A historic World Cup rivalry will be renewed on Wednesday, when England and Argentina go head-to-head in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinals at Atlanta Stadium.

England and Argentina punched their tickets to the semifinals with wins on the final day of quarterfinals on Saturday. Now, the two powerhouses of international soccer will meet at the World Cup for the first time since 2002.

Here is everything you need to know about the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinal between England and Argentina:

England’s Path To The Semis

(Photo by Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images)

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If there was one word to describe England’s World Cup so far, it would not be “dominant.” In fact, England has only won two of its six matches by more than one goal, and it hasn’t won by more than a single goal since the knockout stage started.

And yet, it is set to compete in its fourth-ever World Cup semifinal, in large part due to something past iterations of the team have lacked: mental toughness and desperation.

It starts at the top with Thomas Tuchel, who, even after positive results, unapologetically demands more from his team. But it extends to the Three Lions’ leading men, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, who have regularly led their teams to wins with their combined seven goals in the knockout stage.

Norway vs England Highlights 2026 FIFA World Cup™ | Quarterfinals

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Argentina’s Path To The Semis

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

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Resilient? Lucky? Ordained? Call it what you want; Argentina is just happy to still be here.

After a convincing group stage with three multi-goal wins, Argentina has had to fight in every second of the knockout stage to date, narrowly beating Cape Verde, Egypt and most recently Switzerland — all teams it was expected to beat comfortably.

Lionel Messi has done his part, scoring a tournament-high eight goals (tied with Kylian Mbappé) and making World Cup history along the way, but his teammates have also done everything in their power to make sure Messi’s last-ever run at the tournament isn’t cut short. That unity has been a hallmark of their tournament to date, and they will need to stay united to beat a determined England side.

Key Players

If it weren’t for Jude Bellingham, England might not be in the semifinals. The 23-year-old midfielder has been outstanding for the Three Lions in the finals, scoring a brace against Mexico and Norway. He is the first player to score two or more goals in consecutive World Cup knockout stage matches at the same tournament since Diego Maradona in 1986.

Bellingham was 15 years old the last time England made a World Cup semifinals. Now, he could be the reason it makes its first final since 1966, which is also the last — and only — time it lifted the trophy.

Winger

Argentina

We all know we’ve reached the end of Lionel Messi’s World Cup career. Whether it’s in the semifinal or the final, Messi will play his last-ever match at the tournament next week, closing the book on a historic World Cup career, which includes a title and the all-time records for most goals and assists.

Will Messi get his storybook ending and lift the trophy for a second time, or will he bow out against an England team as desperate to reach the mountaintop as he was four years ago? We’ll find out on Wednesday.

How To Watch England vs. Argentina

• When: Wednesday, July 15, 3 p.m. ET
• Where: Atlanta Stadium
• TV: FOX
• Stream: Watch three days free on FOX One

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Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler has declined an invitation to join the National League All-Star roster as a replacement player. 

The offer from Major League Baseball came three days after Wheeler struck out 14 batters and called his omission from the original roster “BS.” 

Wheeler said he chose not to participate because he felt disrespected by the selection process. 

“They disrespected me, so I’m not going to participate,” Wheeler told The Athletic.

The 36-year-old right-hander has posted a 2.28 ERA across 14 starts and 87 innings this season. 

Although he is scheduled to pitch on the Sunday before the All-Star Game, a factor that usually causes the league to avoid selecting those starting pitchers as replacements, Wheeler noted he would be willing to pitch in the All-Star Game anyway. 

After Wheeler declined the initial round of weekend replacements, MLB named Foster Griffin and Justin Wrobleski to the roster on Saturday.

Zack Wheeler has pitched at an All-Star level since returning from an injury that delayed his start to the season. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

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Wheeler’s season began in April following his recovery from thoracic outlet decompression surgery last September, which required the removal of his right rib. 

Wheeler dismissed the idea that his recovery should impact his evaluation. “I don’t need a pity party,” Wheeler told The Athletic. “I don’t need somebody saying, ‘He’s had major surgery. Look at him now.’ I don’t need that. It was my plan to come back as who I was or even better.”

Wheeler clarified that he does not want to sound like he is “hating on the whole thing,” noting that participating in the game remains a privilege. 

