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Thunder vs. Spurs is turning into a war of attrition, which favors OKC … and the East

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The ideal of NBA roster-building rarely actually aligns with the reality of an 82-game grind in the regular season and a four-round sprint in the playoffs. Teams pour their resources into gathering two or three stars. They pay a handful of top-of-the-market role players. And then, one or two pieces are pulled out of the Jenga tower, and the whole structure collapses. The Los Angeles Lakers might have been able to to give the Oklahoma City Thunder a real series with Luka Dončić. The Minnesota Timberwolves couldn’t stress the San Antonio Spurs with Anthony Edwards hobbled and Donte DiVincenzo out.

The Spurs and the Thunder — thanks largely to the mountains of draft picks they’ve accumulated and the cheap rookie deals some stars are playing on — have been able to injury-proof their rosters as effectively as any team ever has. San Antonio’s run to the NBA Cup final came with Victor Wembanyama coming off the bench. The Thunder just won 64 games with only two players suiting up for 70 or more games. 

These teams are built with the redundancies the modern NBA demands. Both have had the means to invest in another superstar if they’ve wanted to, and both have turned down the chance, knowing that the physical demands of the pace-and-space NBA necessitate a degree of depth their all-in counterparts can’t match. At this stage of the playoffs, teams are playing every other night. Muscle injuries seem more common than ever, and the exhausting effects of playing basketball with the degree of physicality that these teams reach compounds over time.

San Antonio and Oklahoma City played a double-overtime classic in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. Spurs point guard De’Aaron Fox was already out with an ankle sprain. In Game 2, the Thunder lost Jalen Williams to a hamstring strain after just seven minutes. He’d played 37 minutes in Game 1 after missing the previous six Thunder playoff games with another hamstring strain. San Antonio, meanwhile, lost its second point guard, Dylan Harper, with yet another hamstring injury.

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We don’t yet know the severity of either injury, nor can we be sure how much the Spurs will get out of Fox in this series, but through two games, Thunder-Spurs has been every bit the masterpiece we expected, and the physical toll of playing seven games at this level of intensity is only going to get higher. Whether there are more injuries or not, playing basketball at this level is exhausting. This series is turning into a war of attrition.

That’s a war either team would win comfortably against pretty much any other opponent. Against one another, they cancel one another out. It starts to come down to context.

Injury impact

San Antonio might be the only team in the NBA that the Thunder truly need Williams to beat. This is a half-court series for the Spurs, but a transition series for the Thunder. Three of Oklahoma City’s 10 worst half-court offensive games in terms of points per play came against San Antonio in the regular season because Wembanyama neutralizes so much of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s rim pressure. The name of the game for them is live-ball turnovers, and Williams, as one of the best transition scorers in the NBA, is their key to turning those turnovers into points.

His absence defensively is just as significant. Oklahoma City’s plan for Game 1 revolved around putting smaller defenders on Wembanyama so their bigger ones, most notably Chet Holmgren, could hang closer to the basket. Of course, this plan largely failed. Williams guarded Wembanyama for 16.6 partial possessions, according to NBA.com tracking data, and the Spurs scored 25 points in those possessions with Wembanyama making all five of his shot attempts. The Thunder won Game 2 with Isaiah Hartenstein taking a much more active role in guarding Wembanyama, but Williams still would have factored in meaningfully as a perimeter defender to throw at San Antonio’s guards.

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That is an area in which the Thunder have more redundancy than perhaps any team in NBA history. Even Alex Caruso and Lu Dort can take possessions against Wembanyama. Ajay Mitchell can take on some of Williams’ half-court offensive burden as a secondary creator. His loss will be felt, but the Thunder played without him for most of the season. They know how to do it. They have pivots within this matchup if they need them.

San Antonio has far fewer available answers for the ball-handling it has lost. San Antonio’s regular rotation features only three high-level ball-handlers in Fox, Harper and Stephon Castle. Two of them are now hurt. The third is overburdened. Castle has to guard Gilgeous-Alexander. Asking him to do that and be the primary offensive initiator is simply too tall an order. Through two games in this series, Castle has an NBA record 20 turnovers.

