Could there have been two more deserving finalists? The tournament’s two unbeaten sides dominated the group stage, sealed their places in the final with commanding semi-final wins, their respective experienced players have defined the tournament, and now cricket’s oldest rivals return to one of the most iconic stages. At Lord’s, England will attempt to put behind them previous heartbreaks Australia have inflicted on them, while first-time T20 World Cup captains Sophie Molineux and Nat Sciver-Brunt chase what will be the biggest prize of their leadership journeys yet.

Having missed out on making the final in their last two ICC events – the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 ODI World Cup – Australia arrive looking every bit like a side determined to reclaim the throne, chasing their seventh T20 World Cup title. England, meanwhile, will be eyeing their first in 17 years since lifting the inaugural crown in 2009 – also at Lord’s – with the added motivation of winning a home World Cup once again.

England have been equally dominant, but there were questions over their reliance on explosive starts from Danni Wyatt-Hodge. They answered that in the semi-final, where captain Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight combined for a match-defining partnership that reaffirmed England’s ability to win from difficult positions.

Australia will start as favorites, well, because they almost always do so. And particularly in finals. They’ve also repeatedly ended England’s ambitions on the biggest stage, in the tournament finals in 2012, 2014 and 2018.

England’s most cherished T20 World Cup memory against Australia remains the inaugural 2009 tournament, when Charlotte Edwards’ side beat Australia in the semi-finals and went on to lift the trophy. This time, Edwards returns in a different role, as head coach, while Australia’s coach, Shelley Nitschke, was part of the side that suffered that defeat. England will hope history repeats itself, looking to that win as inspiration to outdo Australia. And also that they’ve not lost a single T20 World Cup game at home yet.

The margins are likely to be thin, but the contest may come down to Australia’s disciplined bowling against England’s powerful top three, while England’s spinners will seek to unsettle an Australian top order that’s looked formidable. The Australian side has made winning a habit, but England have home support and momentum, and after their excellent semi-final comeback, the belief that they have the match-winners to keep Australia away from the trophy.

Nat Sciver Brunt’s return from injury couldn’t have come at a better time for England. With her side reeling at 23 for 3 in the semi-final against South Africa, she combined with Knight to rescue the innings with a match-defining partnership. There was no visible sign of the calf injury that had kept her out of games in the group stage, as she pierced the field repeatedly, hitting 11 fours and a towering six over deep midwicket that underlined an innings of authority and composure. In what is her seventh T20 World Cup and first as captain, she will want to rise to the occasion again and lead England to their first T20 title in 17 years.

Beth Mooney has saved her best for when Australia have needed it most. After two low scores against South Africa and Bangladesh, she came back with a 74* against Netherlands, before scoring 0 and 22 against Pakistan and India respectively. She once again found her touch in the semi-final against West Indies, making 61 not out off 36 and looking in deft touch. Mooney averages 72.00 in T20 World Cup knockout matches and played a pivotal role in the title runs of 2020 and 2023. Come another final, Australia will once again look to their proven match-winner.

England are unlikely to make changes to their XI.

England (probable): Amy Jones (wk),  Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Nat Sciver-Brunt (capt), Alice Capsey, Heather Knight, Freya Kemp,  Dani Gibson,  Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone,  Linsey Smith,  Lauren Bell.

Ellyse Perry retired hurt in the semi-final chase against West Indies in what was described as a precautionary move due to “minor quad awareness”. She trained on both days leading into the final and came through a fitness test with no signs of discomfort as she batted and bowled in the nets, but her availability will be based on “how she pulls up”, according to captain Molineux. If Perry misses out, Australia may look to strengthen their bowling by bringing in legspinner Alana King, who has an excellent record against England.

Australia (probable): Georgia Voll, Beth Mooney (wk), Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner,  Georgia Wareham, Annabel Sutherland, Nicola Carey, Sophie Molineux (capt),  Kim Garth,  Lucy Hamilton.

[Cricinfo]

France needed a second-half Kylian Mbappe penalty to break down a stubborn Paraguay side, winning a niggly World Cup last-16 clash 1-0 to set up a quarterfinal showdown with Morocco.

Paraguay’s efforts to get under the skin of France’s superstars worked for three-quarters of a game played in front of 68,324 fans in Philadelphia in heatwave conditions on Saturday.

However, the quality in the French ranks eventually shone through, with Mbappe converting from the spot on 70 minutes after Desire Doue was brought down.

This was not an attacking masterclass by the French as they had produced in their previous games, but Paraguay did not allow them to play that way.

It was very much a mismatch, though, with Les Bleus having almost all of the ball and Paraguay not managing a shot on target until the 90th minute.