However, he remains frustrated by how late the invitation arrived and noted he did not want to be the league’s fifth choice. He added that he has declined previously due to injury or precaution, but this time it stemmed from “pure disrespect.”

“I just don’t want to be disrespected as a person,” Wheeler told The Athletic, “I take it very seriously. It’s just me as a person, too. I felt like I said before — maybe I didn’t earn it from the get-go, but maybe second choice. Once I feel like they kind of messed that up, I’m out.”

Wheeler added he will spend the All-Star break on vacation with his family at the beach.

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Another knockout game, another 120 minutes, another survival. Argentina beat Switzerland 3-1 in Kansas City on Saturday night, and the scoreline is lying to you — this was agony until the 112th minute, when Julián Álvarez decided to end it himself in stunning fashion.

Here are my four takeaways from a quarterfinal that had everything, including a red card we’ll argue about for weeks:

1. Argentina Is The Cat With Nine Lives

Let’s do the math on the champions’ knockout run: 120 minutes against Cape Verde, a miraculous comeback from 2-0 down against Egypt, and now 120 more against a Switzerland side that refused to die, even a man down. That’s three straight games where Argentina was thoroughly resistible — and three straight wins. Even Saturday’s early gift, Alexis Mac Allister heading in a Lionel Messi corner after 10 minutes, dissolved into an hour of sweating when Dan Ndoye equalized.

Messi’s record scoring streak of nine straight World Cup games? Over. Argentina’s march? Not remotely. They’re unbeaten in 12 World Cup matches and headed to a seventh semifinal. At some point, you stop calling it luck and start calling it what it is: a team that simply refuses to be eliminated, no matter how hard it makes things for itself.

2. The Embolo Red: Harsh, Correct, or Absurd?

Here’s the sequence, because you need the full absurdity. Breel Embolo went down theatrically, simulating contact that never came. The referee then booked … Leandro Paredes. Wrong decision as he never made contact with Embolo. That mistaken-identity card triggered the VAR review — and the review found the dive. Second yellow, off you go, Switzerland down to 10 for the final 50-plus minutes of their first quarterfinal since 1954.

Switzerland’s Breel Embolo Sent Off for Second Yellow Card After VAR Review for Simulation | 2026 FIFA World Cup™

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Was it technically correct? Yes. Embolo dived, and diving on a yellow is a self-inflicted wound that, by the letter of the law, warrants a yellow. But we understand the outrage, too: without the ref booking the wrong man, the simulation never gets reviewed. Right call, brutal path to it. Both things can be true.

3. Julián Álvarez, Finally. And What A Way To Announce It.

(Photo by Hector Vivas – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images) –>

We’ve spent three weeks asking where Julián Álvarez went. The Atlético Madrid striker flickered without igniting all tournament, while Messi carried the load, and the questions were getting louder by the game.

Then came the 112th minute. Ten Swiss players camped behind the ball, Gregor Kobel having the game of his life, extra time slowly edging toward penalties. Álvarez collected it, opened his body, and curled an absolute painting into the top corner. No deflection, no rebound, no fortune — just a strike Kobel could only watch.

Argentina’s Julián Alvarez scores go-ahead goal in extra time against Switzerland | 2026 FIFA World Cup™

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It was the kind of goal you replay over and over in slow motion with your mouth agape (and comes in incredibly high in the top goals of the tournament.) If that’s the moment Álvarez wakes up, the timing is exquisite. Lautaro Martínez added the third on a breakaway in the 121st, but make no mistake: Álvarez won this game with one of the finishes of the tournament.

4. Wednesday’s Semifinal Will Be Won By Whoever Has Legs Left

(Photo by Tom Weller/picture alliance via Getty Images) –>

Pity these two semifinalists. England went to altitude at the Azteca to beat Mexico, then played 120 minutes against Norway in Miami with a heat index of 108 degrees — Jude Bellingham dragging them through with a brace, the winner off an Ørjan Nyland spill. Argentina has now played 240 minutes of extra time in three knockout games. Both teams finished Saturday looking like they’d run a marathon in a sauna, because essentially they had.