The Spurs sensed the issue in Game 2. Third-string point guard Jordan McLaughlin, who had played 24 playoff minutes before Game 2 and played less than 300 minutes in the regular season, got seven minutes of run on Wednesday. He made two big 3-pointers and those minutes still went badly. McLaughlin is only 5-feet-11. He gave Gilgeous-Alexander an easy target to hunt on an otherwise stout Spurs defense. 

The Spurs responded with several consecutive possessions in a matchup zone that Oklahoma City solved instantly by sending Caruso to the middle of it. The first possession generated an easy lob to Holmgren. Wembanyama lunged out to contest a potential Caruso floater on the second, which opened an easy pass to Mitchell in the dunker’s spot. A few possessions later, Mitchell got and missed an open corner 3, and that ended San Antonio’s ill-fated zone experiment. The Spurs lost McLaughlin’s minutes by 10 points in a game that was decided by nine.

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Getting Fox back would go a long way on this front. If nothing else, it helps keep McLaughlin off the floor, and Fox is both a low-turnover player and an experienced All-Star point guard who is suited to controlling tempo against an ultra-aggressive defense like Oklahoma City’s. But if he’s compromised physically, well, we don’t know how helpful he can really be.

How this benefits the Knicks and Cavs

The Spurs and Thunder were built to win under these conditions, but these injuries undeniably chip away at their superpower. Which one of them stands to benefit more from the other’s misfortune within this series is debatable, but the real winner here is playing in a different series on the other side of the country.

Whoever wins the Eastern Conference Finals is going to be an underdog against whoever escapes the West. There’s a sentiment out there that the Thunder and Spurs are playing the true NBA Finals as we speak, and the numbers support that. They were the NBA’s two best teams by both record and Cleaning the Glass net rating (which filters out garbage time) this season. Entering the series, as Carson Brebar noted, the Spurs had gone 34-3 in their last 37 games in which Wembanyama played at least 20 minutes while the Thunder had gone 28-1 in the last 29 games Gilgeous-Alexander played. At full strength, these are the two best teams in the NBA.

But the best team doesn’t always win the championship. You win it by beating the teams in front of you, and if you’re the New York Knicks or Cleveland Cavaliers right now, you’re probably enjoying watching these two heavyweights beat each other up to this degree. Both the Knicks and Cavaliers entered the Eastern Conference Finals with their full rosters available. The Knicks were without OG Anunoby in the last two games of the second round, but the Knicks had a nine-day break after their sweep of the 76ers, allowing him to play 34 minutes in New York’s Game 1 comeback over Cleveland.

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If there’s a path to an Eastern Conference NBA champion, it probably starts with the Thunder and Spurs rendering one another mortal through a seven-game bloodbath. Oklahoma City and San Antonio are as deep as contenders get, but every team has a limit, and two games into the Western Conference Finals, they might be approaching theirs.

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World Cup 2026: Erling Haaland urges pressure on England before quarter-final

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Norway striker Erling Haaland believes England are one of the favourites to win the World Cup outright, and with a smile called on the media to put as much pressure on them as possible leading into their quarter-final meeting on Saturday.

Norway had not competed at a World Cup since 1998, but have reached the final eight for the first time after finishing second in Group I before beating Ivory Coast and Brazil in the knockout stage.

England have reached at least the quarter-finals in the past three men’s World Cups, but have not made the final since winning the competition in 1966.

“I think there’s some clear favourites out there, England’s one of them,” said Manchester City striker Haaland.

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Speaking to journalists, he added: “I think all of you should put every single pressure on the English lads.

“Yeah, they [England fans] should be confident of progressing, definitely. It’s England.”

Haaland, 25, has scored in each of his past 14 competitive games for Norway, and will look to continue that run against the nation of his birth – he was born in Leeds, during the summer his father Alf-Inge moved from Leeds United to Manchester City – when they meet in Miami on Saturday (22:00 BST).

