Rafael Márquez is taking the reins of the Mexican national team. The Mexican Football Federation (FMF) announced Wednesday that the former Barcelona star will succeed Javier Aguirre as head coach leading up to the 2030 World Cup.

Márquez, 47, served as Aguirre’s assistant from August 2024 until Mexico’s recent 3-2 round of 16 loss to England. While a succession plan had been in place since 2024, rumors had circulated that the FMF might look elsewhere.

“The appointment of Rafael Márquez is part of an orderly transition designed to ensure continuity … strengthen development, and tackle upcoming commitments,” the FMF stated.

While El Tri has no immediate fixtures scheduled, Márquez is expected to make his managerial debut during the FIFA international window in late September and early October.

“I am happy with the growth shown by Rafa,” Aguirre said of his successor. “I spoke with Rafa because we are both prominent figures in Mexican soccer — I knew him as a player and a teammate — and he is more than qualified.”

The FMF also expressed its gratitude to Aguirre. While Mexico’s campaign ended in the round of 16 — the stage where they have been eliminated in eight of the last nine World Cups — the team showed marked improvement after failing to advance past the group stage at Qatar 2022.

“He leaves behind a solid legacy of hard work, identity, and competitiveness that strengthens the foundation for the national team’s next chapter,” the FMF stated regarding Aguirre, who just concluded his third World Cup cycle as Mexico’s manager.

Márquez steps into the role with one of the most decorated resumes in Mexican football history. As a player, he featured in five World Cups, won the 1999 Confederations Cup, and claimed Gold Cup titles in 2003 and 2011.

In Europe, he played for Monaco before a legendary stint at Barcelona, where he won two Champions League trophies and four La Liga titles. Domestically, he began and ended his career with Atlas and won back-to-back Liga MX titles with León.

Márquez transitioned to coaching in Real Alcalá’s youth ranks before successfully managing Barça Atlètic, Barcelona’s reserve team, where he was in charge for 82 matches over two seasons, recording 40 wins, 21 draws and 21 losses.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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Lionel Messi, the World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer, was among 29 players selected to represent Major League Soccer on Wednesday against the LIGA MX All-Stars on July 29 at the MLS All-Star Game in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Messi has 12 goals and eight assists in 14 matches this season for Inter Miami CF.

Messi is among 13 World Cup players selected to the MLS All-Star roster.

Among the others include Cape Verde defender Steven Moreira from the Columbus Crew and four players from the United States team, including NYCFC goalkeeper Matt Freese, Charlotte FC, center back Tim Ream, Columbus Crew defender Max Arfsten and Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter.

It’s unclear if Messi plans to play in the All-Star game after sitting out last year’s exhibition match, which led to a one-game suspension that Inter Miami FC Jorge Mas owner called “draconian.”

Messi, the leading scorer at this year’s World Cup, helped defending-champion Argentina rally from a two-goal deficit to beat Egypt 3-2 on Tuesday.

Argentina faces Switzerland on Saturday in the quarterfinals. The World Cup final is July 19.

Here is the complete MLS roster for the All-Star game:

GOALKEEPERS (3)

— Maxime Crepeau, Orlando City

— Matt Freese, New York City FC

— Brian Schwake, Nashville SC

DEFENDERS (10)

— Max Arfsten, Columbus Crew

— Lucas Herrington, Colorado Rapids

— Richie Laryea, Toronto FC

— Anthony Markanich, Minnesota United FC

— Mbekezeli Mbokazi, Chicago Fire FC

— Steven Moreira, Columbus Crew

— Daniel Munie, San Jose Earthquakes

— Andy Najar, Nashville SC

— Jackson Ragen, Seattle Sounders FC

— Tim Ream, Charlotte FC

MIDFIELDERS (9)

— Sebastian Berhalter, Vancouver Whitecaps FC

— Pep Biel, Charlotte FC

— Rodrigo De Paul, Inter Miami CF

— Evander, FC Cincinnati

— Carles Gil, New England Revolution

— Zavier Gozo, Real Salt Lake

— Hany Mukhtar, Nashville SC

— Thomas Müller, Vancouver Whitecaps FC

— Ashley Westwood, Charlotte FC

FORWARDS (7)

— Hugo Cuypers, Chicago Fire FC

— Anders Dreyer, San Diego FC

— Julian Hall, New York Red Bulls

— Son Heung-min, LAFC

— Lionel Messi, Inter Miami CF

— Petar Musa, FC Dallas

— Sam Surridge, Nashville SC

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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The NCAA wants to know what the University of Cincinnati knew about former quarterback Brendan Sorsby and his gambling issues during his two seasons with the program.

