World Soccer news

• Former Marseille defender Lucas Perrin likely to join Nantes

  03-07-2026 15:20 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Former Marseille defender Lucas Perrin likely to join NantesSporting Gijón’s Lucas Perrin (27) is expected to sign for FC Nantes shortly, where he has been offered a two-year contract, according to reports in L’Équipe. No details of the transfer fee have, however, been disclosed. Having come through the ranks at Olympique de Marseille, where he began his professional career, the centre-back went on to play for RC Strasbourg Alsace, before leaving France to join Ham
  
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• 🎥 World Cup highlights: fiery Paraguay! Mbappé saves France with pen

  05-07-2026 02:08 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  🎥 World Cup highlights: fiery Paraguay! Mbappé saves France with penIt was the expected difficult hurdle, and in the end a penalty had to decide the round-of-16 match between France and Paraguay. Kylian Mbappé rescued the French against hard-fighting South Americans. Even scuffing up the penalty spot did not help prevent the goal. Here you can watch the highlights in the video. While Paraguay are now out after their win against Germany, France will face Morocco in
  
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• France overcome stubborn Paraguay to reach quarter-final

  05-07-2026 02:07 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  FIFA World CupParaguay 0 - 1 France FTWorld Cup favourites France were made to sweat to book their quarter-final place but Kylian Mbappe's second-half penalty proved enough to help them past a resolute Paraguay in Philadelphia. Paraguay limited the two-time winners to very few chances until substitute Desire Doue was fouled inside the box by Brighton's Diego Gomez and referee Ilgiz Tantashev pointed to the spot after a video assistant referee (VAR) intervention. Mbappe took the penalty and sent
  
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• Belgium players say they will need ‘balls’ to nullify home crowd against US

  05-07-2026 01:57 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Belgium have been based in Seattle throughout the World Cup, and will play in the city on Monday.Photograph: Steven Bisig/IMAGN IMAGES/ReutersA raucous, pro-US crowd is expected in Seattle for the Americans’ last-16 match against Belgium on Monday, but the Red Devils say that they don’t fear the atmosphere that will await them.“I think we just have to … show balls on the pitch,” left-back Maxim De Cuyper said on Friday. “Try to play your own game. If you play
  
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• 🤯​ Kylian Mbappé is unbelievable at the World Cup

  05-07-2026 01:53 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  🤯​ Kylian Mbappé is unbelievable at the World CupIf witnessing the legends of Messi and CR7 on the pitch were not enough, we are fortunate to be living in the era of Kylian Mbappé.
  At just 27 years old, the French star is not only tearing defenses apart, but also putting up numbers that defy all logic. He has played 19 World Cup matches and already has 19 goals!The all-time World Cup top scorers chart has Messi at the top, but Mbappé will have the chance t
  
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• French FA chief condemns ‘disgraceful’ ex-Paraguay goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert for racist remark

  05-07-2026 01:48 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Paraguay legend Jose Luis Chilavert has been labelled a “disgrace” by French Football Association (FFF) chief Philippe Diallo for “racist” comments made towards France before their World Cup 2026 last 16 clash. The former Paraguayan goalkeeper said that his national team would face a "squad from Africa" in the World Cup tie in Philadelphia. The ​60-year-old has shared ⁠a screenshot on social media of comments ⁠he attributed to former ​French ⁠
  
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• France prove they can win ugly in bad-tempered clash – and World Cup history is repeating itself

  05-07-2026 01:48 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  After the ‘Star Spangled Banner’, the star-studded France team. The World Cup bade farewell to Philadelphia amid celebrations to mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in this city. For Les Bleus, the declarations of brilliance had come earlier. This, though, was an illustration they can win ugly, and that their brightest star keeps on shining.America’s birthday had the feel of just another day for Kylian Mbappe, whose World Cup goals are s
  
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• Kylian Mbappé on Paraguay: ‘They thought we’d come playing wearing tuxedos’

