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It's testament to the progress that England have made over the last decade that, in the eyes of many, they will be favourites when they come up against World Cup holders Argentina in the semi-finals of the 2026 edition on Wednesday. Of course, a side containing the great Lionel Messi still poses an existential threat to the Three Lions' chances of ending six decades of hurt, but Thomas Tuchel's men have nothing to fear in Atalanta.

It's been a hectic summer transfer window so far in the women's game, especially in the Women's Super League. Two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas has landed in the division, as has one of the NWSL's brightest stars in Manaka Matsukubo, while Georgia Stanway and Mary Earps have returned and other England stars, such as Beth Mead and Niamh Charles, have also been on the move. None of these eye-catching deals, though, have involved Manchester United.

GOAL's signature summer soccer event is bringing laughs, football and plenty of fun in its final week of action

France's World Cup campaign ended in dismal fashion on Tuesday as Didier Deschamps' side were outclassed by Spain in a 2-0 defeat that saw Les Bleus heroes Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele kept quiet. France failed to register a single shot on target in the first 80 minutes of the semi-final as La Roja progressed at their expense.

Spain secured their place in the 2026 World Cup final with a comprehensive 2-0 win over France on Tuesday. A penalty from Mikel Oyarzabal and a second-half strike from Pedro Porro secured victory for La Roja during a dominant display in Dallas that will have struck fear into both England and Argentina as they prepare for their own semi-final.

For some football fans, the summer is the part of the calendar that they look forward to the most - and that's not just because it's filled by a World Cup every four years! Rather, it's because the end of the season means only one thing: It's time for transfers! The 2026 window is once again proving to be busy, with some huge names making big-money moves before deadline day on September 1.

The 2026 World Cup is in its final stages, with only four teams left fighting it out for the universally coveted trophy. While the collective prize is the main objective, a few are making a good case as the best player of the entire tournament. Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe are currently the top candidates, but they face intense competition as the semi-finals begin.

Tons of big names in the women's game have been on the move in this summer transfer window. From Alexia Putellas to Georgia Stanway, Sam Kerr to Mary Earps and Beth Mead to Katie McCabe, it's already proving to be a blockbuster off-season. But there are also several lesser known talents, young players with huge potential, making transfers.

And so we get to the real bit. England have had, in truth, quite a favourable run in the World Cup thus far. Mexico at the Azteca was a real test, but they are yet to face a team that is, objectively, better than them. Enter Argentina, the reigning champions and led by a certain Lionel Messi.

Before the start of Lionel Messi's sixth World Cup, the common consensus was that he'd seen and done it all. After effectively completing football four years ago in Qatar, there was even a fear that there was no way he could, at 39 years of age, add to his legacy - only slightly sully it. Messi, though, has spent his entire career making a mockery out of conventional wisdom and has actually managed to solidify his status as the greatest player of all time by becoming the World Cup's all-time leading goal-scorer and assist-maker during Argentina's run to the semi-finals.

When Spain's starting line-up for last week's World Cup quarter-final against Belgium was revealed roughly an hour before kick-off, the name of Pedri was immediately conspicuous by its absence. The natural assumption among pundits and supporters was that he was carrying a niggle - which tells you everything you need to know about just how highly the Barcelona star is rated.

Four years into BlueCo's so-called 'project' at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea have spent some £1.9 BILLION ($2.5bn) on new signings, and a haphazard approach to the transfer market means there have been some absolute clangers among them. For every success story, like Cole Palmer or Moises Caicedo, there have been multiple monumental and costly failures.

Spain-France and England-Argentina headline a blockbuster semifinal lineup as the World Cup enters its decisive week.

Diego Luna spoke with GOAL about the pain of missing the World Cup, the difficult lessons he has learned, and why becoming a better player starts with changing his approach every day.

FIFA’s Creator Correspondent program has given 30 TikTok personalities remarkable access at the World Cup - and offered a glimpse of how social media is reshaping soccer coverage in North America.

It was always known that this was going to be a significant summer for Arsenal. With so many players out of contract, and so many names being consistently linked with a move to north London, mass change has been teased for a while. Now, it's starting to take shape. After the departures of Beth Mead, Katie McCabe and more, the replacements are piling in, with Georgia Stanway and Ona Batlle the stand-out names from four quick-fire announcements so far.

Watch the video again and you can almost see Jude Bellingham loading his answer as the interviewer navigates the question. The Real Madrid superstar had just been informed that his manager, Thomas Tuchel, was "disappointed" with England's performance following a gusty 2-1 win over Norway in Miami on Saturday night. Bellingham's remarkably clippable response? "Whatever."