The football gods have granted one mercy: Wednesday’s semifinal is in Atlanta, under a roof, with air conditioning. So the tactical question becomes brutally simple. Thomas Tuchel’s England is younger in key spots; Argentina has Messi and pedigree, but the older, heavier legs. Recovery, rotation and squad depth will decide this as much as anything drawn on a whiteboard. 

Whoever’s still sprinting in minute-85 goes to the final.

Argentina vs Switzerland Highlights 2026 FIFA World Cup™ | Quarterfinals

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MIAMI STADIUM — For England fans, this is always the year. Whether it’s a World Cup or a European Championship, they believe in their heart of hearts that their country, the one that invented this sport and then exported it to all the rest, will finally, eventually take its rightful place as champions.

Over the last almost 60 years, it just hasn’t happened.

But the Three Lions have been getting closer. They were the losing finalists at the last two Euros. And with Saturday’s 2-1 extra-time win over Erling Haaland and Norway, England is back in the World Cup semifinals for the second time in three editions.

This time, it doesn’t feel like an outlier.

Watching England survive the crucible of Mexico City in last weekend’s thrilling 3-2 victory over World Cup co-host Mexico, it was impossible not to notice the mental fortitude of Thomas Tuchel’s team. And it was the same again on Saturday in South Florida, where Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane and the rest of Tuchel’s stars won another match that was less of a soccer game than a street fight. 

That hasn’t always been the case for England, who over the last 30-plus years has often performed beneath its talent level. That might be good enough to survive group play consistently or win an early knockout game. 

Against teams that it isn’t naturally superior to? No chance. There’s a reason England has been eliminated in the World Cup quarterfinals more than any other national team in history.

This version of England is different.

“The effort, the team spirit, the belief to overcome adversity, to dig in and find ways to win is on the absolutely highest level,” Tuchel said afterward.

He’s right. And that’s why England is, realistically, a bona fide World Cup contender at long last.

There’s a visceral toughness to this team that, for all its ability, its pampered, high-maintenance predecessors lacked. Call it a willingness to fight for every teammate — even the ones who might represent a hated Premier League rival.

That matters more than most think.

Argentina isn’t the reigning World Cup champ because it had better players, man for man, than France. Man for man, it didn’t. La Albiceleste won because, time and again, they simply refused to be beaten. That sort of mental strength is rare. Add it to a selfless group that boasts legitimate all-world players like Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, and damned if Tuchel’s side doesn’t stand its best chance in at least half a century this time around. 

Facing Switzerland on Wednesday in Atlanta would’ve been easier, to be sure. But beating the best — to be the best — is a rite of passage, a requirement. And the defending champs — Argentina scored twice in extra time in Saturday’s nightcap to set up the semifinal everyone who isn’t English wants to see — are a fitting roadblock to have to somehow overcome. 

Argentina Scores TWICE in Extra Time 🇦🇷 Julián Alvarez & Lautaro Martínez Net Goals vs Switzerland

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Should England clear that hurdle, it surely won’t fear whoever emerges between France and Spain on the stronger side of the bracket. Especially if, as Tuchel believes, England still has another gear to hit.

In his post-match sideline interviews, the German manager raised eyebrows when he said he loved the result if not the performance against Norway. Asked about the exchange, it seemed to catch Bellingham off-guard. 

“Maybe he doesn’t know what it’s like to play in those conditions,” Bellingham offered.

An hour later, during his post-game press conference in the bowels of the arena that the NFL’s Miami Dolphins call home, Tuchel, whose previous experience has been at Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain, provided some additional context.

“I’m proud, and I’m happy,” Tuchel said. “But I’m also a football coach, and I also have demands.”

He continued: “I think we can play faster and play more clinical. There were unforced errors and technical mistakes in our game … so a lot of things to do better.”

If England can clean up those errors and maintain the mentality that has already taken them to the final four for just the fourth time ever, they’ll be as hard an out as the other three nations — Argentina, France and Spain — still standing.

England’s fans have been waiting for a chance like this for decades. Now, after surviving the two toughest tests to date, those supporters could be a mere 90 minutes from seeing their team in its first World Cup final since 1966.

“They spend well-earned money to come over and support us,” keeper Jordan Pickford said of England’s long-suffering diehards.

“All we want to do,” he added, “is pay them back.”

