fully deserve their place in the final. They will not be easy to beat.
ReplyDeleteOf the semifinalists, the only ones I've visited are England and Spain, so those were my (mild) rooting interests. I loved England, and I liked Spain.
ReplyDelete