Free-flowing France blew away in-form Switzerland with a three-goal first-half barrage en route to a thumping 5-2 World Cup Group E victory on Friday that virtually assures them qualification to the second round.
Sneak peek into how contestants prep for the show.
All of the top news of the week gone by, in photos.
During the three-day visit coinciding with the new civilian government assuming power in Pakistan, Deputy Secretary of State Negroponte bore the brunt of complaints that Pakistanis now feel freer to air with the end of military rule by Washington's favored ally Musharraf, the New York Times said.
Mexican media called on Sven Goran-Eriksson to quit as national coach on Thursday, a day after his side lost to Honduras and avoided an early World Cup exit by the skin of their teeth.
Sven-Goran Eriksson's Mexico slumped to a 1-0 defeat in Jamaica in a World Cup qualifier on Saturday while the United States routed Cuba 6-1.
Ronaldinho scored twice as Brazil strolled to a 5-0 win over New Zealand at the Olympics on Sunday, while a delightful goal from Ezequiel Lavezzi gave Argentina a late win over stubborn Australia. The wins left the South American pair with 6 points from two games in their respective groups and guaranteed both a quarter-final place with a match to spare.
Rampant Germany hammered Portugal 4-0, with four players sharing the goals, to progress to the semi-finals of the Rio Games football tournament on Saturday.
'But I think this is going to be cleared up as soon as possible and I believe in Neymar's innocence. We the players and the backroom staff are going to support him so that it doesn't have any effect on the field'
Cuba produced an upset by holding the United States to a 1-1 draw in the opening round of Olympic qualifying games.
India were on Friday drawn with two-time champions Ghana, United States and Colombia in a tough Group A of the FIFA Under 17 World Cup.
Tiny Cape Verde Islands catapulted themselves into surprise World Cup contention with a 2-1 victory away to South Africa.
Despite accounting for the largest number of fatalities, the death rate, however, in the US is much lower than other countries.
Switzerland's Xherdan Shaqiri astonishing equalising goal against Poland in their Euro 2016 last-16 match brought back memories of great goals of the past from club and international football.
The spread of the Zika virus in Brazil needs to be monitored but is not a threat to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, Germany's chief Olympic doctor said.
United States President Barack Obama has determined India and its three neighbours, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Myanmar, among a list of 22 nations that are major illicit drug producing or transit countries.
India also climbed four places to 131 in the latest rankings.
Copa America kicks off in Chile on Thursday as a widening US-led investigation lifts the lid on rampant corruption among the sport's top officials.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Quaison fires Sweden to extra-time World Cup playoff win over Czechs
Spain strolled to a 4-1 win at home to Israel, while Italy survived some first-half scares on the way to a 2-0 win and Ukraine registered a 1-0 home win over Ukraine in an action-packed game.
Mexico have confirmed Miguel 'Piojo' Herrera will coach the national squad at the World Cup finals in Brazil next year.
South Korea were left with plenty to ponder ahead of this month's World Cup finals after Edin Visca scored a hat-trick to give Bosnia and Herzegovina a 3-1 victory in a friendly in Jeonju on Friday.
Neymar shrugged off some rough tackling and a missed penalty to score a brilliant solo goal as he led Brazil to a 3-0 win over Paraguay that moved them within sight of the 2018 World Cup finals on Tuesday.
The United States recovered from a poor first half and earned a 1-1 draw against Panama on Monday that kept the Central Americans from clinching an automatic spot in the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarter-finals.
Mexico striker Javier Hernandez had surgery on a fractured collarbone and will be out for four weeks missing the Gold Cup, the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) said.
We're back... Round Two of the line up of Miss Universe 2016 contestants.
Cristiano Ronaldo came off the bench and scored an opportunist goal which set Portugal on the way to a 2-0 win in Andorra on Saturday that maintained their chances of qualifying directly for the World Cup.
A week before they kick off their Copa America campaign against Peru, Brazil dominated a poor warm up match though there was a moment of brilliant by Philippe Coutino when they opened the scoring after 27 minutes.
Argentina will play at Jerusalem's Teddy Kollek Stadium on Saturday night in a World Cup warm-up match that has attracted huge interest among the Israeli fans, mainly because of Messi's planned participation. But the Palestinians are not happy that the match will be held in Jerusalem and Palestinian FA chief Jibril Rajoub wrote to Claudio Tapia, the head of the Argentinian FA, last week accusing Israel of using the match as a "political tool".
The Congress on Tuesday termed as rhetoric and hollow on specifics the prime minister's address to the nation, saying there was no mention of a financial package or concrete steps to revive the economy.
Levski Sofia fans force players to remove shirts after derby defeat
'Chinese pressure on Taiwan is unlikely to ease till Beijing feels that stability is being restored in the Sino-US relationship,' says former RAW officer Jayadeva Ranade.
The Copa America was played as a 12-team tournament from 1993 when the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) invited two teams from CONCACAF, the North and Central America and Caribbean region, to join in.
Two football bosses including a former president of Honduras pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to US charges they took bribes in exchange for media and marketing contracts in a scandal that has rocked the business of global football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi has unfinished business going into the Centenary Copa America that is being staged in the United States with the Barcelona star keen to help his nation capture a first major title in 23 years.
Barcelona's five-time soccer World Player of the Year Lionel Messi went on trial on Tuesday along with his father on accusations of defrauding the Spanish state of millions of euros (dollars).
