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Spain favored, Argentina seeing more action for World Cup final

NEW YORK: Spain opened as the +125 favorites to win ‌the World Cup and stood at +130 as of Thursday morning, but Lionel Messi and defending champions Argentina are seeing more of the betting action, according to BetMGM. Argentina — who opened at +250 at the sportsbook and have since moved to +240 — have received 58 percent of the total bets and 59 percent of the handle at BetMGM. That’s compared to 36 percent of the bets and 38 percent of the handle for Spain. A tie after extra time, which would necessitate a penalty kick ‌shootout to decide ‌the tournament, is on the board at +200, ‌meaning ⁠it’s seen as ⁠likelier than an Argentina outright victory. Argentina prevailed on penalty kicks after playing France to a 3-3 tie at the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar. The over/under set for the game is 2.5 total goals (excluding penalties), with under 2.5 the heavily favored outcome at -165.

La Liga players dominate World Cup final representation

MADRID: The Spanish competition is the league with the most representatives in the 2026 World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, accounting for 24 of the 52 players named in the two squads.

UK urges FIFA to investigate Argentina over Falklands banner at World Cup

LONDON: The British government on Thursday urged FIFA to investigate Argentina’s team after players posed with a banner claiming sovereignty over the contested Falkland Islands. Argentina beat England 2-1 in a World Cup semifinal on Wednesday in Atlanta. During post-match celebrations, Argentine players held a banner handed over by fans in the stands, reading “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” — “The Malvinas are Argentine.” Argentina refers to the Falkland Islands as Islas Malvinas. They were invaded in 1982 under orders from Argentina’s then-military dictatorship, triggering a 10-week war won by Britain. UK Business Secretary Peter Kyle said the players’ behavior was “entirely inappropriate.

Argentina smelt ‘blood in water’ in England win: Scaloni

ATLANTA: Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni saluted his team’s never-say-die mentality after another come-from-behind victory on Wednesday powered them past England into the World Cup final. Scaloni said his team had scented victory as England sat back after taking a 1-0 lead in their semifinal in Atlanta and went for broke to secure a deserved 2-1 win. “I think that this team plays the best when we are facing adversity,” Scaloni said. “We had a challenging game, a challenging situation. “There was blood in the water, and we went for it.

Harry Kane ‘gutted’ after England crash out of World Cup

ATLANTA: Harry Kane said he was “gutted” for England and their fans after his team were beaten 2-1 by defending champions Argentina in the World Cup semifinals on Wednesday. Anthony Gordon’s strike had put the Three Lions on the cusp of a first men’s World Cup final since they lifted the 1966 trophy but Lionel Messi inspired a dramatic turnaround in Atlanta. He set up Enzo Fernandez, who blasted home from outside the area, and provided an inch-perfect cross for Lautaro Martinez’s winner in stoppage time. “Gutted for the boys, gutted for everyone — the team, the staff, the fans,” England captain Kane told the BBC. “We played a good game, the large majority of it.

Argentina beat England 2-1 to reach World Cup final

ATLANTA: Reigning champions Argentina came from behind to beat England 2-1 on Wednesday and reach their second World Cup final in a row, where they will face Spain. Anthony Gordon put England ahead in the 55th minute but Enzo Fernandez equalized 30 minutes later and Lautaro Martinez headed in the winner in stoppage time from Lionel Messi’s cross. Argentina will have a chance to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back World Cups after Messi, 39, once again dragged his team to victory. The South Americans will face a Spain team in the final who beat France 2-0 in Tuesday’s semifinal.

Local ‘hero’: Bellingham’s hometown buzzing ahead of semifinal clash

STOURBRIDGE, UK: As England gears up for the World Cup semifinal Wednesday, there will be one name on everyone’s lips: Jude Bellingham, the star midfielder who powered the Three Lions through to the marquee clash against Argentina. In packed stadiums in North America and pubs back home, people belt out the Beatles’ “Hey Jude” and don t-shirts with slogans like “Bend it like Bellingham” — a play on the iconic 2000s film “Bend it like Beckham.” But nowhere is the 23-year-old midfielder more feted than his hometown of Stourbridge, a quiet market town in central England, west of Birmingham. Wheeling his bike past the town’s shopping center, retiree Keith Hall blows a kiss toward a superhero comic-style mural of Bellingham. “He’s a local lad,” Hall told AFP, adding Bellingham “keeps in touch with his roots” despite now playing for Real Madrid. Bellingham launched his football career playing for the Stourbridge Juniors, before joining Birmingham City’s youth side and becoming the club’s youngest first-team player. “It doesn’t surprise me that he’s become an international sensation because he’s the coolest man currently living,” gushed grocery store worker Sam Holden, 21. “Harry Kane obviously can kind of save us in our time of need, but Jude Bellingham can just take us to the heights that England absolutely are capable of reaching.” A regional railway company is offering passengers named “Jude” free travel in Stourbridge this week. “We look forward to inviting Judes from across the region for a free ride on the Stourbridge Shuttle,” said Jonny Wiseman from the West Midlands Railway. The fever has spread beyond the area, known as Black Country, with a railway station in southeast London briefly renamed to “Jude Bellingham”

‘There is no one quite like him’: How a Lebanese coach helped shape Erling Haaland into a global football star

BEIRUT: Erling Braut Haaland, the 25-year-old Norwegian football star, returned home from the US with seven World Cup goals, a stuffed raccoon, two stuffed squirrels, a cowboy hat and even more global fame, earned through his phenomenal scoring ability, immense physical strength and exceptional speed, despite Norway’s failure to England in the quarterfinal.

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FIFA World Cup 2026 Sport News

Spain favored, Argentina seeing more action for World Cup final

La Liga players dominate World Cup final representation

UK urges FIFA to investigate Argentina over Falklands banner at World Cup

Argentina smelt ‘blood in water’ in England win: Scaloni

Harry Kane ‘gutted’ after England crash out of World Cup

Argentina beat England 2-1 to reach World Cup final

Local ‘hero’: Bellingham’s hometown buzzing ahead of semifinal clash

‘There is no one quite like him’: How a Lebanese coach helped shape Erling Haaland into a global football star