According to reports by multiple media outlets, the NCAA has sent an official letter of inquiry to the school regarding Sorsby, who was ruled permanently ineligible by the NCAA in April after he placed thousands of impermissible sports bets over the past four years.

Sorsby spent two seasons each at Indiana and Cincinnati before transferring to Texas Tech earlier this offseason. Texas Tech has since cut ties with Sorsby.

Cincinnati coach Scott Satterfield, who was Sorsby’s coach during his two seasons with the Bearcats, declined to comment on reports about the letter of inquiry at Wednesday’s Big 12 Media Days in Frisco, Texas.

Yahoo Sports was first to disclose the existence of the letter and ESPN also reported that Cincinnati had received it, with both citing anonymous sources.

A Cincinnati spokesperson declined to say if the school had received an inquiry from the NCAA.

“We have had continuous conversations with the NCAA since the initial reports related to impermissible sports wagering began,” the spokesperson said in a statement to The Associated Press. “As we have stated before, we do not believe any athletics official or staff member was aware of any impermissible sports wagering.”

The NCAA declared Sorsby ineligible for making bets worth at least $90,000 during his college career, igniting a legal battle.

Sorsby made at least 40 bets on Indiana while he was a freshman there in 2022, but none of those bets came on games in he played. He acknowledged placing at least 165 impermissible bets on college and professional sports totaling at least $38,000 in 2024, including three wagers on Cincinnati men’s basketball made on a FanDuel account he shared with a friend. He provided more than $60,000 to the friend to deposit in the shared account between December 2023 and June 2025.

Sorsby’s stock soared after he transferred from Indiana to Cincinnati in 2024. He threw for 5,613 yards with 45 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in two seasons with the Bearcats.

He was considered the top prospect in the transfer portal before he chose Texas Tech for his final year of college eligibility.

After he was banned by the NCAA, Sorsby sued and was granted an injunction that gave him the right to play, but he later dropped his unprecedented legal battle.

Sorsby applied for the NFL’s supplemental draft, but NFL decided not to have one. The league sent a memo to all 32 teams last week informing them that Sorsby will not seek legal action against the league after it denied his petition to enter the supplemental draft.

He is planning to enter the NFL draft next year.

“I accept 100% responsibility for my actions,” Sorsby posted on Instagram last week. “I did not have control of my gambling problem and it took getting caught to realize that, but it was truly the best thing that could have happened to me.”

Reporting by the Associated Press.

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Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said it has been business as usual in the football operation through the turmoil surrounding the Brendan Sorsby gambling saga.

The 54-year-old Texas native credited the school’s leadership and boosters when asked at Big 12 media days on Tuesday how he has managed an offseason he couldn’t have imagined in his younger coaching days.

“We’ve all been in this together,” McGuire said. “I have good mentors, and I have a very strong football team. If you would walk into that building from right now, or even January, any point of this saga, the football side of it, you wouldn’t think that anything was wrong, different.”

McGuire again defended the school’s support of Sorsby, including the plan to let him play even after the Cincinnati transfer admitted he placed bets on Indiana games when he was a freshman with the Hoosiers.

Sorsby played the past two seasons with the Bearcats before joining the defending Big 12 champion Red Raiders on a lucrative deal for his name, image and likeness.

The QB ultimately abandoned a legal effort to regain his eligibility after the NCAA suspended him for gambling, and has said he will wait until next year to enter the NFL draft.

Texas Tech, which went 12-2 last season, stood behind Sorsby when he went to rehab over his gambling and after he sued the NCAA to regain his eligibility.

“I’m not going to ever change that I’m going have my players’ backs,” McGuire said. “It’s really easy to tell a mom or a dad that you’re going to be there to help their son grow into the man they’re supposed to be, and then all of a sudden, whenever adversity hits, or something like the situation we had, that you turn your back on them.”

McGuire said he talked to Sorsby in the past couple of days, and Sorsby is working out in the Dallas area, where he played in high school. McGuire said he expects Sorsby to make occasional trips to Lubbock and that he will have access to the school’s athletic facilities.