  05-07-2026 01:45 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Kylian Mbappé on Paraguay: ‘They thought we’d come playing wearing tuxedos’France have secured their spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals in defeating Paraguay 1-0 courtesy of Kylian Mbappé’s 70th-minute penalty. Contrary to their previous encounters, Les Bleus have been made to work very hard with the Albirroja setting low and deep to frustrate the firepower at Didier Deschamps’ disposal. Paraguay’s minimalistic approach has not taken
  
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• FEATURE | Three things we learned as France squeeze past Paraguay and into the quarter-finals

  05-07-2026 01:45 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  FEATURE | Three things we learned as France squeeze past Paraguay and into the quarter-finalsAll of the pre-match predictions of stifling heat, Paraguayan gamesmanship and attack vs defence came true but, at the end of a hard-fought and bad-tempered match, Kylian Mbappé’s penalty gave les Bleus a 1-0 win which sees them through to a quarter-final against Morocco, in a repeat of the last World Cup’s semi-final.Football was the winnerThere are different ways to win a World Cup k
  
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• 🗣️ Mbappé says France knew how to play dirty: we got in their heads

  05-07-2026 01:44 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  🗣️ Mbappé says France knew how to play dirty: we got in their headsKylian Mbappé was one of the standout figures in Saturday’s (4) Paraguay vs. France clash.Responsible for the goal that sent the French national team through, the Real Madrid forward also stood out in the "dark arts" department.One of France’s tasks was not to fall for Paraguay’s mind games.And Mbappé drew attention for his attitude at several moments during the match in
  
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• 🫣 Worst display of the World Cup: Ittrich sees overwhelmed ref

  05-07-2026 01:35 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  🫣 Worst display of the World Cup: Ittrich sees overwhelmed refFrance battled past Paraguay to secure victory in the World Cup round of 16. But after the match, most of the talk was about the referee. "It was the worst performance at this World Cup," Patrick Ittrich said bluntly on 'Magenta TV'. The referee, Ilgiz Tantashev from Uzbekistan, had been "overwhelmed" by the match and let the Paraguay players get away with too many fouls. A statistic from 'The Athletic' highlights the imb
  
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• World Cup: Cape Verde’s triumphant, near-miraculous run shows expansion was the right move

  05-07-2026 01:19 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Friday evening, we were so, so close to the kind of World Cup history that inspires legends and leaves scars. Cape Verde, population 590,000, ranked 64th in the world, took defending champion Argentina and the immortal Leo Messi all the way to within sight of anything-can-happen penalty kicks. Yes, Argentina eventually hung on to win — that’s what Argentina does — but when you give the Almighty a nosebleed, you’ve done something right. FIFA’s expansion of
  
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• World Cup: Cape Verde's triumphant, near-miraculous run shows expansion was the right move

  05-07-2026 01:19 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Friday evening, we were so, so close to the kind of World Cup history that inspires legends and leaves scars. Cape Verde, population 590,000, ranked 64th in the world, took defending champion Argentina and the immortal Leo Messi all the way to within sight of anything-can-happen penalty kicks. Yes, Argentina eventually hung on to win — that's what Argentina does — but when you give the Almighty a nosebleed, you've done something right. FIFA's expansion of the tournament fro
  
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• PLAYER RATINGS | Paraguay 0-1 France: Kylian Mbappé’s penalty sees Les Bleus into the quarter- finals after tough encounter

  05-07-2026 01:15 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  PLAYER RATINGS | Paraguay 0-1 France: Kylian Mbappé’s penalty sees Les Bleus into the quarter- finals after tough encounterAfter a gruelling and physical encounter, Kylian Mbappé’s second half penalty proved to be the difference between Paraguay’s exit and France’s progression to the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup. The South American nation aimed to rough up and frustrate Les Bleus with physicality, time wasting and tactical fouls, but this plan saw te
  
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• Man City 2026 World Cup Watch: France reach quarter-finals with Paraguay win

  05-07-2026 01:15 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Man City 2026 World Cup Watch: France reach quarter-finals with Paraguay winRayan Cherki made yet another cameo appearance in the final exchanges of a France match at the World Cup, this time reaching the quarter-final against Morocco.Tournament favourites France secured their ticket to the World Cup quarter-finals, but were pushed to the limit by a highly disciplined Paraguay side in the scorching 38°C heat of Philadelphia.Didier Deschamps’ men dominated early possession but struggled
  
