Paraguayan senator demands apology from Kylian Mbappé for his response to her racist posts
France’s Kylian Mbappé scores from the penalty spot for the only goal of his team’s 1-0 World Cup victory against Paraguay on Saturday in Philadelphia.
(Matt Slocum / Associated Press)
A Paraguayan senator has deleted social media posts that included racist remarks about French soccer superstar Kylian Mbappé that led to Paris prosecutors opening an investigation into possible aggravated public insult and incitement to hatred or violence.
Celeste Amarilla, a 61-year-old senator from Paraguay’s Liberal Radical Party, indicated in an open letter to Mbappé on Monday that she regretted the comments she posted following Paraguay’s 1-0 loss to France in a World Cup knockout game on Saturday.
In the same letter, however, Amarilla threatened to take legal action if Mbappé did not retract and apologize for comments he made in response to one of her posts.
Folarin Balogun says his red card controversy ‘didn’t help’ U.S. at World Cup
U.S. star Folarin Balogun leaves the field after a loss to Belgium in the World Cup round of 16 on July 6 in Seattle.
(Ted S. Warren / Associated Press)
Folarin Balogun insists that the red card controversy surrounding him during the World Cup was not the reason the U.S. lost 4-1 to Belgium in the round of 16.
But, the breakout American star said Tuesday on NBC’s “Today” show, “it didn’t help.”
“As an athlete, you go into a game that’s already difficult enough with everything that goes on, the pressure,” Balogun said. “So to have more pressure, not just internally [but also] from almost the whole footballing world, was difficult. But it’s not an excuse. We were disappointed with the way it ended, but there’s still a lot to be proud of.”
News Analysis: Seven reasons why U.S. men’s soccer keeps crashing out of the World Cup
U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino waves to the crown after a 4-1 loss to Belgium in the round of 16 at the World Cup in Seattle on July 6.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Before this summer’s World Cup, FIFA asked the 48 participating teams to provide a list of songs to be played during warmups and goal celebrations and, if appropriate, after victories. On the U.S. list was John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” which quickly became the anthem of the team’s run through the tournament.
A more appropriate choice would have been the Buzzcocks’ “Sixteen Again,” because once again that’s where the Americans’ World Cup ended.
In the round of 16. Again.
This was supposed to be the year the U.S. broke through. With a roster full of players from major European teams and 13 who were World Cup veterans, a lack of quality and experience no longer were valid excuses.
How VAR, a system designed to correct errors, became this World Cup’s biggest villain
Croatia’s Igor Matanovic (20) kneels after his team lost to Portugal and was eliminated from the World Cup on July 2. After VAR review, the referee overturned a Croatia goal that would have tied the game and possibly altered the outcome.
(Sam Balkansky / Associated Press)
Croatia’s World Cup was seconds away from being over and Portugal was seconds away from the round of 16 when Ivan Perisic sent a long, desperate cross into the penalty area. The ball bounced off bodies like a pinball before magically, unbelievably, caroming into the net.
Gooooooallllllll!!!!
Fate had given Croatia a reprieve.
But as pandemonium broke out in the stands and on the pitch, Norwegian referee Espen Eskas stood in the middle of the celebration in Toronto, hand to his ear, listening to a voice half a continent away in Dallas.
The voice recommended a review, via the video assistant referee, or VAR.
Norway star Erling Haaland left the U.S. with seven World Cup goals and a taxidermy raccoon, sparking a run on the item
Norway’s Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring during a World Cup round of 16 game against Brazil on July 5 in East Rutherford, N.J.
(Frank Franklin II / Associated Press)
Erling Haaland is a character.
Hardcore soccer fans already knew that about the Premier League’s top scorer. Casual fans certainly found out during Norway’s run to the World Cup quarterfinal round, where they lost 2-1 to England on Saturday.
Case in point: After the team’s plane landed at Oslo Airport on Monday, the 6-foot-5 striker with flowing blond hair stepped out with a rather unusual carry-on tucked under his left arm.