“My biggest thing why I want to be there is because I have addicts in my family,” the coach said. “Some of them are no longer with us. But the biggest thing for me right now is he continues to get help so there’s no relapse and he can be the person and the player that he’s meant to be.”

Tight end Terrance Carter Jr. said he stayed in touch with Sorsby through the offseason after their relationship blossomed in just a few months together.

“When we found out he was going into rehab, I sent him a quick text, ‘I love you, bro,’” Carter said. “We still text a lot to this day. So I can say our relationship is strong. It’s more than just football for me. So just being there for my brother, that’s all I can do.”

Will Hammond Could End Up As Red Raiders’ Starting QB

Quarterback Will Hammond started twice and came off the bench once for an injured Behren Morton before tearing the ACL in his right knee last season.

McGuire said Hammond could be ready for the season opener Sept. 5 against Abilene Christian, but it’s possible the Red Raiders could wait until the third game Sept. 18 against Houston.

Without the knee injury, Hammond might have been the projected starter this season, and Carter said he was confident in the quarterbacks regardless of Sorsby’s status.

That’s not to say Sorsby’s former teammates were indifferent toward his fate.

“Coach McGuire always preaches about the ‘what’s next’ mentality,” center and captain Sheridan Wilson said. “This is just, unfortunately, just another ‘what’s next’ moment. It breaks my heart, obviously. It breaks a lot of people’s hearts because that’s a friend of ours. We’d love to have him on the team, but at the end of the day, we’re still chasing the Big 12 championship. We have to move on.”

While Texas Tech officials were widely criticized over the possibility of Sorsby playing for the Red Raiders after admitting to gambling on his team’s games at Indiana, McGuire said fellow coaches were supportive behind the scenes.

Some of the criticism came after Texas Tech posted a video in which president Lawrence Schovanec, athletic director Kirby Hocutt and McGuire tried to explain their reasons for supporting Sorsby.

“Some of the statements we made, we were making them to Red Raiders,” McGuire said. “I was not going to change the public opinion across the board. What we were trying to explain in any video or anything like that was to get our fan base and our boosters and our alumni to understand exactly what we were trying to do. We owed it to them. And really that’s the only people that we owed it to.”

Reporting by the Associated Press.

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Christian Pulisic has become the target of many critics of the U.S. men’s soccer team following its round of 16 loss to Belgium at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. However, he has a pair of U.S. Soccer icons in his corner, too: Landon Donovan and Tim Howard. 

Both Donovan and Howard expressed some empathy for Pulisic after some of the criticism he’s received for his underwhelming play during the World Cup and his early departure from its elimination loss. But Donovan also pleaded with Pulisic to make some changes to how he conducts business and treats others off the pitch. 

“This is an opportunity to help and to change your life forever,” Donovan said on his podcast, “Unfiltered Soccer,” with Howard. “One of the biggest problems — I speak to people who are at U.S. Soccer. I speak to his sponsors. I speak to his teammates. I speak to the staff and the coaches. People are fed up with the way things are handled around him. 

“And it’s not necessarily him, but it’s his agents, his family, his hangers-on, the people who are influencing. People are fed up with it. They treat people poorly. They do things poorly. It’s always a ‘no’ whenever you wanna ask, ‘Can we do an interview?’ It’s always a, ‘No, you can’t get near him.’ He doesn’t say ‘hi’ to the commentators who do all the games all the time when they walk by. All the other guys come over and shake hands and say, ‘Hello.’ 

“There’s just this sense about him that you can’t get near him. And I actually don’t think it’s from him. I think it’s from I think it’s from the people around him. They need to stop, and he needs to man up and have a conversation with them and say, ‘Look guys, this is not helping me.’”

Donovan said that he went through something similar to what Pulisic is going through now when the USA was eliminated in group play at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, with Donovan being viewed as the face of the team at the time.

“I have been in his shoes. … I know the feeling. The feeling is identical,” Donovan said. “I would just say this: It led me to therapy. It led me to take a look at my life and my career honestly for the first time. It allowed me to have massive, important conversations with people I love in my life about all things, not just soccer, and it changed my life forever, in a positive way.”

