Several thousand Argentinians are expected to descend on Qatar for the tournament starting next month but not all are having an easy ride.
Manchester United dropped further down the table after losing 5-3 against newcomers Leicester City. Barcelona and Real Madrid scored 13 goals between them during a memorable La Liga weekend, when Cristiano Ronaldo netted a hat-trick.
Paris St Germain made light of the absent Zlatan Ibrahimovic and a sub-standard start to the season to claim a 3-2 Champions League victory over Barcelona on Tuesday.
Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski scored a quick-fire second-half double to set the leaders on course for a thrashing of Real Madrid.
The sources requested anonymity because the matter is confidential. Representatives for Manchester United and Sheikh Jassim did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Zhang Jiao, after realising her dream of witnessing Argentina soccer great Lionel Messi lift the World Cup every match he plays from now on is "precious".
Aubameyang joined Arsenal from German club Borussia Dortmund in 2018 for a fee of around 58 million pounds ($79 million) as former manager Arsene Wenger's last signing.
Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid made it four away wins from the opening four Champions League last-16 first leg matches when they triumphed at Arsenal and AC Milan respectively on Wednesday.
Manchester City made it five wins out of five in the Premier League and Cristiano Ronaldo scored five goals for Real Madrid but Chelsea and Juventus continued to struggle at the weekend as the Champions League looms.
Anderson Talisca earned Al Nassr a 1-0 home win over Al Ettifaq on Sunday, but the fans that turned up to Mrsool Park in Riyadh in droves to see Cristiano Ronaldo in action were left disappointed.
Paris St Germain had a chance to extend their Ligue 1 lead to five points after RC Lens drew 1-1 at Troyes and Olympique de Marseille and Monaco shared the spoils on Saturday.
Piotr Zielinski converted two penalties for Inter Milan as they played out a thrilling 4-4 draw with Juventus.
Paris St Germain's Zlatan Ibrahimovic was again in a class of his own as the striker's hat-trick earned a 3-1 win against Nice and a four-point lead in Ligue 1 on Saturday.
Angel Di Maria has admitted to clashing with former manager Louis Van Gaal during his ill-fated stint at Manchester United and hinted that his poor relationship with the Dutchman contributed to a dip in his performance.
Round-up of football matches played around Europe on Saturday.
Manchester United took over at the top of the Premier League while Barcelona's Argentine forward Lionel Messi could be out for up to two months with a knee injury and rampant Bayern Munich extended their perfect start to seven league wins.
A round-up of Saturday's action in the Premier League.
Mumbai City FC lost 2-0 to Iranian Club Nassaji Mazandaran in their first AFC Champions League group stage game at home.
AC Milan have signed Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic on a free transfer until the end of the season with an option for a further year, the Serie A club announced on Friday. Ibrahimovic, 38, returns to Milan where he helped the club win their last league title in 2010-11 and scored 56 goals in 85 games in two seasons.
Istanbul Basaksehir's players, closely followed by their opponents Paris St Germain, walked off the pitch during a Champions League soccer game on Tuesday after the Turkish club accused a match official of racism.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was back to his irrepressible, boastful best on Sunday as he joked about the landmark 25,000th Premier League goal that signalled a change in his fortunes.
Data revealed that Spain's La Liga and the Premier League were joint-top in terms of social media popularity, well ahead of the NBA, NFL and Serie A.
Constantine interviewed by Chennaiyin FC
La Liga leaders Real Madrid were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw at lowly city rivals Rayo Vallecano on Sunday as Joselu's early strike was cancelled out by Raul de Tomas' penalty, a result that could spice up the title race with surprise package Girona.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Images from the football matches played across Europe on Tuesday.
Theo Hernandez's high hooked finish from a deflected Kylian Mbappe shot put the defending champions ahead and forced Walid Regragui's team to take the initiative, ending the game with more possession than Les Bleus.
Striker Radamel Falcao scored his sixth and seventh goals in as many Ligue 1 matches as big-spending Monaco beat Bastia 3-0 at home on Wednesday to maintain their grip at the top of Ligue 1.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Manchester City have signed England centre back John Stones from Everton as new manager Pep Guardiola continues to reshape his side for the start of the English Premier League season.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was again the chief tormentor as French champions Paris St Germain won 3-0 at Bastia to stay eight points clear at top of the Ligue 1 on Saturday.
Real Madrid fought back from two goals down as Vinicius Jr grabbed a hat-trick in a thrilling 5-2 win over visitors Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.
Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero is close to agreeing a deal to join Barcelona after his contract expires at the English Premier League champions, manager Pep Guardiola said.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Leeds sack Gracia, Allardyce to step in till season ends
Bayern Munich eased past title rivals Borussia Dortmund 3-1 on Saturday to secure their 10th consecutive Bundesliga crown in front of a sold-out home crowd and with three games to spare, while Paris St Germain secured a record-equalling 10th French top flight title after stuttering to a 1-1 home draw by 10-man RC Lens.
A statement from the club on Thursday said they had made record turnover of 990 million euros last season and projected an increase to 1.047 billion euros for the 2019/20 campaign.
Manager Guus Hiddink dismissed speculation that Eden Hazard will leave English Premier League champions Chelsea, insisting that the winger is content to stay at Stamford Bridge.
The striker is expected to be fully fit by the time Brazil kick off their World Cup campaign against Switzerland on June 17.
Rediff.com encapsulates all the sporting action from the past week in this eye-catching photo feature.