It was a taxidermy raccoon clutching an empty liquor bottle.
Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal, stars of iconic photo shoot, to battle for World Cup crown
Lionel Messi, 20, helps to bathe Lamine Yamal, 3 months old, during a photo shoot in September 2007 in Barcelona. They will face off in the World Cup final on Sunday.
(Joan Monfort/Associated Press)
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The spotlight on Sunday’s World Cup final will shine brightest on two men, one playing the last game of his sixth tournament and the other the final game of his first.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi, 39, is arguably the greatest player in World Cup history, having played more games, scored more goals and collected more assists than anyone who has gone before him. If Argentina wins Sunday, he’ll match another record as captain of the first team to win back-to-back titles in 64 years.
Spain’s Lamine Yamal, who turned 19 on Monday, may be the heir to all that. He’s already scored 56 goals and won seven major trophies for club and country; Messi had 11 goals and four trophies at the same age.
How Spain ‘recaptured the spirit of 2010’ in its run to the World Cup final
Members of Spain celebrate after they defeated France in their World Cup semifinal match in Arlington, Texas.
(Eric Gay / Associated Press)
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — If something happened once, it can happen again. That’s kind of what Yogi Berra was getting at when he said “it’s like deja vu all over again.”
Berra, the late Yankee catcher and once New Jersey’s unofficial poet laureate, spent most of his life within walking distance of East Rutherford, N.J., where history could repeat itself all over again in Sunday’s World Cup final between Spain and Argentina. And that makes his words newly relevant.
Argentina and Lionel Messi, the reigning champions, will be seeking to become the first to repeat in 64 years while Spain will be playing in the title game for just the second time ever. And the similarities to its first trip, in 2010, are uncanny.
Searching for acceptance: How the World Cup drove Mexican Americans back to their roots
Brian Gutierrez, right, a Mexican American born in Illinois, played for Mexico’s national team during the World Cup.
(Natacha Pisarenko / Associated Press)
MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s improbable World Cup run ended Sunday with a loss to England, but it didn’t keep the team’s heart and tenacity from delivering one success:
A notable increase in Mexican Americans venturing south to reconnect with their roots, language and culture, according to longtime observers and travel figures.
The trend, which emerged long before the World Cup, gained intensity against the backdrop of uncertainty in the United States generated by what many see as an anti-immigrant climate fueled by the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.
Fans slam FIFA’s cooling breaks. Why the U.S. World Cup team doctor disagrees
Canadian head coach Jesse Marsch, center, speaks to his team during a hydration break during a round of 32 knockout match between Canada and South Africa at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on June 28.
(Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)
While it may not be remembered as FIFA’s most controversial decision of the 2026 World Cup, the institution of mandatory cooling breaks in all matches has been met with boos and derision, with critics saying the pauses disrupt the game’s flow and offer little benefit in air-conditioned environments.
“They’re in a dome here! Temperature-controlled, climate-controlled — why are we having a break?” fumed one England fan to a radio reporter outside the England-Croatia match in Arlington, Texas, where field temperatures inside AT&T Stadium approached a comfortable 70 degrees Fahrenheit despite an outdoor heat and humidity index near 105 degrees.
But for Dr. Bert Mandelbaum, chief medical officer for U.S. men’s soccer and vice chair of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s orthopedic surgery department, the breaks set an important precedent for prioritizing athlete health in extreme heat, even at the highest levels of competition.
Swanson: SoFi Stadium proves to be one of the biggest stars of the 2026 World Cup
SoFi Stadium hosted its last game of the World Cup on Friday, a quarterfinal victory for Spain over Belgium.
(David M. Barreda/Los Angeles Times)
Erling Haaland and SoFi Stadium, ladies and gentlemen. Your breakout stars of the World Cup.
We’ve all fallen for the blond forward who has rowed Norway to its first World Cup quarterfinal berth — and also for SoFi Stadium.
Or “Los Angeles Stadium,” FIFA’s designation for the $5.5-billion architectural masterpiece that welcomed the world to Inglewood.