While Pulisic’s 2026 U.S. team went further than Donovan’s 2006 squad, the 27-year-old didn’t do a ton to contribute to the team’s success. He logged zero goals and an assist during the tournament, with a calf injury forcing him to miss parts of all three group matches. He departed Monday’s loss early in the second half due to an ankle injury, with his comment that he has “time to rest” to FOX Sports’ Jenny Taft particularly catching heat on social media. 

As Pulisic is dealing with some backlash, Howard said that he hopes the USA star isn’t on social media for a bit. But, like Donavan, Howard also suggested that Pulisic change his off-field approach. 

“Yeah, rubbed some people the wrong way,” Howard said of Pulisic’s post-match remarks. “I don’t envy Christian Pulisic right now. That’s a difficult place to be. I do, though, believe that the sort of perceived nonchalantness is not that he doesn’t care. I think he’s hurting. I think he’s aware. I think that’s his own defense mechanism. All I can is, I think it’s impossible for him to feel the way that he felt — being one of the leaders on that team and being the biggest name and the best player with his ankle hurt and getting crushed going out of a World Cup — I would find it almost impossible for him to give a legitimately nonchalant interview.

“So, there’s something else going on there.”

United States’ Best Moments 2026 FIFA World Cup™ 🇺🇸

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This isn’t the first time Donavan has pointed remarks toward Pulisic. He took multiple swipes at the AC Milan star for opting not to play for the USA in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup due to rest. 

But as Donovan acknowledged that he doesn’t have “a great relationship” with Pulisic, he hopes he’s able to change how he conducts himself off the pitch so he doesn’t alienate himself from the fans. 

“He has a big challenge ahead,” Donovan said. “I’m looking ahead to the next game, the next U.S. game in this country, what do you think that’s going to look like? Think about that, is he going to get booed when they announce him? Maybe. People are livid. It’s a long, winded way of saying, this can be a good moment in your life. A lot of things need to change, and I actually think it’s not him — it’s the people around him.” 

World Cup Related Stories

 

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The World Cup ended far sooner than anyone had hoped for the Americans. Following the United States’ 4-1 loss to Belgium, much of the attention centered on Christian Pulisic and whether the team’s biggest star delivered when it mattered most.

Pulisic’s urgency and passion came under scrutiny after his postgame comments were perceived by many as lacking emotion. His response even led some to question how much urgency and commitment he brought into what was arguably the biggest match of his career.

“I just totally twisted my ankle and my knee in one play,” Pulisic told reporters after the loss. “I mean, whatever. I have time to rest. It’s just an unfortunate way to finish.”

Pulisic suffered a twisted ankle and knee injury against Belgium, likely limiting his impact in Monday night’s loss. On Wednesday, he shared a heartfelt message on Instagram, thanking fans for their unwavering support of the United States throughout its World Cup run.

For a player expected to carry the team on his back, Pulisic’s overall energy and impact fell well short of the standard. Across four World Cup matches, he failed to score a goal, recording just two shots on target and one assist.

Pulisic’s focus will now return to AC Milan, where he will look to put the disappointment of the World Cup behind him and prepare for the upcoming Serie A season.

The United States, meanwhile, begins the long wait toward 2030. After falling short on home soil, the program will spend the next four years trying to turn promise into a breakthrough in Spain, Morocco and Portugal.

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“Bear Bets” are real wagers that Chris “The Bear” Fallica is actually making.

Is this one of the best World Cups of all time? 

That Argentina-Egypt match was about as good as it gets toward the end.

Here’s how I’m wagering on Match Day 28 — the first day of the quarterfinals.

This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.

World Cup Best Bets — Thursday, July 9

France vs. Morocco

Morocco was poor in the first half against Canada but ultimately did enough in the second half to get through. A slow start here won’t treat it as kindly, as France will take full advantage. 

Give France a ton of credit for getting past a gross Paraguay squad, one that wasn’t even trying to score. Morocco is dangerous for sure, but France has so much skill and depth that it should take a first-half lead and then see it out. 

Losing leading scorer Ismael Saibari is a massive deal for Morocco and I can see something along the lines of 2-0 or 3-0 France’s way.

Fallica’s Picks:   France to Win by 2+ Goals (+160), France/France Halftime/Full-time (+130)

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Adam Vinatieri, the NFL’s career scoring leader who was also widely considered the best clutch kicker in league history, will have one more celebration on the Indianapolis Colts’ home turf this season when he’s inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor.

