Arsene Wenger has named the only nation that are capable of beating France at the 2026 World Cup.

Didier Deschamps’ side have been imperious in their run to the quarter-finals of the competition.

Despite being put in an extremely tough group alongside Norway, Senegal and Iraq, Les Bleus won all three of their matches, scoring 10 goals in the process.

France then swept aside Sweden in the last 32 as they won 3-0, before defeating Paraguay 1-0 in an ill-tempered affair at Philadelphia Stadium.

France are now just three victories away from becoming world champions for the third time. Next up for Les Bleus is a tricky quarter-final tie against AFCON champions, Morocco.

Arsene Wenger Thinks Only One Team Can Beat France

Kyle Ross (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters)

Joining France in the last eight of the competition are Morocco, Spain, Belgium, Argentina, England, Switzerland and Norway. Of those teams, Arsenal legend Wenger thinks only Spain have the ability to beat France and explained why.

He told Sky Sports, per the Metro: “France will win the World Cup. I know you will say, ‘of course you say that, you’re French’.

“But when you analyse the World Cup, the train goes at a certain pace and you have to be capable of getting on the train.

“For example, the Asian teams have gone out because they could not cope with the intensity and the pace of the games. They did not have enough to technically compete.

“They have quality and a culture of collective football that nobody else in the world has at that level. That could be the decider between these two but of course France is stronger physically.”

France and Spain will meet in the semi-finals of the competition should they beat Morocco and Belgium respectively. France face Morocco on Thursday, while Spain take on Belgium a day later.

Gary Neville Thinks Only Argentina Can Defeat France

Gary Neville via Reuters

Speaking earlier in the tournament, Gary Neville said that he could only see Argentina beating France. He said on ITV:

‘Look, something may emerge. England, Spain, Portugal, we may see a step up. Let’s hope so.’

He added: ‘There’s a long way to go but you look at them now thinking, you’ll have let yourselves down if you don’t win this. Because they’re so far ahead, at the moment, of where the other teams are in terms of level.

“That front four that started the game – they will cause nightmares for every single defender in the tournament and I don’t know how they stop that to be fair. A level above.”

An update has been provided by Norway’s team doctor after the squad were reportedly hit with an issue days before their crunch World Cup quarter-final clash against England.

Norway, inspired by their world-class centre-forward Erling Haaland, secured their spot in the last eight with an eye-catching 2-1 win over five-time champions Brazil at the New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday night.

Hours later, at the famous Azteca Stadium, England secured a thrilling 3-2 win over Mexico in a contender for the best game of the tournament.

It means Norway and England will go head-to-head for a place in the 2026 World Cup semi-finals, where they will meet either Argentina or Switzerland. Kick-off is scheduled for 10pm (BST), although there are concerns the start time may be delayed again.

Norway Squad ‘Hit by Sickness Bug’

REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

However, it was widely reported on Tuesday that Norway’s players have been affected by a sickness bug ahead of the clash against Thomas Tuchel’s star-studded squad.

Reports claimed several members of Norway’s squad have experienced flu-like symptoms during the tournament, with manager Stale Solbakken confirming that illness had been circulating throughout camp.

Among the players previously affected, according to Norwegian outfit Dagbladet, were striker Jorgen Strand Larsen, who missed Norway’s opener through illness, and defender Marcus Holmgren Pedersen, who missed the Brazil clash after falling sick.

“I had been in the hospital bed for two days straight and was really sick,” Strand Larsen told Nettavisen, per The Metro. “At first you get scared. I woke up the day before the match and felt it a little, and then it was worse than I had imagined. I got ‘FOMO’ [fear of missing out] and thought I wouldn’t be allowed to join.”

Strand Larsen has since recovered, but there are concerns that the sickness bug affecting the squad may not have been fully eradicated.

Norway Doctor Issues Update

REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

However, Norway’s team doctor Ola Sand insists reports of a worrying illness in the camp have been overblown.

He told Nettavisen: “All players are healthy now. Very little fuss considering that we have been close together for almost six weeks.”

Asked about headlines in the English media about the alleged ‘sickness bug’, Sand said:

Meanwhile, Solbakken revealed: “We’ve really only had Jorgen [Strand Larsen] who has had ​a fever, but then there’s been a bit of ​coughing and rasping scattered throughout.

“But there’s air conditioning, flights, changing rooms and all that. There’s 50 people [in Norway’s ​travelling party], so it would be strange if ​something or other didn’t crop up.”

It seems Sand and Solbakken are convinced they will have their strongest team available for arguably the biggest match in the Norwegian national team’s history.

Anthony Joshua has revealed his physique ahead of his return to the boxing ring, which is now just weeks away. He takes on Albanian Kristian Prenga in his first bout since December.

Following the win over Jake Paul, Joshua was involved in a fatal car crash, which claimed the lives of two of his friends. It left many doubts and questions over his future in the sport.

However, he is now set to return in a warm-up bout ahead of the highly anticipated Tyson Fury fight, which is still in the pipeline. It’s the fight the fans want to see, and with both fighters set to be back in the ring this month, it seems like the wait could finally be over at the end of the year.

Following a tough few years, Joshua opted to work with former rival Oleksandr Usyk‘s team. They linked up before the Paul fight, where he finished the former YouTuber and left him needing jaw surgery.

While it’s still early days for this new relationship, more questions will be answered after the Prenga fight. The Albanian comes into the clash with just one defeat on his record, and of his 20 fights, all have ended before the final bell, though, it’s hard to determine his level due to the gulf in skill level.

The Joshua fight will be far and away his biggest test yet, especially as he will also have to navigate the increased media attention and the bright lights that come with taking on a superstar.

Anthony Joshua’s Physique Stuns Boxing Fans

The preparations for the fight seem to be going perfectly, with Joshua taking to social media to post some pictures from within camp, captioning it: “Skills pay the bills.”

As expected, he is in tremendous shape, looking more than ready for this return.

All the work and preparation going into this is with the Fury fight in mind. His fellow countryman takes to the ring that same week, the night before, in fact, with The Gypsy King facing Poland’s Mariusz Wach in Thailand as he also looks to prepare for their blockbuster clash.

Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury

The details of the fight still haven’t been confirmed with some issues over the location, and what time the fight will take place at. With the long-standing rivalry, and both fighters being from the UK, it only makes sense that Wembley would play host.

However, it may come at a cost of the time zones. Turki Alalshikh is looking for the spectacle to take place at a suitable time for the US audience, which would mean it would be in the early hours for the UK fans, or it may even be scheduled for somewhere else.

This wouldn’t be the first time this has happened, with UFC 304 taking place in the early hours of the morning. This was despite the event taking place in Manchester, and largely centring around British fighters.

Regardless of all the behind the scenes politics, the focus for Joshua remains on Prenga. Getting the job done on the 25th of July is the aim, and it looks like he’s putting in all the necessary work to be ready for both that fight, and the eventual Fury challenge.