France coach Didier Deschamps said his players were left "devastated" by their World Cup semifinal defeat to Spain on Wedesday before aiming a barb at match referee Ivan Barton from El Salvador.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente saluted his players as the "best team in the world" on Wednesday after a stunning 2-0 World Cup semifinal win over France.

Spain delivered another composed and clinical display to defeat France 2-0 and book their place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final at Dallas Stadium on Wednesday.

From the opening whistle, the Spaniards wrapped themselves around France like an anaconda, tightening their grip with every wave of pressing and every spell of possession until the life had been squeezed from a French attack that had looked irresistible throughout the tournament.

The headband featured the inscriptions "08304" and "Rocafonda", a tribute to the neighbourhood in Mataró where Yamal grew up. The number 08304 was the area's postal code, while Rocafonda was the community the teenager proudly considered home.

European champions Spain beat France 2-0 in the World Cup semifinals on Tuesday, producing a controlled display to book a place in Sunday's final.

Many refuse to say opponents' names, wear the same often-unwashed jerseys, sit in the same seats and eat the same meals before each match, convinced that changing anything could jinx the team's chances of lifting another trophy.

France recalled Bradley Barcola to their attack and Aurelien Tchouameni in midfield for their World Cup semifinal against Spain on Wednesday as Luis de la Fuente named an unchanged side.

More than a month after the tournament got underway, the first semifinal at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, promises to be a blockbuster contest. Widely billed as the 'final before the final', the clash is expected to deliver the highest quality game.

Around 90,000 people welcomed back Norway's players to Oslo on Monday after they returned home from making a historic run to the World Cup quarter-finals.

A new study spanning 26 countries and more than 10,000 people, conducted by researchers at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore, suggests there's a correlation between your political ideology, your media habits, and which of these two mega-stars you back.

Lamine Yamal turned 19 on Monday with diamonds around his neck, mischief in the family and the biggest match of his life ahead but the Spain forward's clearest message before the World Cup semi-final against France was not about goals, gifts or fame.

Spain may have ended France's European dream two years ago, but in doing so they also reshaped Les Bleus, forging a side far better equipped to challenge the team that forced its evolution.

It could be a match of validation of their particular styles, but rarely do two sides meet on the world stage with such an assembly of class and potential.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said his team plan to go on the "front foot" against World Cup favourites France when they face off in a heavyweight semi-final showdown on Tuesday.

Argentina and Britain fought a short conflict over the islands known by the British as the Falklands and Argentines as the Malvinas in 1982, in which 649 Argentine soldiers and 255 British combatants died.

Bangladesh midfielder Hamza Choudhury has backed Kylian Mbappe over Lamine Yamal to make the decisive difference when France face Spain in the first semifinal of the FIFA World Cup tonight, despite describing the teenage Spaniard as the best player in the world at present.

France's exciting attack led by Kylian Mbappe take on a technically accomplished Spain team in the first semi-final of the World Cup on Wednesday [1am, Bangladesh Time].

It is one of the puzzling paradoxes of this World Cup: France captain Mbappe is shining as brightly as ever for Les Bleus ahead of Wednesday's semifinal [1am, Bangladesh Time] against Spain in Dallas.

The holders' passage to Thursday's semifinal against England has been accompanied by repeated complaints from opponents over refereeing decisions, amid social media speculation the tournament has favoured Lionel Messi's side.