Key events16m agoPreambleBarney Ronay was in Miami to witness the latest instalment of the Jude Bellingham force of will tour. Beneath the deserved adulation for England’s two-goal hero there is no shortage of concern for a team that has lost its spark and a coach that no longer seems to know his best XI.
double quotation markAt times this felt like the familiar England parade of we are the hollow men, stuffed men, waiting for the game to happen to them, football as a slow suffocation in that thick sweet air. But they also had Jude Bellingham, who seems increasingly to exist as an entirely different category of human in this team, out there playing a parallel tournament, one that has to this point swept the rest of them along in its wake.
PreambleJonathan HowcroftWhether you’re just catching your breath after an epic double header, or waking up to the news of a pair of thrilling quarter-finals, stick with us here for all the news and reaction from a gripping 2026 World Cup.Just four teams remain alive in the draw with England and Argentina joining France and Spain in the semis. For the first time since FIFA’s rankings began in 1992 the World Cup semi-finalists are the top four sides in the world on paper.England were made to toil in the Miami heat by Norway but not for the first time Jude Bellingham delivered when it mattered on the big stage.Argentina also required extra-time to battle past European opposition; their hero was Julian Alvarez, but they also owe Breel Embolo a debt of gratitude for getting himself sent off when Switzerland had an historic result in their sights.If you have any thoughts on any of the above, or indeed anything else World Cup related, do get in touch with an email – jonathan.howcroft.freelance@theguardian.com. Let’s get into it!
