USA v France Women's World Cup quarterfinals - The only thing hotter than the play on the field may be the weather as dangerous heat wave to engulf Europe

Dream match to shatter attendance, viewers and temperature records.

Fox Preview France v USA

Women's World Cup: France v USA could be 'wild and crazy' - Megan Rapinoe

By Tom Garry

BBC Sport in Reims

United States midfielder Megan Rapinoe said Friday's Women's World Cup quarter-final against hosts France could be "wild and crazy".

Rapinoe scored two penalties in Monday's 2-1 victory over Spain, as the holders set up the tie in Paris.

The two sides were the pre-tournament favourites and both topped their groups, with a semi-final against England or Norway awaiting the winners.

"This is the game everyone had circled," said Rapinoe.

"This is incredible for the women's game. You have two heavy-hitters meeting.

"I hope it's wild and crazy. I hope the fans are crazy, there is tons of media around it and it is just a big spectacle."

The USA are top of the world rankings and their only defeat since 2017 came against France in January.

Their Britain-born head coach Jill Ellis, who was in charge when they won the World Cup in 2015, added: "It's going to be an amazing game. I'm sure a lot of people would want it later in the tournament.

"It's probably going to be crazy with a lot of intensity, but that's as it should be because I truly think this is the world game for women, so what a showcase piece."

France are bidding to win their first major tournament, while the USA are attempting to lift a record fourth Women's World Cup.

Despite the two teams being the favourites from the outset, neither has appeared invincible so far in the knockout stages.

Less than 24 hours after France needed extra time to overcome Brazil in their last-16 tie, the defending champions were thoroughly tested by Spain in Reims.

Against Spain, Ellis' team conceded a goal for the first time at these finals, and occasionally appeared sloppy at the back, in a game some bookmakers had them down as 1-10 odds-on favourites to win.

Former USA goalkeeper Hope Solo said there were many things to question about her former side's display, telling BBC Radio 5 Live: "When you have that much attacking prowess, to not get a goal in normal play is concerning.

"People don't bow down to the United States like they used to. They don't come in and put everyone on edge like they used to.

"Many teams have proved they can beat the USA. If you want to beat the USA you have to press the backline.

"That's where they are truly vulnerable. It's the decision-making, it's the quality of passing - and I think there are nerves back there."

France Heat Wave Warning

Women's World Cup: In search of a major tournament in Paris

By Tom Garry

BBC Sport in Paris

 Fans at Euro 2016 (left) could watch matches on a big screen at the Eiffel Tower but these Chile supporters (right) could not do the same at the Women's World Cup

On a warm Saturday evening in the summer, whether gazing towards the Eiffel Tower from the crowded Place du Trocadero, strolling alongside the River Seine or approaching the Jardin des Tuileries from the Place de la Concorde, you can enjoy some of the finest views in Paris.

What you cannot see are any obvious indications that the Women's World Cup is in town, despite there being no city hosting more games at the 2019 tournament than the French capital.

As the sun sets, Canada's Jessie Fleming opens the scoring against New Zealand in Group E in Grenoble, but there is no reaction from the thousands of people enjoying picnics on the Champ de Mars - an iconic spot where big screens had shown matches to packed fan zones during both the 2016 men's European Championship - hosted in France - and the 2018 men's World Cup in Russia.

Women's football is now as popular globally as the sport of golf, according to a report released on 4 June by the data analytics company Nielsen, while Paris is among the world's busiest tourist destinations.

And therefore, while there is a smaller fan zone - albeit one that does not fully open until 14:00 local time - opposite the Forum des Halles shopping centre across town, is the so-called 'City of Light' illuminating the Women's World Cup to as many people as it could be?

On one hand, the attendances and atmospheres at the Parc des Princes have been very impressive - not least at the hosts' spine-tingling opening win over South Korea.

But - aside from the areas immediately around the stadium, south west of the city - banners boosting the event's visibility are hard to come by in the capital.

On the day of world champions USA's match here, free maps of Paris's Metro routes display information on a rugby sevens tournament that finished two weeks previously, while most central station platforms are devoid of any posters of Women's World Cup stars.

The Paris Metro maps available on the network on 16 June were still promoting the Paris Sevens Rugby tournament, which finished a week before the Women's World Cup started.

Adverts for June's Champs-Elysees Film Festival - not the World Cup - are draped along the city's most famous avenue.

At other host cities, promotion for the tournament varies, but is far more visible at some, with the eye-catching roadside electronic adverts for the matches in Reims tough to miss in the champagne region, while almost every shop in the centre of the north-eastern city of Valenciennes has been decorated with flags, scarves or World Cup banners.

