Ousmane Dembele's first-half hat-trick helps France soundly defeat a Norway side without Erling Haaland 4-1 to top Group I at the World Cup.
France forward Ousmane Dembele stuns Norway with an incredible hat-trick in the opening 32 minutes of their Group I World Cup clash in Boston.
⚽️ World Cup kick-off time: 3pm EDT/8pm BST/5am AEST⚽️ Third-place table | Player guide | Golden Boot | Mail Scott⚽️ Senegal v Iraq – live updates from the group’s other gameThis is how we saw it from the outset. Not much has changed. Yet. Reacquaint yourself with both squads, and let’s go.One of the tournament favourites meet perhaps the most transparently obvious of the dark horses. In purely reductive terms, it’s Kylian Mbappé versus Erling Haaland … and you know what, purely reductive terms are good enough to whet the appetite for this one. Mbappé and Haaland have already contributed four goals apiece in the first two matches; these teams have found the net 13 times between them already. So this could be a doozy, especially as top spot in Group I will at least theoretically prove beneficial come the knockout phase. Though it doesn’t always work out that way, of course. Let the good times roll at 8pm BST, 3pm EDT, 5am AEST. It’s on! Continue reading...
⚽️ World Cup kick-off: 5pm ET/10pm BST/7am AEST⚽️ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden Boot | Email TimEvening everyone and welcome to the Kylian Mbappé show. He’s the captain of France, he’s the biggest name in a team full of stars, in fact the biggest name in this World Cup among all those who have yet to turn 38. He needs only a hat-trick to grab the all-time World Cup record, and he’s already the GOAT in terms of goals per match – 14 from 15, just pipping Pelé, who has 12 from 14, and possibly enraging Cristiano Ronaldo, who has only eight from 23.Tonight, in Philadelphia, Mbappé will win his 100th cap. The stage is set, but it still takes two to tango. Can Iraq emulate Iran by pulling off a triumphant 0-0? They have never won a point at a World Cup, so it will be a surprise if they manage it against a team as good as France. But they love a challenge and don’t mind a bit of hard work: it took them 21 qualifiers to get here, more than any other nation. And in the Australian Graham Arnold, they have a manager so prone to positive thinking that when others talk of a group of death, he sees only a “group of excitement”. Continue reading...
Mbappé: Nothing bigger than playing for FranceStriker defends performance of Ousmane DembéléKylian Mbappé is relishing a Golden Boot duel with Lionel Messi, the player he calls the “best of the best”, but has said his personal ambitions would be subordinated to those of the team when France seek to seal qualification from Group C with victory over Iraq on Monday.Mbappé stepped into the full glare of the international media for the first time at this World Cup and handled the spotlight impeccably. From a defence of Ousmane Dembélé to the hot topic of the hydration break, France’s captain spoke in a calm and thoughtful manner. A more pugilistic role was reserved for his manager, Didier Deschamps. Continue reading...
France's World Cup winner Olivier Giroud explains why iconic Les Bleus striker Kylian Mbappe is misunderstood, and seen as arrogant when he's not.
Who is winning the battle to be top scorer at the World Cup? Live and updated throughout the tournamentAll-time World Cup goalscorersThe Golden Boot is awarded to the World Cup’s top goalscorer, with assists used as a tie-breaker if two or more players finish level. The 2026 tournament has three former Golden Boot winners taking part: Kylian Mbappé of France (eight goals in 2022), England’s Harry Kane (six goals in 2018) and James Rodríguez of Colombia (six goals in 2014).Mbappé and Kane are among the pre-tournament favourites to finish top scorer in North America, alongside Norway’s Erling Haaland – making his World Cup debut – and Argentina’s Lionel Messi. Continue reading...
Dispute related to contract before exit for Real Madrid Court sided with player amid accusations of betrayal A Paris labour court has ruled Paris Saint-Germain must pay more than €60m to Kylian Mbappé in a dispute over unpaid wages and bonuses linked to the end of his contract before his 2024 move to Real Madrid. Lawyers argued last month before the Conseil de prud’hommes. The court sided with the player amid accusations of betrayal and harassment surrounding the breakdown of their relationship. PSG had been seeking €440m from Mbappé, citing damages and a “loss of opportunity” after he left on a free transfer. However, the court’s ruling can be appealed and is unlikely to end the dispute. Continue reading...
Footballer hopes to own world’s most expensive camel ‘I’ve watched my fair share of races on YouTube,’ he says It is known as the sport of the sheikhs, with thousands of fans packing desert tracks to watch robot jockeys compete for huge prizes. Now professional camel racing has a new high-profile investor: Paul Pogba. The Monaco midfielder said he had become a shareholder in the Saudi Arabia-based Al Haboob, the world’s first professional camel racing team competing across the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf, because he wanted to “elevate the sport on to a global stage”. Continue reading...
Frenchman has never been far from the headlines since 2023 but he is finally back gliding across a football field By Get French Football News How much can you learn from Paul Pogba’s nine-minute cameo? Perhaps just that he does indeed exist and not only in columns, fitness updates and social media posts. That is where he has existed for the past 26 months, since his final game for Juventus in September 2023: equally at the centre of our gaze and absent from it. Between his four-year doping ban, reduced to 18 months on appeal, his release from Juventus, and the extortion and kidnapping case that led to his brother being sentenced to three years in prison, his name has been constantly uttered but his face has been rarely seen – at least not on a football pitch. Continue reading...
Les Bleus fended off a major scare from Fiji Saturday after the game drew equal following France's early 21-point lead. A pair of crucial tries from centre Nicolas Depoortère secured France's victory and brought the team's four-game losing streak to an end.
On their return to Paris two years on from winning the World Cup, South Africa outclassed France 32-17 on Saturday night despite going a man down before half-time.
A fourteen-man South Africa beat France 32-17 in Paris on Saturday after Lood De Jager's shoulder charge on full-back Thomas Ramos saw the South African lock given a red card. Although les Bleus took an early lead in the second half the South African side fought back to win the Autumn Nations Series match.
France host South Africa at the Stade de France on Saturday night for a blockbuster clash to kick off their Autumn Internationals campaign. Les Bleus will be facing the Springboks for the first time since narrowly losing in the same stadium to the eventual champions in the 2023 World Cup quarter-final.