England Sings “Wonderwall” After Quarterfinals Win Against Norway

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It wasn’t as decisive as England would have liked, but the Three Lions clinched a spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinals with a scrappy 2-1 win over Norway in extra time on Saturday at Miami Stadium.

England coach Thomas Tuchel was satisfied with the result — why wouldn’t he be? He’s the first coach to lead England to a World Cup semifinals since 2018, and just fourth all-time. But Tuchel isn’t satisfied with the way his team played against Norway, even if he got the result he wanted.

“I didn’t talk about suffering. No, I never talked about suffering,” Tuchel said after the match. “The result is fantastic, we’re in the last four, but, not a performance.”

Tuchel made it clear that effort wasn’t the issue for his England squad. Rather, it was the team’s organization on the pitch.

“In every sense. The commitment is there, but it made life very difficult for us in the way we played, how we played, sloppy, a lot of technical mistakes, not fast enough,” Tuchel said.

“We were lucky today.”

Star Jude Bellingham seemed a bit taken aback at his coach’s comments. 

“Maybe he doesn’t know what it’s like to play in those conditions,” Bellingham said. 

“It’s not an easy team to play against,” he added. “I think we’ve tried to create a positive environment, and we should continue that going into the final four. I can’t speak highly enough of the lads. You’re not going to win every game popping the ball and making a thousand passes. Sometimes you have to win dirty.” 

The issues in the past with England have been the perception that the players don’t want it bad enough. Tuchel doesn’t see that within his team, and not even in the performance against Norway.

“It’s a pure mentality thing, there was no mentality problem. You could bottle it up and sell it,” Tuchel said. “It’s the quality of our games. It’s nothing to do with mentality, it’s about quality, we need to play better.”

When asked about Bellingham specifically, who scored both of England’s goals against Norway, Tuchel praised the midfielder’s heroics.

“Enough said. He does it every single match. World Class,” Tuchel said.

England now move onto the semifinals to face the winner of Argentina vs. Switzerland on Wednesday at Atlanta Stadium. 

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The Three Lions roared on and off the pitch in England’s 2-1 win over Norway in the 2026 World Cup quarterfinal match on Saturday. 

In an immediate post-game interview after the match, England coach Thomas Tuchel was asked about his team’s mentality and performance. Tuchel repeatedly defended the team’s mentality, but after a game he felt his team was lucky to escape, he insisted on England players improving their performance and execution if they want to advance.

“It’s a pure mentality thing, there was no mentality problem. You could bottle it up and sell it,” Tuchel said. “It’s the quality of our games. It’s nothing to do with mentality, it’s about quality, we need to play better.”

“The commitment is there,” Tuchel added, “but it made life very difficult for us in the way we played, how we played, sloppy, a lot of technical mistakes, not fast enough. We were lucky today.”

Jude Bellingham — who starred yet again for England with a brace and climbed closer in the Golden Boot race — was asked about his coach’s comments, and there seemed to be a bit more lost in translation with Tuchel’s comments being relayed to Bellingham. England’s star midfielder, who was clearly gassed after giving it his all in a hot and humid match in Miami, reacted in kind. 

“Maybe he doesn’t know what it’s like to play in those conditions,” Bellingham said, before turning the attention to his teammates and what he thought was in fact a strong performance. 

“It’s not an easy team to play against,” Bellingham countered. “I think we’ve tried to create a positive environment, and we should continue that going into the final four. I can’t speak highly enough of the lads. You’re not going to win every game popping the ball and making a thousand passes. Sometimes you have to win dirty.” 

The England coach clarified his comments in his traditional post-game availability.

“I’m proud, and I’m happy,” Tuchel said. “But I’m also a football coach, and I also have demands.” 

Tuchel has been hard on Bellingham in the past, even going so far as dropping from the team at one point and not guaranteeing him a spot on the World Cup roster. Whatever the motivations, Bellingham has responded with some of the best play of his career during this tournament. The Real Madrid wunderkind has been inspired on both sides of the field, scoring brilliantly, and doing the dirty work on the defensive end. 

Spats happen between coaches and players, and the media has been as hard on Bellingham as his coach has, with comments on his demeanor, attitude or otherwise. Bellingham has continued to shine, and has the Three Lions two wins away from doing something no England team has done in 60 years. 

