World Cup Daily: Day 30: Spain Seeks to Follow France Through

France’s victory on Thursday sets up a date with either Spain or Belgium.

⚽ World Cup Daily: Day 30 France advanced to the semifinals. | Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated The World Cup quarterfinals are already in full swing. France became the first team to advance to the next round, seeing off Morocco 2–0 on Thursday evening. Les Bleus managed to avoid the dreaded yellow card to Michael Olise that would have ruled him out of the semifinal, although the night did end on a sour note with an injury scare to Kylian Mbappé. The reward for beating Morocco is a spot in the final four against the victor of today’s game, Spain vs. Belgium. History suggests Spain should be the favorite for this one, but this tournament has already taught us all about the dangers of complacency. Belgium is still flying high after dishing out a fatal blow to the USMNT’s World Cup dreams. The fallout for Mauricio Pochettino’s side has been brutal, particularly for Christian Pulisic, who is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines with another nasty injury. A record-breaking number of people tuned in on TV during the round of 16. Let’s hope the quarterfinals can deliver as well. WORLD CUP NEWS    Recommended by  Kylian Mbappé helped inspire France to victory. | Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated YESTERDAY’S SCORES France 2–0 Morocco VISIT OUR WORLD CUP FAN ZONE  A date with France is on the line. | Torbjorn Tande/DeFodi Images/Getty Images TODAY'S MATCHES Spain vs. Belgium - Inglewood, 3 p.m. ET - Fox SEE FULL SCHEDULE AND STANDINGS  ⚽ Biggest World Cup Stories Ayman Aref/NurPhoto/Getty Images FIFA Referee Chief Issues Strong Response to Accusations of Bias Towards Messi’s Argentina READ MORE Harry Langer/DeFodi Images/Getty Images Mbappe Injury: France Star Provides Update After Fitness Scare vs. Morocco READ MORE Michael Regan/FIFA/Getty Images England Reeling From Huge Suspension Blow for World Cup Knockout Stages READ MORE Jamie Squire/Getty Images (Berhalter), John Todd/ISI Photos/Getty Images (Balogun), Maja Hitij/FIFA/Getty Images (Pulisic), MB Media/Getty Images (Freese), Robbie Jay Barrat/AMA/Getty Images (McKennie) Keep, Depth, Drop—What Does the Future Hold for Every 2026 USMNT World Cup Player? READ MORE ⚽ Away from the World Cup Gualter Fatia/Getty Images (Mourinho), MAURICE VAN STEEN/ANP/Getty Images (Tchouaméni) How Mourinho Convinced Tchouameni to Snub Man Utd READ MORE Kevin Voigt/GettyImages Arsenal, Liverpool ‘Learn PSG’s Asking Price’ for Barcola READ MORE Get the print edition of Sports Illustrated delivered to your door. Click to subscribe! 📽 World Cup Today: SI FC Show Join the SI FC crew in New York City as they discuss the biggest World Cup talking points.  ⚽ The Great 48 The 2026 World Cup will be bigger than ever, thanks to an expanded field that will bring 48 teams (split into a dozen groups of four) to the festivities. With the help of an artist connected to each nation who was asked to capture the spirit of the game in their homeland, we’ve got what you need to know about all of the competitors. CHECK OUT ALL 48 WORLD CUP COVERS Join SI The Post-Up A weekly spotlight on the biggest stories and in-depth reporting of women’s basketball—from compelling athlete features to sharp commentary on the latest news and scores. CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE 💬 Chat with us ... Join the conversation. Share your thoughts, story ideas and feedback with us at newsletters@si.com We may receive compensation for some links to products and services included in this email. Sports Publishing Solutions Inc. 625 Broadway, 10th floor New York, NY. 10012 You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to the SI FC newsletter. You can unsubscribe here . Privacy Policy – Terms & Conditions © 2026 Sports Publishing Solutions Inc. All rights reserved. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC. All betting and gambling content included in the SI FC newsletter is intended for individuals 21+ (18+ in DC, KY, NH, RI, and WY). Betting and gambling content, including picks and predictions, are based on individual commentators' opinions and we do not guarantee any success or profits. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER or texting 800GAM. Click this link to view the newsletter in your browser.