World Cup

Taking turns sliding across the rain-soaked turf holding the World Cup trophy tight, teenager Kylian Mbappe and the rest of France's players acted like the youthful bunch they are. Nothing, not a Pussy Riot protest nor a postgame downpour that soaked Russian President Vladimir Putin, ...

Belgium beat England 2-0 in the World Cup third-place playoff on Saturday to secure its best-ever finish at a World Cup and send Gareth Southgate's side home with a second straight loss. France will face Croatia in Sunday's final at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. A ...

If Antoine Griezmann's jocular demeanor is anything to go by, France is far from overawed by the prospect of playing in the World Cup final and in buoyant spirits ahead of Sunday's clash with Croatia. The diminutive striker was full of bonhomie on Friday at ...

Hajime Moriyasu, who will coach Japan's men's team during the soccer competition at the 2020 Olympics, is the top candidate to manage the full national team, sources said Tuesday. The members of the Japan Football Association's technical committee, which is selecting the successor to Akira ...

Belgium's golden generation has come up short at a major tournament. Again. With Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard in fantastic form creating chances for themselves and Romelu Lukaku up front, Vincent Kompany fit again at the heart of the defense and Thibaut Courtois standing ...

They're young, they're brash and they're collectively worth a billion dollars. The one thing missing for this French squad is an international title. Kylian Mbappe, Paul Pogba and France are about to get that chance. Les Bleus are headed to the World Cup final. Samuel Umtiti clinched ...

Thierry Henry might be working as an assistant coach for Belgium, but his place in the pantheon of French soccer is secure, and there will be no hard feelings no matter the outcome of the World Cup semifinal, French forward Olivier Giroud said Sunday. Two ...

Nyet this time. Although Russia made it further at this year's World Cup than most anyone expected, it was Croatia that advanced to the semifinals with a 4-3 shootout victory Saturday following a 2-2 draw. The overachieving hosts, the lowest ranked team in the tournament at ...

Defender Gotoku Sakai has become the third Japanese player to retire from international duty on the heels of the squad's heartbreaking World Cup exit following a last-gasp defeat to Belgium. "I have always tried to support the team, but I couldn't return the trust with ...

A shot that flew directly at the hands of the opposing goalkeeper turned into a World Cup goal for Antoine Griezmann. The France striker scored the second goal in his team's 2-0 quarterfinal victory over Uruguay on Friday, sending a seemingly easy-to-save shot at a ...

Belgium reached the World Cup semifinals for the first time in 32 years by holding off five-time champion Brazil 2-1 Friday, sending Neymar home without living up to the expectations of being soccer's most expensive player. Belgium scored the decisive goal on a counterattack just ...

England forward Jamie Vardy is "looking doubtful" for the World Cup quarterfinal against Sweden on Saturday after suffering a groin strain having come on as a late substitute in the round of 16 victory over Colombia, manager Gareth Southgate has said. Vardy was unlikely to ...