Team officials announced Wednesday that Vinatieri would be honored during the Colts’ game against the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 18, a little more than two months after his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Vinatieri will become the Colts’ 21st Ring of Honor honoree five years after he officially retired.

He’ll join a group that includes former teammates and fellow Hall of Famers Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison and Dwight Freeney, as well as Robert Mathis, Jeff Saturday and Reggie Wayne. Tony Dungy, the Hall of Fame coach for whom Vinatieri played; Hall of Fame executive Bill Polian, who signed Vinatieri as a free agent before the 2006 season; and late team owner Jim Irsay are also in the Colts’ ring.

The four-time Super Bowl champion shocked many when he left New England as the franchise’s career scoring leader after 10 seasons and wound up with longtime rival Indianapolis. But Vinatieri was far from finished and went on to break the Colts’ career scoring mark, too.

Though Vinatieri’s stats tell one tale: He finished his career with 2,673 points and as the league’s all-time leader in field goals made (599), field goal attempts (715), consecutive field goals made (44) and 100-plus point seasons (21). But it was his penchant for making kicks in the toughest conditions and most crucial moments that stuck with him.

His 45-yard field goal into swirling winds amid snowy conditions for New England in a January 2002 AFC divisional round game tied it and sent the Patriots into overtime against the then-Oakland Raiders. He then kicked a 23-yarder to start New England’s trek to coach Bill Belichick’s first Super Bowl.

Two weeks later, Vinatieri did it again by making a 43-yarder in the waning seconds to give the Patriots their first Super Bowl title with a 20-17 victory over the then-St. Louis Rams in much more ideal conditions.

Vinatieri 41-yarder with 4 seconds left broke a 29-29 tie with the Carolina Panthers for New England’s second Super Bowl title two years later.

Vinatieri continued to excel in Indy, where he first played inside a dome stadium and later a retractable roof stadium.

In January 2007, the South Dakota State alum made five field goals in a divisional round game that featured no touchdowns at Baltimore. The 15-6 victory set up an AFC title game rematch between the Colts and Patriots, this time in Indy with Vinatieri on the opposite sideline from Tom Brady and his ex-teammates. Vinatieri’s playoff run continued as the Colts reached their first Super Bowl since the franchise moved to Indianapolis.

Vinatieri made three more field goals and captured yet another ring while finishing that postseason with 49 points and 14 field goals, both one-season playoff records, while becoming the first player to make three or more field goals in four consecutive postseason games.

Vinatieri ranks second all-time in NFL victories (242), regular-season wins (221) and postseason wins (21) and is one of five players who appeared in a game at age 46. He’s the only player in league history to make 250 or more field goals and scored 1,000 points for two teams.

The three-time All-Pro also was a three-time Pro Bowl selection and a member of the NFL’s 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.

Reporting by the Associated Press.

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The largest turnover of Big 12 head coaches in seven seasons includes two first-timers at their alma maters, a national championship winner and another who last season almost got a Group of Five team into the College Football Playoff.

“I grew up a Big 12 kid,” new Kansas State coach Collin Klein said Wednesday. “And being able to be part of this conference as a fan, as a player, as a coach, and now being part of helping move our game and our conference forward is absolutely tremendous.”

Klein, part of Big 12 titles at K-State as a Heisman Trophy-finalist quarterback in 2012 and then an assistant coach a decade later, returned to Manhattan after Chris Klieman unexpectedly decided to step away last December. Klieman was among the newcomers in 2019, when the league last had four new coaches at the same time.

The other coaching changes this time are Utah alumnus Morgan Scalley, who nearly two decades ago recruited Klein as a quarterback, Jimmy Rogers at Iowa State and Eric Morris at Oklahoma State.

Scalley has been part of Utah’s staff since being a graduate assistant in 2007, three years after his last game as a defensive back for the Utes. He was their defensive coordinator for 10 seasons before his debut as head coach in a Las Vegas Bowl victory last New Year’s Eve, following Kyle Whittingham’s surprise departure after 21 seasons and then becoming Michigan’s coach.

Collin Klein’s Recruiting Visit To Utah

It was while recruiting the Colorado area as a graduate assistant that Scalley saw “this quarterback that I absolutely loved.” But since GAs can’t do off-campus recruiting, he couldn’t go see Klein in person.

“So I had him come to us, and on his own dime he flew out, showed up on campus in a suit and tie and left without an offer,” Scalley recalled Wednesday. “But you know who offered him? Kansas State. It was Collin Klein. Isn’t that crazy?”