When Haaland appeared on the cover of Time magazine last year, he said Norway had a 0.5% chance of winning the World Cup.

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But seven goals in four appearances for Haaland – including a double to eliminate Brazil in the last 16 – have helped fire Norway to the last eight.

“I didn’t expect it. To be honest, to be in the quarter-finals with Norway in the World Cup is quite surprising even for me,” he added.

“Playing against Brazil was kind of crazy for us Norwegians and to win against Brazil and then go and play England in the quarter-finals in the World Cup in the USA is quite special.

“It’s difficult to take everything in because you need to kind of just play the game like it’s a training session.

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“I think if you watch the scenes back in Norway, this is not normal for Norway to be, so it’s super special.”

Haaland’s popularity in the US has surged during the tournament, partly because of his personality and off-field exploits, as well as his goals.

Just hours after scoring the winner in the last 32 against Ivory Coast, Haaland went shopping in Dallas for cowboy hats and boots.

He filmed the trip for his YouTube channel, and the video gained more than six million views in five days.

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“It’s a good thing because I like the Americans, I think they are kind of hilarious as well. They are funny, so I like the way they are,” he said.

“I think it’s just good. Honestly on every single thing with the World Cup so far here it has been amazing. From the games to the stadiums, everything has been amazing.

“The training ground where we train has been amazing, so I’m super happy and it’s been impressive.”

Other videos show him attending the Stanley Cup final in North Carolina and leading his team-mates in the Viking row after beating Brazil.

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“I like to joke a little bit and I like to have fun,” he said. “I think that’s a key to for my daily life to joke around and of course train good, of course focus well and prepare well but you also need to joke around and you need to enjoy the moment.

“That’s what we’ve been doing now and just as we play in the World Cup, we have to enjoy it because nothing lasts forever. We have to just enjoy while we’re here.”

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Langford active, Smith optioned – Yahoo Sports

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The Texas Rangers have activated outfielder Wyatt Langford from the injured list, the team announced today. To make room for him on the active roster, Josh Smith has been optioned to AAA Round Rock.

Langford last played on June 26, with a hamstring strain having sidelined him the past two weeks. The initial word was that he would not be back until after the All Star Break, but Langford has improved quicker than expected, and beat that estimate.

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Langford has missed more than half of the season due to injury, but has been very good when healthy, slashing .278/.324/.500 in 40 games. He had been on a hot streak when he went down, and the Rangers could definitely use his bat back in the lineup.

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Smith was called up at the beginning of July when Corey Seager went back on the injured list due to his back issues. He is slashing .230/.312/.295 on the season.

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Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Clippers Put Trade For Kawhi Leonard On Hold

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Kawhi Leonard’s trade to the Toronto Raptors is on hold pending the outcome of the NBA’s investigation into whether the Los Angeles Clippers circumvented salary cap rules.

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France vs Morocco Live Score, 0-0, FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarter Finals: France look the more dangerous side early on

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The opening quarter-final of the FIFA World Cup 2026 promises to deliver one of the tournament’s standout encounters as France meet Morocco at Boston Stadium in a high-stakes rematch of their memorable 2022 World Cup semi-final. The winner will advance to the last four to face either Spain or Belgium.

France enter the contest with the tournament’s only perfect record, winning all five of their matches in regulation time. Didier Deschamps’ side comfortably negotiated Group I before defeating Sweden 3-0 in the Round of 32. Their Round of 16 meeting with Paraguay proved far more demanding, but Kylian Mbappé converted a second-half penalty after Désiré Doué won a crucial foul inside the area to secure a 1-0 victory and keep Les Bleus on course for another deep World Cup run.

Morocco have been equally impressive. The Atlas Lions remain unbeaten after five matches, compiling three victories and two draws while extending their remarkable 34-match unbeaten streak across all competitions. They defeated Scotland and Haiti during the group stage, earned a valuable draw against Brazil, edged past the Netherlands in a dramatic penalty shootout in the Round of 32, and then produced a commanding 3-0 victory over tournament co-hosts Canada to reach the quarter-finals.