I cover Rams and Chargers games there regularly, but the World Cup changed how I feel about the place. It has more soul now, more character.
U.K. urges FIFA to investigate Argentina over Falklands banner at World Cup
Argentina’s Giovani Lo Celso holds a banner with the words “The Malvinas are Argentine,” referring to the Falkland Islands, at the end of the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday.
(Rebecca Blackwell / Associated Press)
By Jill Lawless and Graham Dunbar
LONDON — The British government on Thursday urged FIFA to investigate Argentina’s team after players posed with a banner claiming sovereignty over the contested Falkland Islands.
Argentina beat England 2-1 in a World Cup semifinal on Wednesday in Atlanta.
During post-match celebrations, Argentine players held a banner handed over by fans in the stands, reading “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” — “The Malvinas are Argentine.”
What are your most cherished memories of the 2026 World Cup in L.A.?
(Photo illustration by Tate Rudisill / Los Angeles Times; photos by Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times, Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times, Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times and Kelvin Kuo / Los Angeles Times)
My favorite memory of the 2026 World Cup happened last month. By the late morning of June 18 in Koreatown, hours ahead of the Mexico vs. South Korea group-stage match, it was apparent that the neighborhood would be unrecognizable by kickoff.
I had heard rumblings about the Korean Festival Foundation’s watch party, but once I found out it would take place at Seoul International Park, I was almost dissuaded entirely. Although it is the beloved destination of my dog’s morning walks, its insignificant size and awkward location just off Olympic Boulevard didn’t seem appropriate for such a coveted event. So, I went to scout it out beforehand — and I almost couldn’t believe my eyes. There were already about 100 to 200 fans in the park, about six hours before the first whistle; laughing, drinking, lending a hand to vendor setups.
Spain delivers surprise rout of France, clinches berth into World Cup final
Spain players celebrate after beating France during a World Cup semifinal Tuesday in Arlington, Texas.
(Ashley Landis / Associated Press)
ARLINGTON, Texas — In a World Cup boasting a galaxy of stars, a lunch-bucket team of blue-collar everymen may wind up outshining them all.
Spain clinched a berth to the final Tuesday by smothering France 2-0 at AT&T Stadium, running its unbeaten streak to 37 games while eliminating a team that had run roughshod through the tournament.
And it wasn’t even close. France came into the game with 16 goals, second only to Argentina in the tournament, then failed to put a shot on goal in the first 81 minutes.
Magical Lionel Messi leads Argentina past England for trip back to World Cup final
Argentina’s Lionel Messi celebrates after teammate Enzo Fernandez scored against England in Atlanta on Wednesday.
(Rebecca Blackwell / Associated Press)
ATLANTA — The jury is still out on whether Lionel Messi is the greatest soccer player ever. But there should be no doubt he’s the greatest to ever play in a World Cup.
And you don’t need the records, the wins or the goals to prove that — although he certainly has enough of those. You just need to see Messi at his most magical, as he was Wednesday, setting up a pair of game-changing goals in a seven-minute span to lift Argentina to a 2-1 win over England and into Sunday’s World Cup final with Spain.
“It’s really hard to speak right now, but I’m going to try not to cry,” Lautaro Martínez, who scored the winning goal two minutes into stoppage time, said in Spanish. “I’m already overwhelmed inside. It’s incredible. Everything we’ve achieved is just incredible.”
World Cup championship and third-place game: Start times and how to watch
Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal celebrates after scoring on a penalty kick against France in the World Cup semifinals on Tuesday. Spain will face Argentina in the World Cup final on Sunday.
(Julio Cortez / Associated Press)
The final weekend of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is here, with France and England playing for third place on Saturday before defending champion Argentina takes on 2010 winner Spain for the title on Sunday.
Here’s everything you need to know about the last two matches of the 39-day, 48-team tournament in North America (all times Pacific).
Looking back at the first 32 days of the World Cup
The first 32 days of the 2026 FIFA World Cup offered plenty of memorable moments.
Check out The Times’ daily recaps ahead of Saturday’s third-place match between England and France:
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