The four teams in the World Cup final have been determined. The tournament will conclude next week, following two brilliant quarter-finals held yesterday. In these matches, England and Argentina advanced to the final quartet, defeating Norway and Switzerland.
Jude Bellingham played a key role in England's game, scoring two goals and helping his team overcome Norway, where Erling Haaland was playing. As for Argentina, thanks to a world-class goal scored by forward Julián Álvarez in extra time, the team advanced to the semi-finals, receiving some support from a controversial VAR decision.
Thus, the composition of the final quartet has been formed. Since no games are scheduled until Tuesday, it is time to familiarize ourselves with the teams that will reach the semi-finals.
Despite the tournament being filled with underdog success stories and unexpected results, four teams with the highest rankings reached the semi-finals. Although this final quartet was predictable for many, the path to it was not easy.
Let's look at England. The author notes that as a fan, he did not feel completely confident while watching the matches of this tournament. Although everything started well with a 4-2 victory over Croatia, the 'Three Lions' seemed to be fighting for a place to reach this stage. Their success is largely due to two players: Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, both of whom scored six goals in the competition. Without these two stars, England could have been eliminated much earlier.
Even if the team looks disjointed and vulnerable in defense, the talents of these two attacking players are capable of saving the situation. While Kane is a pure goalscorer, Bellingham brings the necessary sharpness and aggression, making England a difficult team to eliminate this season. Under immense pressure, as the country strives to win its first World Cup title since 1966, the responsibility of continuing to create decisive moments in matches rests on the shoulders of these two men. England last participated in a World Cup semi-final in 2018, when they lost to Croatia.
England's opponent, Argentina, has a lot in common with them. The defending champion also relied on moments of genius to pass through the knockout rounds, risking elimination more than once. The team naturally relied on Lionel Messi, and the 'magician' lived up to expectations, even though yesterday's match was dedicated to his teammate Julián Álvarez. Like England, Argentina is not a beautiful spectacle, but it knows how to 'ugly win,' and sometimes that is what matters most in football tournaments. It is worth noting that Argentina scored the most goals in the tournament—17 goals. Furthermore, they have experience, as many members of the current squad won the title in 2022. There is a feeling that the semi-final on Wednesday will be special, so bright events are expected.
We talked about the other semi-final in the previous edition of this newsletter, but let's quickly recall what to expect on Tuesday. First, let's focus on France. Many consider France the favorite of the tournament, but 'Les Bleus' have barely gotten out of their initial rhythm so far. While other teams progressed slowly to this point of the World Cup, the French passed through the rounds easily, relying on their incredibly talented attacking line.
Kylian Mbappé once again showed himself to be magnificent, and his speed and directness proved very effective on the international stage. He is supported by the brilliant Ousmane Dembélé and many other forwards, making the team frightening. Since legendary coach Didier Deschamps is leaving his post after this tournament, France will strive to repeat its 2018 success, leaving with the World Cup medal.
Playing against France presents a difficult task for Spain. 'La Roja' was also expected to perform well in North America, and although it reached this stage, its performances have not been spectacular. We have yet to see how young superstar Lamine Yamal will fully blossom, which may be related to an injury he sustained before the tournament. However, the midfield and defense look strong, and the team has conceded only one goal throughout the tournament (although it can be felt that this statistic might be tested in the match against France).
Although France is the narrow favorite, recent history points more towards Spain. After all, Spain beat France in the Euro 2024 semi-final, a tournament it subsequently won. It also defeated 'Les Bleus' in the Nations League last year. Whoever wins this semi-final will likely become the favorite to win overall on July 19th.
Our student Hannah Kiser today presents a fantastic story that examines the journey of one family in the world of youth football with pay-to-play. This system costs thousands of dollars and forces parents to make difficult decisions wishing to give their children every chance of success.
In light of the USA's exit from the World Cup in the 16th round, the country's system for advancing children up the career ladder is once again under criticism. Hannah's material on how this affects Melissa and McKenna Johnson is very instructive. Parents across the country who spoke with CNN Sports reported spending thousands of dollars annually to support their children's competitive careers. Access to any form of recreation is a concern. The 'pay-to-play' model in American football is regularly criticized for limiting the country's success on the international professional stage—a concern that has once again drawn attention after the disappointing exit of the US national team from the World Cup this month.
However, parents complain not only about the barrier to entry—club fees can reach $3500 for nine-year-old children in wealthy suburbs—but also about the cost of maintaining competitiveness. It is a fear of missing out. Youth sports in general push children and their families toward earlier specialization and deciding on the seriousness of their commitment to sports—choosing between a less demanding path of participation or a more ambitious path of performance. And families find that if they choose the more competitive route, the reward for success is a demand perceived, in any case, as a necessity to spend more.
These were the words of the disappointed Swiss coach Murat Yakin, spoken last night. They came after another controversial refereeing decision, which only fuels the unfounded but ongoing narrative that officials are helping Argentina in this year's World Cup.
This time, Swiss forward Breel Embolo received a red card after violating the 'incorrect identification' protocol used this summer. Essentially, Embolo had already received a yellow card earlier in the match, and then, in the second half, it seemed he was fouled by Leandro Paredes of Argentina, who himself received a yellow card. However, the video assistant referee (VAR) intervened quickly, and replays showed that Embolo sort of lunged in front of his opponent. The new protocol allowed VAR to inform the referee that he had mistakenly cautioned Paredes, after which the field referee penalized Embolo for diving (which, in my opinion, was a harsh decision). The second yellow meant that the Swiss star was sent off, which significantly eased the defending champion's progression to the semi-finals.
Sad news was also reported regarding the death of Jayden Adams from South Africa at the age of 25. This young man participated in all three matches of the South African group at the tournament but passed away just a few weeks later.
According to FIFA, the Round of 16 match between the USA and Belgium on Monday was the most-watched football match in US television history. A total of 46 million viewers tuned in, while the host nation suffered a crushing 4-1 defeat to the Belgians. Initial figures show that FOX averaged 33.1 million viewers (with a peak of 41 million) during the game, while the Spanish-language Telemundo attracted a total audience of 12.9 million viewers. There was hope that this tournament could finally boost the popularity of football across the United States, and current statistics show that interest is at an all-time high.
After England went through Norway to reach the tournament semi-finals, coach Thomas Tuchel was extremely dissatisfied with how his team achieved it. Frankly, and this is the opinion of an English fan, Tuchel was absolutely right in his assessment during the heated post-match interview, still on the field. The 52-year-old coach expressed satisfaction with the team's work ethic and mentality but complained about the lack of quality in the game. He stated: 'We made things very, very difficult for ourselves today. Careless, many technical errors, not fast enough, not repeatable enough. Today we were lucky.'
In a world of media-trained stars who say little in response to often equally mundane questions, the answer given by England star Jude Bellingham was very refreshing. The attacking midfielder, who had just scored two goals to win the game for his team, countered his own coach's comments in a way that could demonstrate true leadership character. When he learned of Tuchel's disappointment, Bellingham told reporters: 'Maybe he doesn't know what it's like to play in these conditions. We tried to create a positive atmosphere, and we must continue to do so ahead of the final quartet.'
At first glance, such a rebuttal might indicate instability in the camp, and some might argue that Bellingham acted wrongly by questioning his coach. But the author thinks otherwise. Both men spoke from the heart and were not afraid to disagree. Maybe it's my rose-tinted glasses, but I think it demonstrates real potential. If they are so assertive with each other, imagine what it's like to play against them. Ego, if directed in the right direction, is crucial for winning in football. England has not had a personality like Tuchel or Bellingham for a long time. This could be the distinguishing factor.
