The French football team arrived in Dallas on July 12 ahead of their semifinal World Cup fixture against Spain. France reached the last four with a 2-0 victory against Morocco while Spain beat Belgium 2-1 in their quarter-final. While France are the favourites by a slim margin, Spain have had the better of Les Bleus in recent encounters, beating them in the 2024 Euros as well as in last year’s Nations League semi-finals.

England are set to face Argentina in the World Cup semi-final on Wednesday night – but the kick-off time could be delayed again

England’s World Cup semi-final against Argentina could be set for lengthy delays after severe thunderstorms were forecast to hit Georgia on Wednesday. Thomas Tuchel’s side are due to face the reigning world champions at the Atlanta Stadium, with kick-off schedule for 8pm BST (3pm local time).

However, weather forecasts suggest lightning and thunderstorms could strike the city throughout the afternoon and into the early evening, potentially causing a disrupted start to one of the most highly-anticipated matches of the tournament. Under US safety legislation, play cannot begin or continue if lightning is detected within an eight-mile radius of the stadium, regardless of whether the match is being played under a roof.

Although Atlanta Stadium’s retractable roof will remain closed, officials are obliged to consider the safety of supporters, staff and players when outside the venue. Any lightning strike within the eight-mile perimeter would trigger an immediate suspension, with play only able to restart when 30 minutes have passed without further strikes.

The 30-minute countdown restarts every time a strike is detected, meaning a wave of stormy weather could cause significant delays. Once the all-clear is eventually given, both teams would also require around 15 minutes to warm-up.

That means England’s clash against Lionel Messi, who will face the Three Lions for the very first time, could be pushed back several hours. It would not be the first occasion England have been affected by thunder and lightning at this tournament.

The kick-off in their last 16 encounter with Mexico was delayed by an hour, with the match eventually getting underway at 2pm UK time. There had been speculation that kick-off would be moved forward to 7pm UK time from its scheduled 1am slot, but FIFA decided against the change.

England’s final preparation match for the World Cup was also affected by thunderstorms, postponing kick-off. The extreme weather has been a significant topic of discussion throughout the competition, with England’s quarter-final victory against Norway occurring in 33 degree heat.

England manager Tuchel was dissatisfied with his team’s display in that triumph, though star player Jude Bellingham defended the squad in his post-match interview.

“Maybe he [Tuchel] doesn’t know what it’s like to play in those conditions against [Erling] Haaland, [Martin] Odegaard, [Antonio] Nusa and [Alexander] Sorloth,” Bellingham said post-match. “They’re not an easy team to play against.

“I can’t speak highly enough of the lads. You can’t win every game popping the ball and making 1,000 passes, sometimes you have to win dirty and we did that today.”

England’s 2026 World Cup kits

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England and Nike have launched the new home, away and goalkeeper kits to be worn at this summer’s FIFA World Cup. You can get free delivery on all orders with the code DEAL.

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca will not officially meet his new players until next week while two of his rivals hold press conferences

Enzo Maresca will have to wait a few more days before getting to start on the training pitches with his Manchester City players. The nature of so many of his first team squad being at the World Cup meant that it would have been daft to drag anyone in earlier than necessary ahead of another lengthy campaign.

Other clubs are already up and running though, with Andoni Iraola and Xabi Alonso both kicking off their new eras at Liverpool and Chelsea respectively. Add in the fact that Michael Carrick and Roberto De Zerbi will be starting their first full seasons in charge at United and Tottenham, and there are plenty of unknowns among the biggest clubs.

Not that Iraola or Alonso are strangers to City, having managed against them last season and building their reputations in the game. They will be looking to offer fresh starts at their clubs to bounce them back into success, and City have to be wary of that.

At the same time, the only reason both are where they are is because the two clubs got themselves into a big mess. Chelsea spectacularly fell out with Maresca and then made a hash of his replacement Liam Rosenior, who only lasted a few months before being sacked.

Liverpool’s title-winning team fell apart spectacularly, not least because it is not yet a year since they were widely seen to have delivered one of the best transfer windows in recent memory. Their big-money signings failed to meet expectations and that has seen not just Arne Slot leave but also chief executive of football Michael Edwards, while sporting director Richard Hughes is also expected to go in the next year.

At both Anfield and Stamford Bridge then, there is an unusual amount of chaos that Iraola and Alonso have walked into. The two are excellent coaches but City and then Arsenal have shown over the last 15 years that it takes more than that to make a club consistently successful.

That is a useful reminder for City as Maresca gets to work. Nobody is expecting the Italian to be able to replicate what Pep Guardiola did, but if expectations naturally lower he has plenty going in his favour and that includes the state of rival clubs.

There should be plenty of positives to come out of Merseyside and West London on Monday as the new managers say all the right things about what they want their time at the clubs to be about. Making that a reality is much harder though, and Maresca is coming in with the advantage of coming in on the back of success rather than disaster.

City will be later back this summer, but already have the headstart from how they have handed over to their new coach.

Man Utd have completed the signing of Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos for a fee of up to £50million.

Andrey Santos believes he is playing for the perfect manager after signing a five-year deal at Manchester United to link up with a former midfielder in Michael Carrick.

The 22-year-old has signed a five-year deal at OId Trafford after United agreed an initial £48million deal with Chelsea, with a further £2million in add-ons.

The six-cap Brazil international is part of a midfield rebuild at United after the departure of countryman Casemiro at the end of last season.

“Everything about Manchester United is special; it is an incredible feeling to join a club that some of my biggest idols have represented,” said Santos.

“As a midfielder, I am really excited to have the opportunity to learn from Michael Carrick. He is the perfect coach to help me take the next step in my career and push to achieve my dreams.

“Everybody told me about how ambitious the club is and the amazing environment that has been created here. I know just how strong the squad is and I can not wait to fight together to compete for the biggest trophies.”

Santos spent three-and-a-half seasons at Chelsea but struggled to establish himself at Stamford Bridge, with Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez blocking his path to the first team.

He had loan spells at Strasbourg and Nottingham Forest and made 27 appearances for the Blues last season, but is now ready to kick on and play more regularly.

United’s director of football Jason Wilcox said: “Andrey is an outstanding midfielder with excellent technical qualities and the ability to impact the game at both ends of the pitch.

“He was a key target for us in an important position, so we are delighted that he will join Michael’s squad so early in pre-season.

“Despite already having extensive experience, leadership abilities and proving his talent at the highest level, Andrey still has enormous potential to develop further, and we cannot wait to see him flourish at Manchester United.”

Former offensive tackle David Bakhtiari has called out NFL commissioner Roger Goodell amid the final stretch of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. On Sunday, video footage showed the natural grass surface at Gillette Stadium being removed to eventually be replaced with artificial grass for the 2026 NFL season.

When Bakhtiari caught a glimpse of the video, he questioned whether the NFL cares about players’ safety.

“Tell me you don’t care about player’s safety, without telling me you don’t care about player’s safety? @NFL,” Bakhtiari tweeted.

Gillette Stadium, the home arena for the New England Patriots, hosted seven games at this year’s World Cup.

Bakhtiari played for the Green Bay Packers for 11 seasons after they drafted him in the fourth round in 2013. He earned three Pro Bowl selections and two first-team All-Pro honors.

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Seattle Seahawks to face New England Patriots in 2026 NFL season opener

The 2026 NFL season kicks off on Sept. 9. The Seattle Seahawks, who won the Super Bowl last season, will play in the season opener as part of the league’s tradition.

Incidentally, the Seahawks will face the New England Patriots, the team they beat in last year’s Super Bowl, in Week 1. The game will commence at 8:20 p.m. ET from Lumen Field in Seattle.