Didier Deschamps

The French Minister of Sports, Roxana Maracineanu, told a Monday's press conference that she hopes to bring good luck for the French footballers in the match versus Switzerland in the round of 16 at EURO 2020, taking into account that it takes place in Bucharest, the city where she was born.

MOSCOW — Taking turns sliding across the rain-soaked turf holding the World Cup trophy tight, teenager Kylian Mbappe and the rest of France's players acted like the youthful bunch they are.

Nothing, not a Pussy Riot protest nor a postgame downpour that soaked Russian President Vladimir Putin, was going to stop the party.

France are the established powerhouse with a young team full of speed and skill. Croatia have the veterans that have shown they can never be counted out.

The two sides will meet on Sunday in the World Cup final, with France going for their second title in their third final in 20 years. Croatia, a country that only gained independence in 1991, will be playing in their first.

The first finalist in the 21st edition of the World Cup will be decided today in the semi-final between France and Belgium. The two teams will play at 21:00 at the Krestovski stadium in St. Petersburg. The duel is expected to cause incredible interest as two of the strongest teams in the tournament will face each other.

The Islamic State terrorist group launched an aggressive campaign threatening football stars as well as the world championship that will be in Russia next summer. The threats are made through posters that have been handled by photographers and distributed by Wafa 'Media Foundation, which plays the role of terrorists' media, reports sega. 

Turkish champion Beşiktaş wants to maintain its good start to the Champions League on Sept. 26 when it hosts RB Leipzig for the first time as the German upstart hunts a maiden win in its debut season in Europe.

Eric Abidal joined on Tuesday his new teammates at Zeefeld, Austria for their preseason training after Olympiakos confirmed on Saturday it had signed the veteran French defender on a two-year contract for an undisclosed fee.