Yet, at the spectacular vantage point that can be enjoyed from Place du Trocadero, where large crowds of people hold their smartphones aloft for a picture of the Eiffel Tower, low-cost, unofficial merchandise is displayed for sale on sheets lying on the floor - but there are no football shirts among the miniature towers, the glow sticks and the handbags with semi-recognisable branding.

Even where there are sports tops for sale, at a string of shops near the Louvre, only those displaying the names Mbappe and Neymar can be found among Tour de France jerseys.

"Avez-vous quelque chose des equipes feminines de Coupe du Monde?" I asked hopefully.

"Non, monsieur."

Around Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in Paris which crosses the River Seine, France kits with players' names on are readily available - but only for the men's team.

However, look closely to one side of the Place du Trocadero and there you will see it, directly overlooking the Eiffel Tower - at last, some Women's World Cup branding. It's US broadcaster Fox Sports' studio for the duration of the tournament.

Then there are other moments to lift your spirits, like the small band of Chile fans enjoying a drink on the grass of the Champ de Mars 24 hours before their goalkeeper Christiane Endler's stunning performances against the United States.

Like the enthusiastic, Marseille-supporting taxi driver who declared France's midfield star Amandine Henry to be "magnifique" and warned that Les Bleues were much better than "Monsieur Neville's" England.

Like the hordes of USA fans who swamped the Parc des Princes with their stars and stripes on Sunday, as over 45,000 saw the holders - and the Chile keeper - put on an exhibition.

And like the sea of orange that flooded into the northern cities of Le Havre and Valenciennes from the Netherlands - dancing left, dancing right - to support the European champions.

This is a truly global festival.

So why have the local authorities not adorned Paris' central areas with more visible promotion of the event?

A Fifa spokesperson told BBC Sport: "One of the main promotional objectives is to maximise the audiences, both in front of their screens and in the stadiums. Even though outdoor advertising is a part of that campaign, it is only one of several platforms deployed in this phase.

"In Paris, the outdoor advertising is centralised around the stadium and around the Fifa fan experience."

When questioned about the subject, a spokesman for the Local Organising Committee pointed out that because Paris is the biggest host city and does not possess a clear city centre, efforts were focused on the areas linked to the World Cup like the stadium and the Fifa Fan Experience.

They also pointed out that Paris City Hall had been adorned with World Cup colours.

The Champs-Elysees is full of huge banners promoting a film festival - but not the Women's World Cup.

The Chatelet district houses the temporary Women's World Cup museum - a free and relatively well-produced, educational cuboid of historical information, complete with a shop - as well as the adjacent fan zone, which is closed until midday and only partially open until 14:00.

Fifa says it has also been marketing on radio and TV, as well as hosting a women's football convention in Paris earlier in June, and a spokesperson added: "For the first time in Women's World Cup history, there is a Fifa fan experience in each host city.

"The choice of the location of the fan experience and whether to include a big screen was determined by each host city."

As for the TV audiences, French channel TF1 has had record viewing figures of about 10 million in France for the host nation's first two group matches, and - although the games not involving Les Bleues are not on free-to-air channels here - the home supporters do seem to be gripped by their side's bid for a first title.

UK viewers have similarly set new records for women's football, while Fox Sports in the US has reportedly seen an 11% rise in their audience compared to four years ago.

Indeed, the world is watching the beautiful game in France this summer - you just have to be in the right place to notice it in the nation's most beautiful city.

Media Headlines on World Cup

Europe heatwave: record high of 45C expected in France

Temperature records expected to be broken as minister warns heatwaves could become norm

'Hell is coming': week-long heatwave begins across Europe

Temperatures could hit 40C from Spain to Switzerland, with authorities urging children and older people to stay indoors

World

A heat wave killed 15,000 in France in 2003. As temperatures soar again, officials are taking no chances.

France is postponing exams, opening pools and urging residents to stay hydrated.

Where's FIFA? Failing to promote a fun, high-quality Women's World Cup, that's where

Dan Wetzel

Columnist

   

Women's World Cup: Record-breaking peak of 6.9m watch England beat Cameroon

WWCup: Nearly 11 million TV viewers watch France’s opener

June 8, 2019

LOS ANGELES — The Americans’ 3-0 win over Chile set a record for the most-watched group-stage Women’s World Cup match on U.S. English-language television.

Fox drew 5,324,000 viewers for Sunday’s game, topping 4,492,000 for the Americans’ 0-0 group-stage draw against Sweden in 2015. The game was the most-watched English-language soccer telecast in the country since last year’s men’s World Cup final.

The 2019 Women's World Cup has become the UK's most viewed women's football tournament on television.