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• 2026 World Cup: France secures frustrating win over Paraguay with Kylian Mbappé penalty

  05-07-2026 01:10 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  It wasn’t pretty, but it counted: France is moving on to the quarterfinals after defeating Paraguay 1-0 in the Round of 16 on Saturday. France controlled 76% of the possession, and picked up significantly more shots than the Albirroja, but will settle for a single-goal win to advance.The sole goal for Les Bleus came off a penalty kick from Kylian Mbappé scored in the 70th minute. Mbappé leaned just enough to the left to trick goalkeeper Orlando Gill into diving the wrong dire
  
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• Philadelphia delivers incredible World Cup party to celebrate America's 250th Birthday

  05-07-2026 01:07 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  PHILADELPHIA — From the moment you arrived in Philadelphia, you understood how much they've loved hosting 2026 World Cup games and how electric and emotional this double celebration on America's 250th birthday would be.Paraguay against France in a last 16 game of the World Cup on Fourth of July was already a big event for Philly. But throw in huge celebrations across the city for the 250th anniversary of American Independence and it went nuts in the best way possible."It feels unreal to be
  
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• 🎥 Heat and dark arts galore! Stars settle Copa-26 Liberta clash

  05-07-2026 01:05 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  🎥 Heat and dark arts galore! Stars settle Copa-26 Liberta clashThere was no shortage of heat in Philadelphia this Saturday (4). The 38°C temperature made for a tense atmosphere even before the ball started rolling at Lincoln Financial Field.France lacked sparkle in the first half against a Paraguay side that was very solid without the ball.But Doué came off the bench and won a penalty.And he, Mbappé, secured another 1-0 win for France over La Albirroja at the World
  
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• 🎥 Heat and dark arts galore! Stars decide Copa-26 Liberta clash

  05-07-2026 01:05 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  🎥 Heat and dark arts galore! Stars decide Copa-26 Liberta clashThere was no shortage of heat in Philadelphia this Saturday (4). The 38°C temperature made for a tense atmosphere even before the ball started rolling at Lincoln Financial Field.France lacked spark in the first half against a Paraguay side that was solid without the ball.But Doué came off the bench to win a penalty.And he, Mbappé, secured another 1-0 win for France over La Albirroja in the World Cup &md
  
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• 📸 Doué dived? Paraguay stars can't believe it

  05-07-2026 00:41 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  📸 Doué dived? Paraguay stars can't believe itParaguay defended so compactly that it took a penalty to beat the South Americans. Diego Gomez fouled France’s Desiré Doué in the box, although the referee initially let play continue. Then came the VAR intervention, and the official went to review the footage. He then awarded the penalty, and the Paraguay stars could no longer understand the world. In their eyes, as their gestures showed, it looked mo
  
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• 🔥 Mbappé scored! World Cup scoring race stays mad

  05-07-2026 00:40 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  🔥 Mbappé scored! World Cup scoring race stays madThe race for the title of top scorer in World Cup history is still INSANE!Miroslav Klose was leading that race before the 2026 edition of the tournament began.But he saw his 16 goals be "ignored" by Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé as early as the group stage.  Argentina and France’s No. 10s are locked in a REAL battle.Messi reached 20 goals by scoring in the epic clash against Cape Verde.And Mbappé got t
  
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• Everton agree £30m deal with Chelsea for Tyrique George after successful loan spell

  05-07-2026 00:25 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Everton agree £30m deal with Chelsea for Tyrique George after successful loan spellEverton have reached an agreement with Chelsea to sign winger Tyrique George in a deal worth up to £30 million, with the move now subject to personal terms and a medical.The 20-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at Goodison Park, where he did enough to convince David Moyes that he should become a permanent part of the club’s plans.Everton have renegotiated the structure of the
  
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• England vs Mexico referee: Who is World Cup 2026 official Alireza Faghani?

