World Cup games

France are reigning world champions, having won the title in Russia four years ago. · England have scored 12 goals in four games and conceded only two. · France ...

France's road to repeating as champs goes through Harry Kane and a very strong England team. Follow live.

England’s team in Qatar has the talent, tactics and, perhaps, fortitude to win another — if it can neutralize Kylian Mbappé, who seems to score as often as that New Balance commercial plays on Fox. But who knows: maybe England would have scored from the resultant free-kick. Controlling the ball at the right corner of the France penalty area, he takes a crack at Lloris, or rather a tiny bit of space over Lloris’s right shoulder, that is. England turns the resulting free kick into a shot, and a corner. England has been the better team here, but it has about 15 minutes to find a goal or it’s going out of the World Cup. That was the warning; England, caught out by a laser of a cross from Griezmann, did not heed it. Rashford wins a free kick in an extremely dangerous place, just outside the D at the top of the penalty area, a little to the left. The winner of that will meet the Croatia-Argentina winner in the World Cup final on Dec. Gradually, it stripped any urgency from its play, any impetus, as if expecting England simply to succumb. The French return to the semifinals with a sudden burst of energy in the second half and with the help of a missed penalty by Harry Kane. There were, however, other apparent offenses: a penalty claim from Kane, in particular, which was certainly a foul but was not, on more detailed review, actually in the penalty area; a succession of hairsplitting free kicks awarded against England; an array of French transgressions that seemed to pass by unnoticed. It is, or at least it has become, a natural part of the cycle, a chance for catharsis, collective therapy or just some good, old-fashioned bloodletting, depending on the circumstances.

Argentina vs Croatia, Morocco vs France. The World Cup 2022 semi-finals have been decided, here's when the games are.

ET. The two semi-finals are on Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 of December, with both games being at 2:00 p.m. The 2022 World Cup is in to its final week and we’re at the semi-final stage.

The tournament is the first to be held in the Arab world and only the second to take place in Asia, after Japan and South Korea joint-hosted the event in 2002.

Hosts Qatar started their tournament against Ecuador, before taking on Senegal and Netherlands – the latter duo were set to be the first match of the 2022 World Cup before organisers moved Qatar’s match to be a day earlier. Brazil and Argentina feature in the knockout stages, while Senegal could represent Africa’s biggest hopes of winning for the first time. This edition will be the last to feature just 32 teams, with the tournament being expanded from 2026 onwards in order to feature 48 nations.

With the 2022 World Cup semifinals set, we bring you why each team will progress, plus one player to know ahead of the matchups and predictions.

[Marcus Thuram](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/217331/marcus-thuram), [Kolo Muani](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/252971/randal-kolo-muani)) and midfielders ( [Youssouf Fofana](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/277307/youssouf-fofana)) but no one who can realistically change the game. [Nayef Aguerd](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/245243/Nayef-Aguerd), the other outstanding centre-back missed the Portugal game, as did [Noussair Mazraoui](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/239350/Noussair-Mazraoui), the other fullback. [Dayot Upamecano](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/222793/dayot-upamecano) to make some mistakes that could have proven costly. In a match where Les Bleus will have a lot of the ball against a really low and compact block, his movement and impact with the ball will be important. [Juventus](/soccer/team/_/id/111) midfielder has been outstanding so far, and we don't say it enough. [Kylian Mbappe](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/231388/Kylian-Mbappé) to run into. Look at the penalties Les Bleus conceded in the quarterfinal (especially the [Theo Hernandez](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/233621/Theo-Hernández) one), look at the way they were outplayed for much of the game and ask yourself: who is more focused right now? [Achraf Hakimi](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/240233/Achraf-Hakimi) is battle-scarred and hurting. [Romain Saiss](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/167686/Romain-Saïss) played carrying an injury against [Portugal](/soccer/team?id=482) and had to come off. [Bracket](https://www.espn.com/soccer/bracket) [Morocco](/soccer/team?id=2869) vs. [Croatia](/soccer/team?id=477) vs.

England vs. France Highlights | 2022 FIFA World Cup · France's Olivier Giroud makes INCREDIBLE game-winning header.

[ FIFA World Cup 2022](/stories/soccer/france-keeps-focus-as-it-inches-toward-world-cup-repeat-we-havent-won-anything-yet) Netherlands: ‘We have a weight off our shoulders’](https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/lionel-messi-on-rally-vs-netherlands-we-have-a-weight-off-our-shoulders) [As soccer's popularity grows, so does World Cup tradition with sticking power](https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/as-soccers-popularity-grows-so-does-a-world-cup-tradition-with-sticking-power) [Best of the World Cup so far: Top goal, save, player, team and more](https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/best-of-the-world-cup-so-far-top-goal-save-player-team-and-more) [Quick guide to surviving penalty-kick shootouts at World Cup](https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/quick-guide-to-surviving-penalty-kick-shootouts-at-world-cup) [Stu Holden's top 50 players at the World Cup](https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/stu-holdens-top-50-players-at-world-cup-2022) [ FIFA World Cup 2022](/stories/soccer/world-cup-stage-was-set-for-a-cristiano-ronaldo-hero-moment-but-it-never-arrived) [Aurélien Tchouaméni](https://www.foxsports.com/soccer/aurelien-tchouameni-player) goal to set the tone. I think he's a leader on and off the pitch. France is also the first team to win a World Cup game despite giving away two penalties (since 1966). France is two wins away from becoming the first back-to-back World Cup champion since Brazil did it in 1958 and 1962. I think he's a fantastic player. I love that he's the late bloomer. The passing, the attacking, the defending — the commitment to defending on both sides of the ball I thought was amazing. [Olivier Giroud](https://www.foxsports.com/soccer/olivier-giroud-player) came up with the go-ahead goal for France late in the second half on a header. He was awarded a free kick in the last minute of stoppage time, but his shot was too high and went over the net, sealing France's win.

Fresh from Brazil victory, the Croatia side is confident as they prepare for World Cup semifinal against Argentina.

Argentina almost did not make the semifinals after the Dutch came from 2-0 down to score twice late in the game and force extra time and penalties in a bad-tempered encounter. Defenders Marcos Acuna and Gonzalo Montiel are suspended because of bookings, limiting coach Lionel Scaloni’s options at the back. The fact that we act and play as a family.” That was as close as Messi has come to lifting football’s biggest trophy and he is just one game away from having another shot at it. “Mateo, Luka and Marcelo are the best Croatia midfield in history. “We will try to stop them as a team and not with man-marking.