• AVIF image of England v Argentina

FIFA said that fans can now have their say as to which was most impressive from across the six quarter-final and semi-final matches, emphasising that the round of voting for the Goal of the Tournament is now open.

The contenders are Kylian Mbappe (France); Andreas Schjelderup (Norway) Jude Bellingham (England) ,Julian Alvarez (Argentina) Pedro Porro (Spain) and Enzo Fernandez (Argentina).

According to the world football body, this is the latest step in the process towards deciding the Hyundai Goal of the Tournament, with users having 48 hours to place their vote once the window opens.

After the voting window has closed, the winning goal will be announced.Having already had several rounds of voting, there will be one further vote to determine the Goal of the Tournament after this weekend’s final in New York New Jersey

Global superstar Post Malone will headline the FIFA World Cup 2026 closing ceremony, delivering a landmark performance that will usher in the final at New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday, 19 July.

According to FIFA, produced in creative partnership with Balich Wonder Studio, the closing ceremony will start at 13:30 local time, 90 minutes before kick-off, and fuse world-class entertainment and football in a moment that unites the world.

At its centre, Post Malone will deliver a headline performance befitting the scale of the occasion. Known for redefining genres and commanding the world’s biggest stages, he will step into a defining cultural moment before football’s next champions are crowned.

At a time when sport, culture and global attention converge, Post Malone will deliver a performance designed to celebrate the tournament’s journey and ignite the atmosphere before the world’s attention turns to the two finalists,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

“We are thrilled to have so many stars taking to the pitch, from both the football and entertainment worlds. The closing ceremony will set the tone for a historic FIFA World Cup final, uniting the passion of 48 teams, 16 host cities and millions of fans on one unforgettable stage.”

A nine-time diamond-certified global superstar, Post Malone regularly redefines history, by blurring boundaries and sparking conversation with every move. Most recently, he released his debut country album, F-1 Trillion, which landed at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. His catalogue features diamond-certified hits including rockstar, I Fall Apart, Psycho, White Iverson, Better Now, Congratulations, Circles and Sunflower, which became the highest-certified single in RIAA history.

Fans attending the final are encouraged to arrive early to experience the full pre-match programme

•France coach Didier Deschamps\ AFP

France coach Didier Deschamps said his players were left “devastated” by their World Cup semi-final defeat to Spain on Tuesday before aiming a barb at match referee Ivan Barton from El Salvador.

Deschamps’ free-flowing French team had dazzled the competition en route to the last four, rattling in 16 goals in six games to earn comparisons to some of the greatest teams in World Cup history.

But France’s dreams of a third World Cup title were left in tatters after a dominant Spanish performance that left Deschamps, who is stepping down after the tournament, struggling for answers.

” Of course, there is a lot of disappointment,” Deschamps said immediately after the defeat at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

“The players are devastated because we had a lot of ambition, even though we also have to be realistic and acknowledge that today we were a notch below on the technical level against a team that controlled the game well.

“But first of all, it’s our fault, I don’t want to blame anyone.”

Deschamps though could not resist firing a shot at referee Barton, who had awarded Spain an early penalty after Lucas Digne kicked Lamine Yamal in the first half.

I’ll ask a loaded question and I won’t answer it,” Deschamps said.

“Is the referee at the level required to officiate a World Cup semi-final?“And I’m not saying this just because we lost today. There were quite a few situations. There were some favourable calls, too,” he said, without elaborating.