The fixture carries significant historical weight. France ended Morocco’s fairytale journey at the 2022 World Cup with a 2-0 semi-final victory thanks to goals from Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani. Overall, France hold the historical advantage with four wins from six meetings, while Morocco have registered one victory alongside two draws. Their only previous World Cup meeting remains that Qatar semi-final.

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Much attention will again fall on Mbappé, who has scored seven goals during this tournament and remains firmly in contention for the Golden Boot. The French captain continues to climb the list of the competition’s greatest goalscorers and could add another milestone with a decisive performance in Boston.

Team selection also carries added intrigue. France will be without midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni after he failed to recover from an adductor injury, meaning Manu Koné is expected to continue alongside Adrien Rabiot in midfield. Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola and Koné also enter the match one booking away from suspension.

Morocco have suffered a major setback with tournament standout Ismael Saibari ruled out after sustaining a hamstring injury against Canada. Soufiane Rahimi is expected to replace him, while captain Achraf Hakimi, Nayef Aguerd and Romain Saïss continue to anchor the defensive unit.

With two unbeaten teams, a place in the World Cup semi-finals and the chance to settle unfinished business from Qatar, the opening quarter-final has all the ingredients for another memorable chapter between France and Morocco.

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On Georgia’s Golden Isles, a wealth of world-class golf

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The dynastic families of the Gilded Age had money to vacation wherever they wanted.

Often, where they went was the Georgia coast.

Then, as now, the barriers islands there were known as the Golden Isles, a moniker coined by early Spanish explorers in search of riches, though the name also fit the landscape itself, where the marshes glow gold beneath the coastal sun.

In time, the islands attracted a different kind of wealth. The Vanderbilts. The Rockefellers. The Carnegies. The Morgans. They came to escape winter, dodge the spotlight, fish, sail, bicycle and, naturally, play golf.

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More than a century later, the Golden Isles remain one of America’s great golf destinations, with a concentration of standout courses that ranges from Golden Age classics to modern championship tests. The lineup includes acclaimed layouts at Sea Island and St. Simons Island, along with the newly restored Great Dunes on Jekyll Island, a heralded Walter Travis design.

To experience the area firsthand, GOLF.com recently spent a long weekend roaming the islands with the crew from St. Andre Golf — a dynastic clan of the Instagram-era whose comedy sketches have earned them a massive following. Outfitted by Johnnie-O, which supported the trip, we did our best to look the part.

The itinerary carried us from Sea Island Resort and a round on the Plantation Course (it dates to the 1920s but has since been renovated by local boys Davis Love III and his brother, Mark Love), then on to Jekyll Island for a loop at the reborn Great Dunes.

Golf, though, was only part of the story. We also engaged in Gilded Age cosplay, cruising the Intracoastal in search of dolphins, indulging in fresh seafood and, because no visit is complete without it, stopping at Southern Soul, the famed barbecue joint that’s as much a local institution as any golf course.

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The Golden Isles still attract their share of wealth, including a leaderboard’s worth of PGA Tour pros. But for all the luxury, the place has retained its laid-back, salt-air spirit.

Watch the video above for a taste of an excursion to one of America’s richest golf destinations — in every sense of the word.

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England’s Jarell Quansah gets 2-match ban for red card vs. Mexico

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July 5, 2026; Mexico City, Mexico; England's Jarell Quansah looks dejected after being sent off after a VAR review.  Mandatory Credit: Paul Childs-Reuters via Imagn Images July 5, 2026; Mexico City, Mexico; England’s Jarell Quansah looks dejected after being sent off after a VAR review. Mandatory Credit: Paul Childs-Reuters via Imagn Images

FIFA extended England defender Jarell Quansah’s red-card suspension to two matches on Thursday, meaning he will also miss the World Cup semifinal if his team advances that far.

