France controlled much of the first half against Morocco but could not find the breakthrough, finally earning a 2-0 victory in the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals on July 10 at Gillette Stadium in Boston, Massachusetts. France came into the match after narrowly beating Paraguay 1-0 in the round of 16, while Morocco arrived in devastating form, crushing Canada 3-0. Despite dominating possession and creating 13 chances in the first 45 minutes, France could not capitalize; Kylian Mbappé's penalty kick was saved and the half ended scoreless.

In the second half, France accelerated their attack. In the 60th minute, Mbappé finally broke through, scoring to level Lionel Messi's record of eight World Cup goals and extending his own tally to 20 tournament goals—the all-time record. Just six minutes later, Ousmane Dembélé added a second goal, putting France up 2-0. Though Morocco attempted to mount a comeback, their attacking play lacked sufficient bite, and France held on for the victory.

France advances to face the winner of the Spain versus Belgium quarterfinal on July 15 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas.

Christian Pulisic, the U.S. national team's star midfielder, suffered a fractured right tibia and fibula with bruising during the 2026 World Cup Round of 16 match against Belgium, which the Americans lost 1-4. The U.S. Soccer Federation announced the diagnosis following the game. The federation will collaborate with AC Milan, Pulisic's club team, on his recovery process for the 27-year-old athlete. However, it remains uncertain whether he will be healthy enough to play in Milan's league season opener on August 23. Although the U.S. team has not disclosed a specific recovery timeline, reports indicate Pulisic will likely need several weeks of treatment, though not extending to months. Pulisic has faced considerable criticism for his overall form during this World Cup campaign. The controversy is further complicated by his earlier withdrawal from the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup, which he cited as preparation for the World Cup.

A 39-year-old drunk man was seriously injured in a stabbing incident when he tried to defend his wife from an old rival during an altercation outside a worker dormitory at a construction materials shop in Bang Phlap district, Samut Prakan province. The incident occurred at 8:48 PM on July 9, 2025. Rescue workers from Bang Phlai received a report of an assault involving a knife weapon with significant blood loss. Upon arrival, they found Siam, 39, with a critical stab wound to his left abdomen from a pointed blade and a head injury from blunt force trauma. Paramedics provided first aid and transported him to the hospital. Siam's wife, Saowlakshana, who was also intoxicated, explained that the stabbing stemmed from an earlier incident. She and her husband were drinking beer in front of the worker dormitory when Ruj, their old adversary, approached and confronted them. When Ruj allegedly threatened to hit her with a beer bottle, her husband grabbed a knife to intervene, leading to a struggle during which Siam was stabbed. Coworkers confirmed that Ruj was the aggressor and that the knife belonged to Siam, who had intended to stab Ruj but the blade was wrestled from his control. The two men had a long history of disputes, particularly when drinking. After the incident, Ruj, also known as Thanathorn, 36, the primary aggressor, did not flee. He surrendered to police with blood stains on his body, claiming he acted in self-defense when Siam attacked him with the knife. He stated he hit Siam's head with a beer bottle before wresting away the knife, and the stabbing occurred during the resulting scuffle. Police questioned Ruj and collected evidence, including a kitchen knife over one foot long, before transferring him to investigators for legal proceedings.

FIFA has announced a two-match suspension for Jarrell Quansah, England's defender, following his red card in the Round of 16 match where England defeated co-hosts Mexico 3-2 on July 5.

The English Football Association (FA) had previously explored various options to appeal Quansah's suspension, especially given that US forward Folarin Balogun's ban was earlier suspended.

However, FIFA's disciplinary committee has now issued a statement: "FIFA's disciplinary committee has sanctioned Jarrell Quansah, England national team player, with a two-match suspension effective from the team's next fixture in the 2026 FIFA World Cup."

As a result of this penalty, Quansah will be unable to play for England in the quarterfinal against Norway on July 11 and will also miss the semifinal should England advance to that stage.

Police received a report at 20:37 on July 9, 2025, that two fishermen had been swept from their boat and were missing approximately 5 nautical miles offshore in Phetchaburi's Ban Laem district. A water rescue team from the Sawaeng Sappaya Tham Foundation was deployed. When rescuers arrived at Khlong Ee-ed pier, they found that family members had already launched a larger fishing vessel to help. The rescue team transferred the injured woman, 49, to shore and transported her to Ban Laem Hospital. Her husband, also 49, remained missing.

The couple had set out that morning at 3 a.m. to fish. By afternoon, when they hadn't returned, relatives set out searching and found their boat adrift with the wife clinging to a buoy in distress. According to the wife's account, she fell overboard and her husband jumped in to help, giving her the buoy before swimming back toward their drifting boat. Due to severe waves and wind, he was swept away and disappeared underwater.

Rescue teams from the Sawaeng Sappaya Tham Foundation suspended underwater and diving search operations at 22:45 due to dangerous conditions, high waves, and darkness that posed risks to personnel. Search efforts are planned to resume the following day.

A fire at a shoe factory in Jinjiang, Fujian Province in southeastern China killed at least 28 people on Thursday, July 9, according to state media. Hundreds of firefighters responded to the blaze at the Huiyideng Company facility in what is known as China's "shoe capital," responsible for about 20 percent of global athletic shoe production. More than 200 workers were evacuated, though injury figures remain unclear. President Xi Jinping stated those responsible will face strict punishment. Officials believe the fire may have started in a lower floor storage area for flammable materials. Dramatic images and videos circulating online showed people trapped on rooftops amid heavy black smoke and intense flames. This incident comes as China intensifies fire safety campaigns in tall buildings following a November 2024 apartment complex fire in Hong Kong's Tai Po district that killed 168 people.