Whether a miscommunication, a motivational tactic or something else entirely, Tuchel and Bellingham likely will have to address their differing opinions regarding Saturday’s match before taking on defending World Cup champion Argentina. And they’ll need all the help they can get to stop Messi and company.

Norway vs England Extended Highlights 2026 FIFA World Cup™ | Quarterfinals

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MIAMI STADIUM — England is headed to the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinals for the second time in eight years.

On a sweltering Saturday in South Florida, where the temperature before kickoff at 5 p.m. local time hovered higher than 90 degrees, the Three Lions came back from a 1-0 deficit to eliminate upstart Norway and its superhero of a striker, Manchester City goal-machine Erling Haaland.

Two goals by English star Jude Bellingham — the second in the third minute of extra time — saw the Three Lions advance after Andreas Schjelderup opened the scoring against the run of play in the first half. 

Bellingham canceled out Schjelderup’s strike with a spectacular equalizer just before the intermission, then added the winner when Norwegian keeper Ørjan Nyland failed to corral the rebound from Morgan Rogers’ powerful shot.

“World-class,” England coach Thomas Tuchel said of Bellingham’s big night. “A world-class performance from a world-class player in big, big moments – crucial moments.”

Here are my four takeaways from England’s victory over Norway:

1. Jude Bellingham Was The Difference For England

(Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA / AFP via Getty Images) –>

Halfway through the additional 30 minutes played in Miami, a quick look at the stats told the story. Both sides had 10 shots. Both had directed half of them on-target. Both teams had a goal called back earlier in the game — the Three Lions because they were offside, Norway after the video assistant flagged a foul committed by Haaland just before what looked like a potential game-winner.

(VAR also denied England a penalty attempt after Bellingham’s second that could’ve ended the contest there and then.)

Still, in a game billed as a battle between Haaland and Harry Kane — probably the best two pure scorers on the planet — Bellingham stole the show for the second England match running.

“It’s nice to have an impact and to help my team,” he said. 

After scoring twice in last weekend’s thrilling 3-2 win over co-hosts Mexico at the iconic Estadio Azteca — known as Mexico City Stadium during the World Cup — Bellingham again came alive when his country needed him most.

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His first goal was a team play that he finished with a flash of individual brilliance, his second a clinic in anticipation and timing and execution.

In a match where the margins were razor-thin, he is the reason England is off to Atlanta for the World Cup semifinal, while Norway is going home.

“His mentality is what puts him on that level,” keeper Jordan Pickford said. 

2. Still, Hats Off To Erling Haaland And Norway

Never before had Norway made a World Cup quarterfinal. It hadn’t even qualified for the biggest event in sports this century before finally making it back this summer. Even then — and even with Haaland spearheading the attack and Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard running the show behind them — nobody expected much from the Drillos. Norway was ranked 32nd by FIFA in January. It was 31st when this World Cup kicked off exactly a month ago.

Yet on the field and off, the Norwegians were one of the best stories of this World Cup. Videos of their fans taking over Times Square and executing their choreographed “Viking Row” on escalators and New York City subways endeared them to locals there, and in Boston, in Dallas and here in Miami.

Norway beat Senegal and Ivory Coast and then eliminated five-time champions Brazil. And none of it was a fluke. It may have lost to England on Saturday, but it won the hearts of neutrals all over America and in countries in every corner of the globe. These Vikings and their incredible supporters can and will row back across the Atlantic with their heads held high. Even in defeat, on a quiet night that ended when he was subbed out in extra time, Haaland left his mark. 

“Everyone,” Pickford said, “Knows how good a player Earling is.” 

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3. Argentina Awaits For Kane & Co.

Tuchel’s squad had  wait a few hours to find out which opponent it’ll meet in Atlanta on Wednesday, with the Three Lions slated to face the winner of Saturday’s nightcap in Kansas City between Messi’s Albiceleste and Switzerland. 

Of course, it’s the defending champs. Despite being an ocean apart, Argentina and England have a long and storied rivalry on the global stage.