Klein still remembers the visit, including lunch at a burger joint in downtown Salt Lake City with Brian Johnson, then going into his senior season as the Utes QB.

“Coach Scalley was tremendous. I mean, he was an unbelievable relationship builder, energy, detailed,” Klein said. “I knew he was going to be an unbelievable coach. I had no idea we’d end up coaching against each other in the same league as head coaches.”

Klein’s coaching career began as a GA at his alma mater in 2014, and he has since remained at Kansas State, except in 2016 as Northern Iowa’s QBs coach, and the past two seasons as offensive coordinator at Texas A&M, which made the 12-team playoff last year.

Close to where Jimmy Rogers Won FCS Title

After last season at Washington State, Rogers made his debut at Big 12 football media days 18 months after leading South Dakota State, his alma mater, to the FCS national championship. That title game was played only about four miles from the headquarters of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, where the conference’s annual two-day event wrapped up Wednesday.

“This is a perfect fit for me. I’m a big people person. I’ve recruited the state for seven years when I was at my prior tenure at South Dakota State, had a prior relationship with (athletic director) Jamie Pollard and felt really confident about the leadership that was in place here,” Rogers said. “(Another) portion of that is the opportunity to compete at a Power 4 school and to compete in the Big 12. … You win this conference, you punch your ticket into the College Football Playoff, you have an opportunity to compete for a national championship. That is the goal.”

Rogers replaced Matt Campbell, who left Iowa State after 10 seasons for Penn State.

From Denton To Stillwater

Morris took 21 players with him from North Texas, including quarterback Drew Mestemaker, the national passing leader last season as a freshman with 4,379 yards. The Mean Green were ranked for the only time since 1959 and missed out on a CFP berth after losing to Tulane in the American Conference championship game. The Green Wave made the playoff.

Before Mestemaker, Morris had coached quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes, Cam Ward and Baker Mayfield in college. The coach now takes over an Oklahoma State team that has lost 19 Big 12 games in a row — a streak that began with a 49-21 loss to Texas in the 2023 championship game before the Cowboys went 0-9 in Big 12 play each of the past seasons.

“Super-excited for Stillwater. It was a big draw for me and my family to come to Stillwater,” Morris said. “I’m from a small town in west Texas, and that’s how I wanted raise my family. So Stillwater has been nothing short of amazing. Super genuine people, hard-working, blue-collar organization.”

Reporting by the Associated Press.

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A month ago, before the first ball was kicked, France was the favorite in World Cup futures odds. 

Now, with a 5-0 record and a 14-2 goal differential, the French are even stronger favorites to lift the trophy.

And the public betting masses overwhelmingly believe in Kylian Mbappé & Co.

“Les Bleus have been popular since Day 1, given the quality of their team along with their star power,” Caesars Sports vice president of trading Craig Mucklow said Wednesday night. “In the futures, they are head and shoulders the most popular team remaining.”

Read on for more, as Mucklow assesses 2026 World Cup odds and action ahead of the quarterfinals.

This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.

Singing Les Bleus

Keep in mind that France is more than familiar with this territory. 

The French reached the past two championship matches, beating Croatia in 2018, then rallying to force overtime vs. Argentina in 2022, before losing in a penalty-kick shootout.

France enters the quarterfinals coming off two straight knockout stage shutouts — 3-0 vs. Sweden in the Round of 32 and 1-0 vs. Paraguay in the Round of 16. Bettors have been on France since the group stage and kept on riding Les Bleus in the knockout matches.

“One of the best results of the tournament for bettors came with France’s victory over Iraq,” Mucklow said of a 3-0 shutout, while noting that Mbappé netting two goals in that match contributed to a big win for Caesars customers.

The knockout stage raised the wagering interest in France. Of the 96 matches so far, both of France’s knockout games were among those drawing the most money.

“France holds the fifth- and eighth-best-handled games of the tournament to date, vs. Paraguay and vs. Sweden,” Mucklow said.

Keep in mind, too, that of the four matches drawing more money at Caesars, two involved the USA. So among non-USA matches, France was involved in two of the top six, in terms of money wagered.

And as Mucklow pointed out above, France is the most popular team in World Cup championship futures, taking more dollars than any of the other seven quarter-finalists.

