Winning World Cup group takes a backseat to getting ready for the knockout stage for some teams

NEW YORK (AP) — Roberto Martínez knows that in his younger days coaching at the World Cup, he would have placed a high priority on his team finishing first in its group.

“You sit down and you are so inexperienced, you want to plan everything,” Martinez said.

Now in his third World Cup and first with Portugal, he has realized those plans do not always materialize — and he is not alone. Norway's Ståle Solbakken also put a priority on rest and avoiding injuries to key players rather than going all-out to win Group I on Friday, which would have taken beating tournament favorite France.

Without standout striker Erling Haaland and nine other starters in the lineup, Norway lost 4-1 but with no coaching regrets about load management now that the knockout stage has arrived and with a Round of 32 game against Ivory Coast on Tuesday.

“The break that we had from the last game to this game is the shortest of any team, and we have another match in just a couple of days, so it’s a no-brainer,” Solbakken said. “Fans around Norway and also in the arena would have liked to see Erling, but that is not really the issue here. We want to proceed as long as we can here in the tournament, so that’s what we focus on.”

The loss sends Norway to Arlington, Texas, to face Ivory Coast, in a bracket with the winner of Brazil versus Japan up next in the Round of 16. Unbeaten France is set to play the same day in East Rutherford, New Jersey, against an opponent — likely Sweden — to be determined, followed by a potential showdown against European rival Germany.

Solbakken thinks his team will be better off after getting an extra day of rest.

“I think it’s smart,” midfielder Patrick Berg said. “It’s hopefully for us a long tournament. Being able to rest somebody and, at the same time, give somebody who has been here for some weeks now training really hard — give them the opportunity to perform against one of the best teams, I think it was a win-win situation for us.”

France went with its regular lineup, and the result was a first-half hat trick by Ousmane Dembélé on the way to the convincing win. Assistant coach Guy Stéphan understood what Solbakken was thinking and, as a result, was not surprised by Norway's lineup with an eye toward the future.

“We will see the result in four days,” Stéphan said after filling in for Didier Deschamps, who returned to France for his mother's funeral.

Martinez, who coached Belgium at the World Cup in 2018 and ’22, wants Portugal to beat Colombia in the teams' Group K finale on Saturday, though it was not clear exactly how he would he approach his lineup. Portugal is all but certainly assured a spot in the Round of 32.

“I believe that the focus should be trying to win every game, trying to create the best possible atmosphere in your dressing room, forget about the opponent,” Martinez said. “Respect the opponent, but if you want to do well in the tournament, you have to be able to beat everybody and anybody.”

Colombia coach Néstor Lorenzo did not want to leave anything to chance. Asked whether he had a preference for being first or second in the group, Lorenzo said: “Depending on your position, you play against one team or another. Some think that maybe you could meet a tougher opponent later on.”

Going into the World Cup, Spain's Luis de la Fuente downplayed the standings, and his thinking has not changed.

“I believe that to reach the final you have to play against all the great teams, and it will always be difficult,” de la Fuente said. “I can’t approach a match thinking about winning, losing or drawing. I only know how to prepare to win, win and win. It’s always about trying to be better.”

AP Sports Writers Alanis Thames in Miami Gardens, Florida, Kyle Hightower in Foxborough, Massachusetts, Tales Azzoni in Guadalajara, Mexico, and AP freelance writer Jimmy Golen in Foxborough contributed to this report.

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Norway head coach Stale Solbakken arrives before the World Cup Group I soccer match between Norway and France in Foxborough, Mass., near Boston, Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Portugal coach Roberto Martinez speaks to the players during the World Cup Group K soccer match between Portugal and Uzbekistan in Houston, Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez speaks during a press conference on the eve of the team's Group K World Cup soccer match against Colombia, in Miami Gardens, Fla., Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Norway's Erling Haaland (9), foreground, and his teammates sing the national anthem before the World Cup Group I soccer match between Norway and France in Foxborough, Mass., near Boston, Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Norway's Erling Haaland sits on the bench during the World Cup Group I soccer match between Norway and France in Foxborough, Mass., near Boston, Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Utah restricted fireworks and declared a state of emergency Friday ahead of July Fourth celebrations as the United States' largest wildfire expanded its reach across more tinder-dry forest as crews rush to fight new blazes in the arid state.

The National Weather Service issued a rare “Particularly Dangerous Situation” warning as dry, windy conditions provided fuel for more fires across the western U.S.