The Goal of The Century 🇦🇷 No. 2 in Best FIFA World Cup™

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Diego Maradona’s famous “Goal of the Century” slalom and infamous “Hand of God” strike in 1986 came in the same quarterfinal game vs. England. Argentina also knocked the Three Lions out in the quarters in 1998 following a red card by David Beckham. Four years later, Beckham — the current Inter Miami co-owner who was in the house on Saturday — scored a penalty that helped beat Argentina en route to La Albiceleste’s shocking group stage exit.

Tensions between the sides haven’t been limited to soccer, either, as the two countries fought a 74-day war in 1982 over the control of the Falkland Islands off Argentina’s coast.

Now, for the first time, they’ll play each other with a trip to the World Cup final at stake. 

4. Is This Finally England’s Year?

(Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images for Rexona)

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It’s been 60 years this month since the country that invented the sport won its only World Cup. It’s also the only final they’ve ever appeared in. The Three Lions have also never won a European Championship, although they were the losing finalists in 2021 (to Italy) and Spain (2024) at the last two Euros.

Now, under German manager Tuchel, they’ll play for the right to get back to the biggest title match there is.

It’s only England’s fourth trip to the semis ever. The last two didn’t go well; Croatia knocked the Three Lions out in 2018. Back in 1990, they lost to eventual champ West Germany on penalties.

Despite the English Premier League establishing itself as soccer’s top domestic circuit, that’s as close as the country’s national team has come in the last six decades. On Wednesday in Atlanta, we’ll see they can get one step closer to reaching the mountaintop – and to bringing  football home.

“Now it’s just about recovering,” Tuchel said. “The next three days are crucial, of course, to be ready. But this victory will help a lot.”

Norway vs England Highlights 2026 FIFA World Cup™ | Quarterfinals

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In Driver’s Eye with James Hinchcliffe, the six-time INDYCAR winner will bring you inside the mind of a racer while breaking down the nuts and bolts of the sport for fans.

I’ve spent a lot of time in this column diving deep into how physically tough motorsports can be. But this sport is just as much, if not even more, a mental contest for drivers at 200 miles an hour.

The yips aren’t common. You don’t just forget how to drive a race car quickly. So when a driver experiences a dip in form, it sometimes can be the result of not being in the right place mentally.

In the same way, a golfer doesn’t forget how to swing, and a pitcher doesn’t forget how to throw. But sometimes, the space between your ears gets foggy, and it can affect your performance.

Just like any sport, INDYCAR drivers have to contend with mistakes in the moment. 

Pato O’Ward spins out in turn one at the start of INDYCAR’s 2026 Sonsio Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. (Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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If you make a mistake and crash out of a race, you have plenty of time to digest what happened, learn from it and eventually move on. When you make a mistake but your race continues, that time isn’t a luxury you have.

And unlike hockey, when you can process a mistake over a shift change, or football, when you’re on the bench as the other side takes the field, racing offers no breaks — literal ones aside. So you have to be able to manage the situation in real time. At real speeds. 

Most drivers are perfectionists and are hyper-competitive. They don’t like making mistakes, and they don’t like losing. They get frustrated when either of those things happen. 

But when you make a mistake in a race, and you haven’t totaled your car and ruined your day, getting over it has to be instantaneous. If you can’t do that, it tends to snowball.

I worked with a mental coach for years, and one of the big things we worked on together was how to get through these exact scenarios. 

Me, colliding on pit road with Takuma Sato and Hélio Castroneves during the 2017 Rainguard Water Sealers 600 at Texas Motor Speedway. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

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Usually, when a driver lets a single mistake fester, they make more. Driving angry can often make you drive slower. You start trying too hard to overcome the mistake, and it leads to more mistakes, which leads to driving harder, which leads to… well, you see where this is going.

Many drivers work with mental coaches to address this. They have different exercises that drivers can do to try and practice this skill. And it is a skill. And it certainly is not the type of work that can be accomplished in a day. It takes lots of time dedicated to this one mental aspect of the sport to master it.

One of the biggest challenges with making a mistake on track is the responsibility you feel towards the team. Every driver is acutely aware of the hours and hours that go into preparing and running a successful INDYCAR weekend. 