The event has achieved a combined TV reach of 17.2 million people, beating the 12.4 million total set for the whole of the 2015 tournament in Canada.

England's win over Scotland set an audience record for a women's football game on UK TV of 6.1 million.

Women’s World Cup TV Viewership Is on a Record Pace

750 million people watched the tournament in 2015; FIFA estimates that nearly 1 billion could tune in this summer 

The Melchizedek Chronicles – Notre Dame Fire – Act of God or Man? Good Friday...

The Soul of France – Notre Dame

As the embers of the tragic fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris finally fade away there are many lessons that can be learned.

On the one hand, there are good things even in the face of adversity.  Melchizedek teaches that we must “look for the good in adversity” if we are to understand the will of God, for nothing happens that is not part of the plan of destiny.

Many good things an be found in the disaster of the fire.  There was the appearance of Jesus in the midst of the flames, as if he came to make certain the raging inferno did not destroy the sacred Cathedral and all the precious relics, priceless works of art, architectural French Gothic wonders and historical impact.

It has been nearly a millennium since the Cathedral was started in 1163, and 674 years since finished in 1345.  Built on the site of two previous churches, and who knows how many pre-Christian temples, the Cathedral was dedicated to the Holy Mother Mary.  The translation of Notre Dame is “Our Lady.”

As for seeking the good in adversity, consider these outcomes of the flames, some bordering on miraculous.  A fire alarm went off nearly twenty minutes before the fire but was dismissed when no fire was found. Many people were still in the Cathedral when the flames exploded on the roof yet everyone got out safely.

Then there was the miracle of the chaplain of the Paris fire brigade rescuing the holiest of holy relics perhaps in the world, the Crown of Thorns placed on Jesus during his torture and crucifixion.  He knew the Crown was beyond priceless and perhaps the only relic on Earth tied directly to Jesus.

For chaplain Jean-Marc Fournier who is being hailed as a hero, he said the hardest task was cracking the security codes to rescue its most precious relic.

Fournier told Catholic broadcaster KTO on Wednesday that “the difficulty for us was to find the person holding the security codes to open the safe where the holy relic is kept.”

The chaplain was also celebrated for tending to the injured and praying for the dead in Paris’ Bataclan concert hall after the 2015 Islamic extremist attack there. He also spent time in Afghanistan with the French military.

At the same time a human chain was formed of firemen and Notre Dame personnel and priests to remove the other sacred relics and historical treasurers while the fire blazed in the roof overhead and scalding molten lead dropped from the ceiling like surreal raindrops.  Other firefighters beat back the flames so the treasurers could be rescued.  All put their lives at risk.

Then high above them the three-hundred-foot spire suddenly buckled, then collapsed down through the roof into the interior of the Church where the rescuers were frantically working to remove the many artifacts, raining debris but resulting in just a single fireman injured.

For nearly twelve hours five hundred French firefighters risked their lives to save not just the most iconic landmark in France or Europe, but of the entire world as over thirteen million people visited the Cathedral every year.

While the battle was raging inside the Cathedral, darkness magnified the blaze in the night sky and suddenly hundreds, then thousands of the people of Paris and tourists from around the world were drawn to the horrible tragedy unfolding, the tourists anticipating spending the Holy Week in sacred ceremonies at Notre Dame honoring the death and resurrection of Jesus, son of “The Lady”.

Slowly, the people made their way to observation points around the La Seine River surrounding the Cathedral, a surprising number of young couples and children, and stood in stunned silence as the flames roared into the night sky.  Then some fell to their knees praying while other started singing Christian hymns.

Now the fire was being fought from within the cathedral around the High Alter, on the rooftop, and from the Bell Towers.  Lowly the ancient temple fought back refusing to succumb to the raging flames and searing heat intent on sinking this venerable holy place into the darkness of oblivion.  As the fire threatened to spread into the Bell Towers and bring down the exterior walls of the Cathedral there was a change.

Somehow, perhaps because of the collective prayers of people throughout the world watching the carnage on television, the outside walls of this ancient site refused to accept defeat, just as it looked as if the flames and intense heat along with millions of gallons of water used to fight the fire would be too much for the beleaguered landmark to absorb.

              

Mysteriously, perhaps a supernatural force sent by the hand of God came to the aid of the heroic firefighters in response to those prayers.  Something broke the stranglehold of the darkness and rampaging spirit of the flames and the ferocity of the inferno suddenly began to wane.

Perhaps the spirit of France’s most iconic Saint returned to finish the task of saving France from the darkness of the soul here in the most iconic Cathedral in the world.  Notre Dame and Joan of Arc had unfinished business.  The magnificent new Cathedral opened just sixty-seven years before Joan was born.   It dominated the landscape and was the center of Paris.