The Cottonwood Fire in a sparsely populated area of southern Utah started Monday. It ballooned to more than 112 square miles (290 square kilometers) by Friday, burning unchecked as strong winds grounded air support, forestry officials said. One of six large wildfires burning in Utah, it severely damaged the Eagle Point ski resort in Beaver County, forcing mandatory evacuations.

“We have the 35 miles-per-hour (56 km/h) sustained winds that they predicted, and we definitely have the 45 miles-per-hour (72 km/h) gusts,” said Alyssa Mason, a spokesperson assigned to the fire. “So there has been a great increase in the fire activity. We are seeing extreme fire behavior out there with some crown runs and definitely some spotting.”

The smoke has been pushing to the east and northeast, meaning air quality at popular vacation spots like Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks — located far south of the flames — hasn’t been significantly affected beyond some haze in the Bryce area. Still, visitors to Bryce have posted videos on social media showing the giant plume in the distance.

The smoke could be seen for hundreds of miles, all the way to Colorado, as authorities put roughly 1,300 residents in the towns of Marysvale, Junction and Circleville on notice that they should be prepared to leave if conditions worsen and the fire pushes further.

State forester Jamie Barnes had said Thursday that it's like nothing seen in recent memory. She said fires are spreading farther and faster “under conditions that defy historical expectations.”

Bruce Brown, 76, accompanied the sheriff on Thursday to find that his cabin and others in the area were gone. He found a burned out moonscape with power poles tipped over along the canyon.

Alyssa Olsen, 27, said her family’s cabin also burned. It was the last place they gathered for family photos with her grandmother before she died of cancer. Her brother was planning to get married there in two months.

“That stuff you can’t just build back,” Olsen said.

Gov. Spencer Cox set the temporary fireworks restrictions through July 5 as the nation prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, saying “this year is different.”

The weather service in Salt Lake City, for the first time in the office's history, issued a “ Particularly Dangerous Situation ” warning for five Utah counties, including the area of the Cottonwood Fire. The rare alert was first used to warn of tornado conditions. A red flag warning also was issued for most of the state.

“Prepare now for rapid fire growth,” it said.

A similar “dangerous situation” warning had been issued for the 2025 Palisades Fire in Los Angeles. A federal judge declared a mistrial Friday in the arson case against Jonathan Rinderknecht, the man accused of sparking that fire. The jury said it couldn't agree on a verdict.

While the Cottonwood Fire's cause was unknown, Cox’s order noted that humans have been the cause of most fires in the state so far this year.

The governor’s order gives Barnes power to restrict or prohibit fireworks displays in Utah’s cities and towns, instead of leaving those decisions to the communities.

With extreme fire conditions persisting, Rocky Mountain Power issued a public safety power shut-off watch/warning for areas of central, southern and eastern Utah through the weekend.

Crews also were battling the Iron Fire southwest of Salt Lake City. The flames on Thursday forced the temporary evacuation of Eureka, population 1,000.

Red flag warnings, which mean conditions such as low humidity, warm temperatures and strong winds can create an extreme wildfire risk, were in effect Friday and stretched from Idaho to southern Arizona and New Mexico.

The warnings extended into Saturday, with forecasters predicting winds of 25 to 35 miles an hour (40 km/h to 56 km/h) and very low humidity levels. The worst conditions were expected from northern Arizona into central and southern Utah.

Much of Utah already is experiencing severe to extreme drought, while parts of Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico are experiencing severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Tim Brown, a research professor and director of the Western Regional Climate Center, said the potential for extreme fire behavior will remain as long as it's hot, dry and windy.

“I would not be surprised to see a lot of restrictions come out as we get closer to the July Fourth weekend,” he said. “People really need to be aware of their surroundings if they’re going to be out in the forested campground areas and grassland areas.”

Even in Florida, where there have been multiple brush fires, authorities are urging people to skip the personal fireworks and instead leave the pyrotechnics to professionals putting on carefully planned shows.

In Utah, federal land managers have closed public lands near the Cottonwood Fire as a precaution, and in New Mexico, forest officials closed campgrounds and trails near a wildfire burning in the Jemez Mountains.

Nationally, nearly 3 million acres have burned since the start of the year, pushing the U.S. ahead of the 10-year average. The National Interagency Fire Center said firefighters are making progress on containing fires from Alaska to Florida.

Associated Press reporter Sudhin Thanawala contributed to this story.

This story has been corrected; the state forester's first name is spelled Jamie, not Jaime.

This undated image provided by the U.S. Forest Service Friday, June 26, 2026, shows firefighters responding to the Cottonwood Fire on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, above Birch Lake, near Beaver, Utah. (Mike McMillan/U.S. Forest Service via AP)