Quansah was already ineligible for Saturday’s quarterfinal clash with Norway in Miami Gardens, Fla., after drawing a red card in the 54th minute of England’s 3-2 win against Mexico in the round of 16 on Sunday.

Quansah, 23, was sent off following a VAR review of his high tackle against Mexico defender Jesus Gallardo. Adding a second game to his suspension indicates FIFA thought his challenge rose to the level of serious foul play.

The absence of Quansah, who plays professionally for Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen, leaves manager Thomas Tuchel with limited options at right-back because of injury concerns with Reece James and Djed Spence.

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–Field Level Media

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World Cup 2026: US confirm Christian Pulisic leg fracture in defeat to Belgium

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The United States have confirmed that forward Christian Pulisic fractured his leg during his side’s 4-1 defeat by Belgium in the World Cup last 16.

Pulisic was substituted in the 59th minute just moments after Belgium scored their third goal in Seattle.

The 27-year-old appeared to suffer the injury early in the second half as he attempted a shot but instead kicked the back of Belgian midfielder Youri Tieleman’s leg.

“Christian Pulisic has been diagnosed with a microfracture and bone bruise of the tibia/fibula in his right leg suffered during the match against Belgium,” said a US Soccer federation statement on social media.

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US Soccer and Pulisic’s club team, AC Milan, will collaborate on his recovery plan.

The US players were widely criticised in the US media after suffering elimination with their heaviest World Cup defeat in 36 years, with Pulisic’s early withdrawal questioned.

“I was a bit disappointed in Christian Pulisic. Whether he wants to be the star of this team or not, we didn’t see enough from him in this particular game – and, really, the whole World Cup. Little glimpses here and there,” said the US’ all-time leading goal scorer Carli Lloyd.

Recalling Pulisic’s decision to sit out the Gold Cup in 2025 in order to rest and recover before a World Cup year, she posted on X: “You rest when your playing career is over. Period.”

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Landon Donovan, the all-time US top scorer at men’s World Cups, said: “I would have punched the doctor in the face and said, ‘You’re not taking me off the field’.”

While US Soccer did not give a timeframe for Pulisic’s recovery, he would not have been able to play had his side progressed to the quarter-finals.

The Athletic reported that Pulisic “will be sidelined for several weeks but not months,” citing multiple people briefed on the diagnosis.

AC Milan begin their Serie A campaign on 23 August against Torino.

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Free 2026 World Cup anytime goalscorer picks, odds: Ousmane Dembele, Brahim Diaz feature in Thursday best bets

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The 2026 World Cup quarterfinals kick off Thursday, and title favorite France won’t be taking anything for granted when they face Morocco at 4 p.m. ET in Foxborough, Mass. Les Bleus are +180 favorites at FanDuel to win the World Cup, while the Atlas Lions are +2700 longshots, with only Belgium and Switzerland (both +3000) facing longer odds. It’s a rematch of a 2022 World Cup semifinal, when France took a 2-0 victory. The Moroccans dispatched Canada with ease in the Round of 16 while the French beat Paraguay 1-0. France are loaded with stars like Kylian Mbappe and Michael Olise, which is why they are -400 favorites to advance and -170 to win on the 90-minute money line at FanDuel. Morocco rely more on defending and counter-attacking, but they have plenty of options for World Cup anytime goalscorer picks.     

Mbappe is just one goal behind Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race with seven goals (and owns the assists tiebreaker), and with players like Ousmane Dembele and Olise alongside him, France have a ton of firepower. Players like Brahim Diaz and Ismael Saibari (if healthy) are dangerous attackers in their own right. So where is the value in Thursday’s anytime goalscorer odds for France vs. Morocco? 

We have the best bets to score a goal today here, and you can get more analysis of the 2026 World Cup from SportsLine experts like Jon Eimer, Martin Green and Brad Thomas. You need to see what they are saying about Thursday’s matches. Anyone following their World Cup betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.

