Soccer

7:46 AM ET Kylian Mbappe‘s rousing half-time pep talk to France teammates at the World Cup final has been revealed in a new documentary. The 24-year-old is heard encouraging his international teammates after they fell behind 2-0 to Argentina following a poor first-half display. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) A documentary called

5:00 AM ET With the excitement on the pitch as prominent as the controversies surrounding it, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will go down as one of the most unique in history. Lionel Messi leading Argentina to triumph over France in an epic final will live on forever, but questions will continue over the

4:30 AM ET The World Cup in Qatar had its curtain call last Sunday when Argentina were crowned champions, but that doesn’t mean the footballing world is now devoid of top action. In fact, it has already kicked off as the Carabao Cup and Copa del Rey return on Tuesday. 2 Related Thanks to the

2:00 PM ET Major League Soccer released its regular season schedule on Tuesday, revealing the full slate of games for opening day on Feb. 25, and setting the date for Decision Day on Oct. 21. The MLS Cup playoff schedule will be released at a later date. The first match of the 2023 season will

5:18 PM ET This World Cup in Qatar had its share of highs and lows, both on and off the pitch, but the brilliance of some of the individual performances will be a lasting memory of the tournament. It’s easy to name-drop Lionel Messi and the other goal scorers of the tournament, but there were

10:00 AM ET Argentina now have a third star embroidered on their famous white-and-blue-striped shirts after Lionel Messi and his teammates emerged victorious over France in one of the most enthralling, topsy-turvy World Cup finals of all time. 2 Related The Albiceleste eventually won the game on penalties, but only after surrendering a two-goal lead

10:30 AM ET The headlines and the spotlights are all on Argentina’s Lionel Messi, and so they should be. The last dance, if that is what it was, proved to be the best dance as the “Little Genius” won the World Cup at the fifth time of asking. But it would not have happened without

3:41 PM ET Lionel Messi has said he will not retire from international football after scoring twice as Argentina lifted the 2022 World Cup in a thrilling penalty shootout victory over France on Sunday. Messi scored the opener from the penalty spot at the Lusail Stadium in Doha, Qatar, before striking again in extra time

6:25 PM ET LUSAIL, Qatar — Kylian Mbappe had converted France’s first penalty in the shootout, the fourth time he’d beaten Argentina keeper Emi Martinez in the World Cup final, following his earlier hat-trick. And so Lionel Messi walked up to take Argentina’s opening penalty. – Report: Messi, Argentina win 2022 World Cup on penalties

1:30 PM ET Argentina are World Cup winners for the third time, with Lionel Messi inspiring the Copa America champions to glory, following a penalty shootout win at the end of an incredible final against France in Qatar on Sunday. – World Cup 2022: News and features | Bracket | Results Kylian Mbappe became only

5:54 AM ET The Football Association has confirmed that Gareth Southgate will stay on as England manager through to Euro 2024. The 52-year-old already had a contract for another two years but was considering whether to walk away after six years in charge following England’s World Cup quarterfinal exit to France in Qatar. – Stream

6:00 AM ET It’s the World Cup final — France against Argentina, the reigning world champions versus the champions of South America, Kylian Mbappe taking on Lionel Messi — and it will end with one of football’s heavyweight nations winning the World Cup for a third time. Qatar 2022 has had its highlights, including great

7:00 AM ET DOHA, Qatar — One of the upshots of the 2022 World Cup is how tight so many games were, particularly in the knockout stage. I don’t mean in terms of result, I mean in the way the games actually unfolded on the pitch. I realize it’s largely subjective, and you might disagree,

10:00 AM ET The 2022 World Cup in Qatar has flown by. Wedged into the middle of the European club season, it has had to. It’s hard to believe that the tournament began 26 days ago, yet so much has transpired in that time, including whittling down a field of 32 to just France and

4:25 PM ET Former Argentina international Gabriel Batistuta said he was happy to see Lionel Messi overtake him as the country’s top scorer at the World Cup in Qatar, where the South Americans are preparing to fight for the title against France on Sunday. Messi reached 11 World Cup goals in his career after scoring

9:35 AM ET France have been hit with a virus that could see the team’s starting centre-back pairing miss the World Cup final, sources have told ESPN. According to sources, Raphael Varane has small symptoms of the virus and fellow defender Ibrahima Konate has not left his room after feeling unwell. – Stream on ESPN+:

9:35 AM ET Alex Kirkland Rodrigo Faez Real Madrid have reached an agreement to sign Palmeiras forward Endrick in 2024, the club announced on Thursday. Endrick — who is 16 and will move to Madrid when he turns 18 in July 2024 — is one of the most exciting young talents in Brazilian football. –

3:16 PM ET Back in November, before the World Cup began, I dove into the treasure trove that is StatsPerform’s World Cup charting data archive to look at the trends that have changed and taken over the sport from 1966 to 2018. When did the possession game start to really take over? (1990 or so,