Reigning World Cup champion moves on to final

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Members of the French men’s national team celebrate their World Cup semifinal win. Associated Press/Photo by Petr David Josek

Reigning World Cup champion moves on to final

France beat Morocco on Wednesday 2-0, progressing to the World Cup championship game on Sunday against Argentina. Morocco made history as the first African nation to advance to the semifinals. The team will face Croatia on Saturday in the third-place match. Former Paris Saint-Germain teammates Lionel Messi, who plays for Argentina, and France’s Kylian Mbappe will compete for the championship and the Golden Boot. The players are tied for the latter award, which is given to the player with the most goals in the World Cup.

Any other World Cup news? An autopsy revealed the cause of death of an American journalist who collapsed Saturday while covering the games. Grant Wahl died at age 49 of a ruptured aortic aneurysm. He received treatment for bronchitis earlier in the week and complained of shortness of breath. Qatar returned his body to the United States on Monday. Wahl covered soccer for more than 20 years, including 11 men’s and women’s World Cup tournaments.

Dig deeper: Read Ray Hacke’s report in Muse on World Cup players who find their footing in faith.

Lauren Canterberry

Lauren Canterberry is a reporter for WORLD. She graduated from the World Journalism Institute and the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism, both in 2017. She worked as a local reporter in Texas and now lives in Georgia with her husband.