Those not familiar with the only teenage female warrior in history to lead the army of an entire nation into war should know dear Joan.  Born in 1412, she answered God’s call to sacrifice her own life to save France from moral self-destruction and at seventeen years old led a collapsing French army against the English empire occupying Orleans as well as Paris and Burgundy, and intent on ending French rule on the continent by the end of the year.

Often referred to as the Maid of Orleans she defeated the English around Orleans, oversaw the installation of Charles VII as King of France and she was on her way to Paris to drive the English out of France ending the Hundred Year war between the enemies.  By this time, she was just eighteen and knew through divine voices she had one year to live.

While attacking Paris her support from the King ended, and she was denied taking back Paris.  She was captured and sold to the English who feared her.  With no opposition from the French throne, Joan was charged and tried as a heretic under church law, excommunicated by the church, condemned to death, and burnt at the stake in 1431, at nineteen years of age.

Later church authorities acknowledged she was betrayed by the church and would nullify her excommunication, declaring her a martyr unjustly executed for a secular vendetta.  Her legend would grow from there.

When Joan fought to save France the army was despondent, defeat seemed inevitable, and the people were losing faith in the Catholic church and the teachings of Jesus.  Immorality was rampant much like the caustic attitudes and moral bankruptcy of today.

Dissent, animosity, hatred and division were eroding the moral character and contaminated the people and bloodlines of royalty.  Joan’s sacrifice of her life helped lead the French people out of the darkness and despair.  Today, nearly six hundred years later, a statue of the beloved Joan of Arc stands proudly in Notre Dame.

In a strange irony, Joan of Arc became the most beloved of all French saints and when it was finally time to recognize her sainthood, she was beatified April 11 1909 at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, finally finding her rightful place in history by completing her last battle in life.  She was canonized in 1920.

Joan of Arc is the only figure in our history ever to be both condemned and canonized by the Catholic Church.

Her long-deserved battle to save Paris and France from falling away from God and the teaching of Jesus is here.  She was stopped by the King before, but God is letting her finish her dream during Holy Week of 2019 by saving the beloved French icon of Notre Dame from the fury of the dark side.

There is no irony or coincidence behind the near destruction of Notre Dame and the miraculous saving of the Crown of Thorns of Jesus, the relics and priceless art work, the framework of the Cathedral, the Bell Towers, the Rosette stained glass windows, the sixteen sculptures of the spire, or the High Alter in the middle of the carnage.

When the firefighters finally got to assess the damage and could open the doors to the Cathedral, through the fallen timbers, debris, smoke, haze and water, the brilliant Gold Cross above the High Alter illuminated the dark interior radiating hope and life to the astonished firemen.

No greater sign could be given to the world than the raging inferno and eventual saving of Notre Dame.  The rising of the damaged Cathedral from the ashes to even greater glory in the future, thanks to the also miraculous raising of over one billion dollars to restore Notre Dame in less than forty-eight hours after the fire.

We have been given the opportunity to wake up.  To do this we must acknowledge that we have lost our way, all over the world.  We have forgotten God’s plan, forgotten God sent his son to die for us in order to teach us the path of death, resurrection and ascension to Heaven.

Nearly six hundred years ago Joan of Arc was also called by God to sacrifice her life to remind us we lost our faith.  We must follow the teaching of Jesus to find the path of salvation.  Joan finally got her chance to fight the forces of darkness in Paris and again save Christianity and restore faith by honoring the sacrifice of Jesus and the love of God the Father for us.

The Holy Mother Mary, patron of Notre Dame, was certainly involved in protecting the greatest international symbol in the world dedicated to honoring her because of the sacrifice of her son through his death and resurrection.

Paris and France again will have the greatest icon in the world in the new Notre Dame standing as a beacon for all God’s children as it is renewed, resurrected and restored for the next thousand years of humankind.

People of the world were stopped for a moment in time by the Notre Dame fire, pause from the chaos, hatred, and animosity sweeping the world, as they watched the heroes, prayers, singing, Jesus and Joan of Arc save Notre Dame to inspire future generations to find their way to God.

The seeds of salvation have once again been sown, by Jesus and now it is up to us to awaken and find our way out of the darkness engulfing the world and back to the message of joy, hope, faith and salvation for all of God’s children.

Once again Divine Providence has found it necessary to intervene in human affairs.  As Holy Week draws to a conclusion this weekend, we will remember the teaching and example of Jesus, as demonstrated through the loyalty to God of Joan of Arc.

As Melchizedek says, our Creator will never turn his back on his Creations.