Best World Cup goalscorer picks for Thursday

  • Ousmane Dembele, France (+210, FanDuel)
  • Desire Doue, France (+260, FanDuel)
  • Brahim Diaz. Morocco (+500, FanDuel) 

Ousmane Dembele, France (+210)

The 29-year-old Paris Saint-Germain winger showed what he is capable of with his first-half hat trick in a 4-1 victory against Norway in the group stage. He didn’t play a big role in the victory against Paraguay but had an assist against Sweden and scored one and set up another against Iraq. Dembele had 21 goals for PSG two seasons ago and had 10 in 11 starts (22 appearances) last season. The French attack is loaded so it can be tough to pick one player, but Dembele is overdue for some brilliance.       

Desire Doue, France (+260, FanDuel)

The 21-year-old is struggling to find playing time, but with this game having the potential to be decided late or potentially go to extra time, he could see enough time on the pitch to make a difference. I wouldn’t risk a lot, but Doue did have a goal against Norway and has three in 12 international matches. He’s just getting started, and he can be a difference-maker off the bench if Les Bleus need a spark. He has 13 goals in league play over the past two season with PSG, starting 34 of his 54 appearances.  

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Brahim Diaz, Morocco (+500, FanDuel)

The Atlas Lions have a lot of guys who can score goals. Diaz is one of six players on the roster with double-digit international goals. The 26-year-old has 14 in 31 matches, while Saibari has 12 in 35 matches at age 25. Saibari is emerging as a difference-maker for Morocco and scored in all three group stage matches, but he suffered a hamstring injury and had to come off against Canada. With his status in doubt, Diaz will need to carry more of the load. I expect the Real Madrid man to get his first World Cup goal to go with his four assists.

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France-Morocco live : Les Bleus aim for semi-finals in 2022 rematch against Atlas Lions

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France face Morocco in a mouth-watering quarter-final clash, with both nations seeking to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup 2026. Les Bleus continue their pursuit of another title with their unbeaten record intact, while the Atlas Lions aim to extend their remarkable tournament run against one of the competition’s elite sides in a 2022 rematch. Follow our liveblog for minute-by-minute commentary. 

Expected lineups

France:  Maignan – Koundé, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne – Koné, Rabiot – Dembélé, Olise, Doué – Mbappé (C)

Morocco: Bounou – Hakimi (C), Diop, Riad, Mazraoui – Bouaddi, El Aynaoui – Diaz, Ounahi, El Khannouss – Rahimi.

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Less than an hour until countdown!

Morroco arrive at the Boston stadium

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Atlas Lions’ official lineup

France fans getting ready near Bastille in Paris

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France’s starting XI

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Boston locker room ready for the Atlas Lions 🦁

Les Bleus laser-focused

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Fans arriving at the Boston stadium

Hello and welcome!

Welcome to our live coverage of France – Morocco in the quarter-finals of World Cup 2026!

Les Bleus seek to maintain their unbeaten record and reach the semi-finals, while the Atlas Lions aim to continue their remarkable tournament journey against one of world football’s elite sides.

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Follow every moment of this thrilling clash as two nations battle for a place in the final four!

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France dismantled Sweden 3-0 in their opening round of 16 encounter before overcoming Paraguay to secure their passage to the quarter-finals. Didier Deschamps‘ side have maintained an unbeaten record throughout the tournament, combining attacking prowess with defensive discipline. Kylian Mbappé has been particularly influential, his goal-scoring tally continuing to mount as France pursue another World Cup crown.

Morocco claimed the first quarter-final spot after a dominant 3-0 victory over Canada in Houston, with Selim Ounahi’s brace and Soufiane Rahimi’s late strike showcasing their attacking quality. The Atlas Lions have been one of the tournament’s most impressive sides, topping their group before delivering superb knockout performances. This quarter-final represents a genuine opportunity for Morocco to reach their second World Cup semi-final, though they face one of world football’s elite sides in France.

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Los Angeles Dodgers to visit White House to celebrate World Series win

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The Los Angeles Dodgers are set for what is now becoming an annual trip to the White House.