“Of the remaining teams, they are the best result for bettors. Argentina follows as second-best, then Norway and Spain,” Mucklow said.

France opens the quarterfinal round with a 4 p.m. ET Thursday match. Spain vs. Belgium follows at 3 p.m. ET on Friday, and the quarters wrap up Saturday with Norway vs. England at 5 p.m. ET and Argentina vs. Switzerland at 9 p.m. ET.

All matches are on FOX.

Mbappé and Les Bleus have not lost any support from bettors across the tournament (Getty Images).

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Riding the Lionel Train

Defending World Cup champion Argentina has gotten all it could handle in its last two matches. The Argentines were nearly dealt the upset of the tournament in the Round of 32, edging huge, plucky underdog Cape Verde 3-2 in overtime.

Then in the Round of 16, Argentina trailed Egypt 2-0 late in the second half, seemingly destined for an early flight home.

But Lionel Messi & Co. weren’t to be denied. 

Cristian Romero broke through in the 79th minute, and Messi followed four minutes later to tie the match. Then Enzo Fernández scored two minutes into injury time, as the Argentines advanced with a shocking 3-2 comeback victory.

You might think that would give bettors pause, but Mucklow said it’s quite the opposite. In fact, during both those riveting matches, in-play betting on Argentina was massive.

“If anything, it has turned on bettors,” Mucklow said of Argentina’s heroics. “Rarely do you see world champions struggle with, in theory, lesser opponents. The Cape Verde classic was third in money and third in ticket count.

“Then, when you get the champs down 2-0 [vs. Egypt], the in-play odds for the match and To Qualify are both pretty inviting. That proved to be the case, as many customers took the 25/1 Argentina comeback in 90 minutes. Quite possibly, this was the greatest comeback in World Cup history.”

And the public betting masses tend to remember most the thing they saw last. In Argentina’s case, that’s two of the most thrilling victories of the 2026 World Cup, with Messi right in the middle of it.

So, no doubt, bettors will be back for more in Argentina’s quarterfinal vs. Switzerland, and in the futures odds.

“The Argentinians and the bettors are never out of it when one of the greatest of all time, in most likely his last World Cup, is still on the pitch,” Mucklow said.

Argentina is the second-largest championship liability at Caesars, behind only France.

Messi vs. Mbappé and More

The race for the Golden Boot is on, too, and no surprise, Messi and Mbappé are at the top. Messi leads a tight chase with eight goals, while Mbappé has seven, as does hugely popular Norway star Erling Haaland.

And England’s Harry Kane is in the mix, as well, with six goals.

At this moment, ahead of the quarterfinals, Caesars would prefer the Argentinian superstar win the award.

“The customers win big to Mbappé, but Messi is a [good] result for the book,” Mucklow said. “But don’t rule out Haaland and Kane, as one of them is guaranteed to progress to the semifinals, while Messi and Mbappé are not.”

Norway’s superstar Erling Haaland continues to apply pressure in the Golden Boot race (Getty Images)

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Indeed, since Norway faces England, Haaland or Kane have an edge on Mbappé and Messi. Caesars has Messi as the +110 favorite in Golden Boot odds, with Mbappé close behind at +125. Then there’s some drop-off to Haaland at +550 and Kane at +700.

There’s probably some value in taking Haaland or Kane, and certainly a better payout — if you can correctly pick which one stays alive this weekend.

Betting momentum on Haaland has picked up significant steam over the course of the tournament. Pre-tourney, Haaland was +1500, and apparently, quite a few bettors jumped on at better odds than exist now.

“Haaland is a big winner for the bettors, and rightly so,” Mucklow said. “He and Mbappé are probably the hottest and most dangerous strikers in the world. Norway has become the new tournament darling, after Cape Verde’s elimination, and the same could be said about the Great Norwegian and his Golden Boot popularity.”

Pre-tourney, Messi was almost as long as Haaland, at +1400, while Mbappé and Kane were +600 and +700, respectively.

Match Play

With France vs. Morocco kicking off first and having been on the World Cup oddsboard the longest, Mucklow said that matchup is the most popular quarterfinal.

But when all four matches are done, he projects that the Kane-Haaland showdown will outdraw the other three matches.

“We anticipate Norway vs. England will have the most handle of the quarterfinals, given the friendly kickoff time and the familiarity of the players,” Mucklow said.

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