France's 2-0 defeat to Spain in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final on July 14 triggered overnight unrest in Paris and Lyon, where crowds lobbed fireworks at police and authorities deployed tear gas; more than 160 people were arrested, with most detained for using pyrotechnics against officers, and no serious injuries reported
France's third heatwave since May forced the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and the Musee d'Orsay to close early on July 11, with a quarter of mainland France under the highest heat alert level; Meteo-France put 24 departments in northwestern France under a red heat alert covering more than 22 million people, and cycling's Tour de France shortened a stage for the first time in its history