Paraguayan senator demands apology from Kylian Mbappé for his response to her racist posts
France’s Kylian Mbappé scores from the penalty spot for the only goal of his team’s 1-0 World Cup victory against Paraguay on Saturday in Philadelphia.
(Matt Slocum / Associated Press)
A Paraguayan senator has deleted social media posts that included racist remarks about French soccer superstar Kylian Mbappé that led to Paris prosecutors opening an investigation into possible aggravated public insult and incitement to hatred or violence.
Celeste Amarilla, a 61-year-old senator from Paraguay’s Liberal Radical Party, indicated in an open letter to Mbappé on Monday that she regretted the comments she posted following Paraguay’s 1-0 loss to France in a World Cup knockout game on Saturday.
In the same letter, however, Amarilla threatened to take legal action if Mbappé did not retract and apologize for comments he made in response to one of her posts.
How VAR, a system designed to correct errors, became this World Cup’s biggest villain
Croatia’s Igor Matanovic (20) kneels after his team lost to Portugal and was eliminated from the World Cup on July 2. After VAR review, the referee overturned a Croatia goal that would have tied the game and possibly altered the outcome.
(Sam Balkansky / Associated Press)
Croatia’s World Cup was seconds away from being over and Portugal was seconds away from the round of 16 when Ivan Perisic sent a long, desperate cross into the penalty area. The ball bounced off bodies like a pinball before magically, unbelievably, caroming into the net.
Gooooooallllllll!!!!
Fate had given Croatia a reprieve.
But as pandemonium broke out in the stands and on the pitch, Norwegian referee Espen Eskas stood in the middle of the celebration in Toronto, hand to his ear, listening to a voice half a continent away in Dallas.
News Analysis: Mexico wins back fans but is still searching for ways to pass familiar World Cup wall
Mexico players cry and embrace after they lost to England at Azteca Stadium on July 5, ending their World Cup run.
(Silvia Izquierdo / Associated Press)
MEXICO CITY — After what may have been the most important game in the Mexican national team’s World Cup history, coach Javier Aguirre hugged each of his 26 players.
The embraces weren’t to celebrate a victory. They were hugs of gratitude, encouragement and, above all, resignation.
Minutes earlier, the players paraded around Azteca Stadium — traditionally an impenetrable fortress — to applaud El Tri fans with tears in their eyes. Mexico had just lost 3-2 to England, extinguishing the hope that it could parlay its World Cup co-host role into the deepest tournament run in the country’s history.
Why not them? Disappointed U.S. players hope their World Cup run inspired future stars
U.S. defender Tim Ream (13), with midfielder Malik Tillman and forward Folarin Balogun, reacts after Belgium scored during their World Cup match at Lumen Field in Seattle on Monday.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
SEATTLE — Last fall, in an effort to inspire a national soccer team lacking in confidence and belief, coach Mauricio Pochettino came up with a slogan for this summer’s World Cup, one the U.S. would be playing at home.
“Why not us?” he asked.
Why couldn’t the U.S. make a deep run in the tournament? Why couldn’t the U.S. compete with the best teams in the world? Why not us?
Monday he got his answer: Because the U.S. just isn’t good enough.
Mikel Merino lifts Spain over Belgium, setting up World Cup showdown with France
Spain midfielder Rodri, left, and Belgium midfielder Kevin De Bruyne battle for the ball during Spain’s 2-1 win in the World Cup quarterfinals at SoFi Stadium on Friday.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
If Mikel Merino is sleeping, please don’t wake him. If the last week has been a dream, he’d just as soon keep dreaming.
Because on Friday, for the second time in five days, Merino came off the bench for the final five minutes of a World Cup knockout game and scored the winning goal, the latest lifting Spain to a 2-1 victory over Belgium and into next week’s semifinal against France in Arlington, Texas.
“Not even in my wildest dreams could I have imagined what’s happening right now, right?” Merino said in Spanish. “Honestly, it’s crazy.”
World Cup semifinals schedule: Start times for every match and how to watch
Argentina’s Lionel Messi controls the ball during a win over Switzerland in the World Cup quarterfinals on Saturday. Argentina plays England in the semifinals on Wednesday.
(Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)
The 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinals are set to start, with France taking on Spain and defending champion Argentina facing England.
World Cup co-hosts U.S., Canada and Mexico will be watching from the sideline after being eliminated in the round of 16.
Here’s everything you need to know about the two World Cup matches being played Tuesday and Wednesday (all times Pacific).
Looking back at the first 30 days of the World Cup
The first 30 days of the 2026 FIFA World Cup offered plenty of memorable moments.
Check out The Times’ daily recaps ahead of Tuesday’s semifinal match between France and Spain:
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