When you make a mistake that costs your team a result, you feel terrible for that group. But as we say all the time, racing is a team sport, and teams support each other. Usually, the most supportive group that you will face is your mechanics and engineers. They will throw their arms around you and say, “We’ll get ‘em next time.”

The fact of the matter is: every member of that team will make a mistake at some point, and you all have to lift each other up when that happens. 

For drivers, one of the challenges is that the mistakes are very public. They are on TV and easily identifiable. If a pit member drops a wheel nut on a stop, for example, that’s a mistake that’s noticed but more quickly looked over — and often the person isn’t identified. If an engineer makes a mistake on setup, people may never know.

So whether the mistake was big or small, public or hidden, the most important part for any member of that team is to learn from it, let it go, and move on to the next race, pit stop or lap.

David Malukas and Team Penske during a pit stop at the INDY 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course last weekend. (Photo by Michael L. Levitt/Lumen via Getty Images)

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SOUND LIKE AN INDYCAR EXPERT: SURVIVING THE HEAT

Having covered the pure physicality of INDYCAR racing, this past weekend at Mid-Ohio brought to the forefront another factor that can exponentially increase the toll on the body: the heat.

Mid-O was a stifling scene on Sunday, and an all-green race — no caution periods to even catch your breath for a few minutes — meant it was as hard a day as the drivers will likely face this year. Physical track, hot conditions, no cautions. And it can get up to 120, 130 degrees inside a cockpit.

Felix Rosenqvist last weekend at Mid-Ohio. (Travis Hinkle, Penske Entertainment)

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Knowing that we race in the Midwest in the summer, these hot and humid days have to be expected. So drivers will include an element of heat acclimation into their training. 

This can come in several different forms.

If a driver lives in a warm and humid climate — I am looking at all the Florida residents in the field! — then you can get outside and run or cycle to get your body acclimated to that sort of strain. 

If you live in milder climates, especially in the winter, that’s not an option, so you have to get creative. One way to do that is to bring your training to a hot climate.

It’s not uncommon to set up a bike trainer in a small room with a heater pumping and getting the temperature up into the 90s. Saunas work too. A long, steady ride in those conditions can make the body more comfortable for a two-hour race with four layers of Nomex — intense, flame-resistant fabric, essentially — in a tight cockpit.

Alexander Rossi prepares for qualifying for the inaugural INDYCAR 2026 Grand Prix of Arlington. (Photo by Reginald Mathalone/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

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But as we’ve said, this game is as mental as it is physical, and when the body starts to overheat, your cognitive abilities start to falter. 

To combat this, some training combines heat with cognitive drills. Bringing an iPad with a purpose-built program designed to test memory, reaction time, hand-eye coordination and more into a sauna after a big workout can partially simulate the conditions of late in a race on a hot day. 

I’ve done this before — it works!

There are things that drivers can do to survive the heat on race day too. 

Namely, hydration with a detailed plan that starts on a Thursday and is based on the projected weather on Sunday. Of course, there’s race day hydration too. Drivers have a small Camelback that holds about a liter of fluid, making it easily accessible behind the wheel.

Will Power puts on a cooling vest prior to INDYCAR’s 2025 XPEL Grand Prix at Road America.  (Photo by Geoff Miller/Lumen via Getty Images)

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And then there is the cool suit — a shirt with cooling coils running through it — which gets mixed reviews from drivers. The biggest concern with it being that if the system fails, as happened to Scott McLaughlin at Mid-Ohio, it actually makes you hotter. But some swear by it.

I personally used a cool suit on hotter days, but I was always afraid of it failing — which, luckily, never happened to me. 

At the end of the day, it’s a tough sport that is sometimes run in tough conditions, so you have to train to be prepared for anything.

1 FOR THE ROAD

In last week’s column, I talked of the impending move of one of the titans of the sport in Scott Dixon. Now, we know that he is, in fact, headed to McLaren, along with friend and former teammate Felix Rosenqvist to partner with Pato O’Ward.

This left open two very attractive rides at Chip Ganassi Racing and Meyer Shank Racing.

(Photo by Geoff Miller/Lumen via Getty Images)

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Christian Lundgaard — whose contract was not renewed to make way for Dixon — is clearly the hottest free agent on the market. He reminded the paddock that with a pole and second place on Sunday. But there are a few other names being thrown around that could make the next few weeks super fascinating from the silly season perspective.