  05-07-2026 00:23 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Alireza Faghani will take charge of England’s blockbuster World Cup last-16 tie against Mexico at the Azteca Stadium on Sunday night. The 48-year-old Australian official, who migrated from Iran in 2019 and has refereed under the Australian flag since 2023, is officiating in his third Fifa World Cup this summer. He took charge of four matches in Russia in 2018, most notably France’s 4-3 win over Argentina in the last-16 and England’s defeat to Belgium in the third-place play-off
  
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• James doubtful for Mexico tie but Quansah fit again

  05-07-2026 00:20 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Reece James has missed England's last two World Cup fixtures [Getty Images]Reece James missed England's final training session before their World Cup last-16 tie against Mexico but Jarrell Quansah is available for selection again. Right-back James has missed England's last two matches after suffering a hamstring injury in the closing stages of the goalless draw with Ghana.The Chelsea defender, 26, is yet to train fully with the squad since the injury and was absent for Saturday's session in Mexi
  
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• Who could take a penalty for England if World Cup last 16 clash vs Mexico goes to a shootout?

  05-07-2026 00:13 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Here we go again. England are into the knockout rounds of a World Cup 2026, and now the threat of penalties loom over every nerve-jangling game with Mexico coming up in the last 16.England’s relationship with shootouts was, for a long time, a tortured one. They were knocked out of Italia ‘90 by West Germany via the heartbreak of penalties, and suffered defeats by Argentina (1998) and Portugal (2006) in the same way. The losing streak was finally lifted in 2018 when Gareth Southgate&r
  
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• Rate the players in Paraguay v France

  05-07-2026 00:04 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  [BBC]The World Cup last-16 tie between France and Paraguay - which you can follow here - is under way.You can rate both sets of players out of 10 below and come back 30 minutes after full-time to see the final ratings.World Cup fixtures and group standingsHow to watch the World Cup on the BBCEverything you need to know about the World Cup
  
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• Mexico vs England: How to watch spoiler-free World Cup last 16 tie in full or highlights

  05-07-2026 00:03 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Mexico v England puts fans in the UK in a difficult position with the World Cup last 16 tie taking place at 1am on Monday 6 July.With the tournament taking place on the other side of the planet, many games have been kicking off after midnight in the UK, another difficulty is avoiding the overnight results when looking for highlights. The BBC and ITV have the rights to all 104 games in the UK and both broadcasters have made their highlights spoiler-free on their respective streaming sights, BBC i
  
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• Paraguay turning the World Cup into the Liberta gets fans buzzing 😂

  05-07-2026 00:00 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Paraguay turning the World Cup into the Liberta gets fans buzzing 😂Paraguay is bringing a Copa Libertadores atmosphere to a World Cup match this Saturday (4).At least during the first half, the South American team held the score at 0-0 in the match that is worth a place in the quarterfinals.
  With plenty of grit and gamesmanship on the pitch, the Paraguayans got Brazilians excited on social media.The opening half even featured a mass confrontation after a foul by Cubas on Mbappé, w
  
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• Premier League quartet want Scott - Sunday's gossip

  04-07-2026 23:52 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Bournemouth's Alex Scott is wanted by Premier League quartet, Arsenal agree to sell Leandro Trossard, Manchester United's Kobbie Mainoo on Real Madrid's radarBournemouth's 22-year-old English midfielder Alex Scott is wanted by Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea. (Talksport)Arsenal have agreed to sell Belgium forward Leandro Trossard, 31, to Turkish side Besiktas for 20 euros (£17m). (Athletic - subscription required)Manchester United and England midfielder Kobbie Maino
  
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• Serie A side step up pursuit of Real Madrid youngster and Arsenal target

  04-07-2026 23:40 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Serie A side step up pursuit of Real Madrid youngster and Arsenal targetReal Madrid have struggled to blood products from La Fabrica into the senior team over recent years, but they have become highly successful in selling them on to other top clubs in Europe. The production line at Valdebebas is operating successfully, and has now become a regular visit for scouts.The success stories of Nico Paz, Rafa Marin, Chema Andres and Jacobo Ramon have alerted many clubs to the possibility of getting a t
  
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