After becoming the first team to win back-to-back Fall Classics since the New York Yankees won three straight from 1998 to 2000, the Dodgers will once again pay a visit to President Donald Trump in the nation’s capital.

The White House confirmed to Fox News Digital that the team will visit on July 23, an off day between series in Philadelphia and New York.

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Trump with Dodgers

President Donald Trump, center, holds a baseball jersey alongside Clayton Kershaw, pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, left, and Mark Walter, owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, right, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Monday, April 7, 2025. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

“President Trump is excited to welcome the Los Angeles Dodgers BACK to the White House to celebrate their World Series championship!” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

The California Post was the first to report the news.

The Dodgers were crowned champs again after completing a Game 7 comeback against the Toronto Blue Jays in 11 innings in one of the wildest games of all time.

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The visit will not come easily to some — shortly after winning the Fall Classic, an immigration rights group pleaded with the team not to visit again.

“The Los Angeles Dodgers have always been more than a baseball team — they’re part of the spirit of who we are as a city. The team represents our neighborhoods, our families, and our shared love for our diverse communities. But right now, our community, our city are under siege, we need them to stand with us, on the right side of history,” the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) wrote in an online petition.

“Ask the team to honor the unity, integrity and diversity they themselves represent. They cannot stay silent as our families and neighbors face violence, detention, and deportation. By visiting a president who has used his power to harm the most vulnerable, the team would be turning its back on the very people who fill the stadiums, wear the jerseys, and give this team its heart. By encouraging the team to do the right thing, we will show the White House that Los Angeles stands for compassion, dignity, and solidarity with their immigrant neighbors.”

Hard-throwing reliever Brusdar Graterol, along with some others, missed out on the celebration last year, which celebrated the 2024 title. Graterol opted to stay at “my brown house.” Freddie Freeman did not attend while he had been on the injured list at the time, but several injured players like Clayton Kershaw, Gavin Stone, Michael Kopech and Michael Grove were there.

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Meanwhile, outfielder Mookie Betts decided to go last year after opting out of the trip with the Boston Red Sox in 2019.

Trump and Ohtani

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani speaks with President Donald Trump during a ceremony celebrating the Major League Baseball 2024 World Series Champion team, in the East Room at the White House on Monday, April 7, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

JUSTIN VERLANDER ANNOUNCES HE WILL RETIRE AFTER THIS SEASON: ‘I’VE REALIZED THAT TIME HAS COME’

“This is not about me; I don’t want anything to be about me. This is about the Dodgers. Because these boys were there for me,” Betts said, via the Los Angeles Times.

Betts said he regretted not making the trip in 2019, which manager Alex Cora and pitcher David Price also skipped, saying he felt he was a distraction. Cora recently admitted he skipped out on meeting Trump because he wanted to prioritize his home of Puerto Rico. When the Red Sox visited the White House in May 2019, Puerto Rico was still recovering from the destruction of Hurricane Maria in 2017, and Cora wasn’t satisfied with the federal government’s response.

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The Dodgers visited former President Joe Biden in July 2021 to celebrate their 2020 World Series title.

Several major sports champions, including each NBA title winner, have declined to visit the White House during both of Trump’s terms. The Dodgers, Philadelphia Eagles, Florida Panthers, Ohio State football team, Indiana football team, LSU baseball team and Inter Miami have all visited the White House to celebrate their championships since Trump’s second term began in January 2025.

It remains to be seen whether the Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Hurricanes will follow suit, but Knicks owner James Dolan said his team would visit. That would make them the first NBA team to visit Trump.

Dave Roberts and Trump

The Commissioner’s Trophy is visible as Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts (L) greets U.S. President Donald Trump as he hosts the 2024 World Series champions in the East Room of the White House on April 7, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees with a 7-6 victory in Game 5. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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Last year, the Florida Gators were the first college basketball team to visit Trump since the Baylor women’s team in 2019.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

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