Rinus VeeKay has been in great form in the one and a half seasons since being dropped from ECR and running with smaller teams. Those great results in under-resourced programs have certainly made some team owners perk up with interest. Also in the running is the young rookie Caio Collett, who has been impressing with his ability to regularly out pace veteran teammate Santino Ferrucci at AJ Foyt Racing.

Will these teams go for a known quantity in VeeKay, or risk the potential big upside of a promising rookie, or perhaps look to Europe or a sidelined veteran to fill the seats?

The only sure thing about INDYCAR for 2027 is that the driver lineup will look very different!

MORE DRIVER’S EYE:

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Like yesterday, Day 33 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is a rest day, with no matches on the schedule. The field of four is set after England outlasted Norway in extra time and Argentina edged Switzerland to close out the quarterfinals. The semifinals begin Tuesday, when Kylian Mbappé and France meet Spain in Dallas, before Lionel Messi and Argentina face England on Wednesday in Atlanta. Both matches air on FOX, with every game streaming live and on demand on FOX One.

World Cup Schedule for Monday, July 13

There are no World Cup matches today. The tournament is on a scheduled rest day between the quarterfinals and the semifinals, which begin Tuesday. Here is the full semifinal schedule:

How to Watch France vs. Spain

• Time: 3 p.m. ET (Tuesday, July 14)
• TV: FOX
• Stream: Watch 3 days free on FOX One
• Venue: Dallas Stadium, Dallas, TX

France won Group I while outscoring opponents 10-2, then beat Sweden 3-0 in the round of 32, edged Paraguay 1-0 in the round of 16 and downed Morocco 2-0 in the quarterfinals. Mbappe’s eight goals are tied with Messi for the Golden Boot Race lead and Michael Olise’s five assists pace all players. Spain has been the tournament’s stingiest team, winning Group H behind three clean sheets before shutting out Austria 3-0 and Portugal 1-0 in the knockout rounds and holding off Belgium 2-1 in the quarterfinals.

World Cup Related Stories

How to Watch England vs. Argentina

• Time: 3 p.m. ET (Wednesday, July 15)
• TV: FOX
• Stream: Watch 3 days free on FOX One
• Venue: Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, GA

England won Group L unbeaten, then beat DR Congo 2-1 in the round of 32, outlasted Mexico 3-2 in the round of 16 and needed extra time to beat Norway 2-1 in the quarterfinals on Jude Bellingham’s brace. Captain Harry Kane and Bellingham each have six goals, among the tournament’s best. Argentina swept Group J, survived Cape Verde 3-2 in extra time, rallied past Egypt 3-2 in the round of 16 and beat Switzerland 3-1 in extra time in the quarterfinals, with Messi setting the World Cup’s all-time assists record along the way.

France vs Spain & England vs Argentina in the Semifinals, Alexi’s Power Rankings and More

Live State of the Union! Lalas & Mosse preview World Cup semis: England-Argentina & France-Spain.

Who Plays Today in the World Cup?

No teams are in action today. The next teams to play are the four semifinalists:

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• France
• Spain
• England
• Argentina

World Cup Scores from Last Match Day

• England 2, Norway 1 (AET)
• Argentina 3, Switzerland 1 (AET)

How to Watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup

All World Cup matches air on FOX and FS1, with every game streaming live and on demand on FOX One.

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Senegal fired its men’s football coach Pape Thiaw, according to a statement issued by the national federation on Sunday.

The Senegalese Football Federation added that Thiaw’s technical staff were also dismissed.

The decision followed Senegal’s elimination in the round of 32 at the ongoing World Cup.

“After an evaluation of the performance of the national team and its prospects, the Executive Committee believes that a change is necessary in the interest of Senegalese football,” the federation said.

Thiaw, 45, was appointed in 2024 and led the West African nation to a disputed continental title in Morocco earlier this year before the victory was overturned by the Confederation of African Football. Senegal has approached the Court of Arbitration for Sport about appealing the decision.

Senegal was eliminated from the World Cup by Belgium despite leading 2-0 with roughly five minutes of regulation time remaining. The team also came close to elimination in the group stage after losses to France and Norway.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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