Mbappe’s brilliant World Cup on a personal level continued as he rejoined Lionel Messi as the tournament’s joint-top scorer with seven goals. The Real Madrid striker now has 19 World Cup goals in total – from 19 appearances – meaning he is just one behind Messi’s overall record of 20.

Didier Deschamps’ team will now return to their Boston base to prepare for a last-eight clash in nearby Foxborough next Thursday against the Moroccans, who beat Canada 3-0 earlier.

It was a sweltering day in Philadelphia, with temperatures of 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) and extreme weather warnings in place in case of storms.

France’s last visit to Lincoln Financial Field, during the group phase, was affected by storms, as rain and thunder led to a two-hour delay during their 3-0 win over Iraq.

This time there were no interruptions to a game played on the 250th anniversary of US independence, and in the city where the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776.

A pre-match concert on the pitch featured a rendition of the US national anthem by the actress Idina Menzel, a performance by hip-hop band The Roots, and a US Air Force flyover.

A fireworks display in the city to mark July 4 was not due to take place until later, and the anticipated French pyrotechnics on the pitch were contained for long spells by the Paraguayans.

Ranked 41st in the world, Paraguay had ousted Germany on penalties in the last round and were aiming to claim another huge scalp here.

They played with a back five, defended with a low block, and were quite happy to live up to some South American stereotypes with a cynical approach at times.

That led to Mbappe’s frustrations getting the better of him as he got involved in a shoving match with Andres Cubas. Moments later, Matias Galarza had a little lash-out at the France captain off the ball.

France had practically all of the ball but struggled to do anything with it, being restricted to shots from long range.

Manu Kone had one attempt deflected just wide midway through the first half and another tipped over by Orlando Gill not long after the restart.

Paraguay’s attempts to frustrate France were working, but the dark arts would only get them so far.

While Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele were struggling to influence the game, Deschamps opted to remove Bradley Barcola and put Doue on the left wing in his place.

That was just after the hour mark, and Doue quickly made an impact.

When he attempted to dribble his way through a sea of Paraguayan defenders, he went down under contact from Diego Gomez. The foul was clear, and the Uzbek referee pointed to the spot after a review.

Dembele protected the penalty spot as several Paraguay players tried to rough it up. Mbappe then stepped forward and slotted in.

Having won on penalties in the last round, Paraguay’s resistance was broken by one this time.

It was not a vintage France performance, but Mbappe almost scored again in stoppage time, and they have taken another step towards their goal.

In 1998, they needed a golden goal to beat Paraguay at the same stage of the competition. And they went on to win that World Cup.

[Aljazeera]

Ticket prices for ‌the United States’ highly anticipated round of 16 game against ⁠Belgium on ⁠Monday plunged by more than 30 percent before rebounding slightly early Saturday evening.

The get-in price for the final 2026 World ⁠Cup match in Seattle hit nearly $4,000 on June 1, according to ticket-tracking service TicketData.com. After dipping to as low as $1,549 ⁠on Tuesday, the get-in price spiked to $2,836 after the USA solidified their spot in the round of 16 with a 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

However, the get-in price has steadily declined in the ‌days since. It dropped to $1,423 on Saturday afternoon – a 32 percent decrease over the past three days – but the get-in price rebounded to $1,635 at 6pm Eastern Time (23:00 GMT).

That late boost pushed the USA-Belgium game from the fourth-highest get-in price to the second-highest price among the eight round of 16 matches. Mexico’s game against ⁠England in Mexico City on Sunday sits ⁠at $3,574.

ROUND OF 16 TICKET PRICES*:

• Mexico-England, 7/5 (Houston): $3,574
• USA-Belgium: 7/6 (Seattle): $1,635
• Argentina-Egypt: 7/7 (Atlanta): $1,599
• Brazil-Norway: 7/5 (New Jersey): $1,537
• Portugal-Spain: 7/6 (Dallas): $1,367
• Switzerland-Colombia: $959 (Vancouver): $972
• Paraguay-France: 7/4 (Philadelphia): $914
• Canada-Morocco: 7/4 (Houston): $721

*TicketData.com as of 6 p.m. ET on July 4.

The significant drop in the ⁠get-in price for the US-Belgium game is somewhat surprising considering the Red Devils’ base camp ⁠is located just 16 kilometres (10 miles) south of Seattle ⁠Stadium at the Sounders FC Performance Center. Monday will mark Belgium’s third match in Seattle following a 1-1 draw with Egypt in the group stage and a ‌dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over Senegal in the round of 32.

Canada was the first team eliminated from the round of 16 ‌with ‌their 3-0 loss to Morocco on Saturday. The get-in price for that match dropped 14 percent from $838 over the final 72 hours.

[Aljazeera]