Top seed Andy Roddick blasted his way into the last four with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Peru's Luis Horna.
The top two teams in each group go into the last 16. In the case of teams finishing level on points, FIFA has put in place seven tie-breakers starting with goal difference and then the number of goals scored in all group matches.
Only a small contingent of diehard English fans have made the journey to see the start of their team's World Cup campaign in Russia, with many others put off by fears of violence and a diplomatic crisis between London and Moscow.
Argentina start as hot favourites to beat Iceland in their opening World Cup Group D match on Saturday but the toughest opponent for the runners-up four years ago may be themselves rather than the tiny tournament debutants.
Carlos Tevez scored from a free kick for the second game in a row in a 3-0 win in the Copa America football semi-final.
Stores are also coming up with novel methods to get Brazilians to pull the trigger on new TV sets, with many offering major discounts.
France showed the full range of their attacking weapons as they continued their preparations for the World Cup in convincing fashion with a 3-1 win over Italy in a friendly on Friday.
Summary of World Cup qualifiers played across the world on Thursday
Issuing a travel advisory, the health ministry also called for passengers with travel history to China, Hong Kong, Republic of Korea, Japan, Italy, Thailand, Singapore, Iran, Malaysia, France, Spain and Germany to undergo self-imposed quarantine for a period of 14 days from the date of their arrival, and their employers to facilitate work-from-home for such employees during this period.
Private cellular service provider Hutchison on Thursday introduced international roaming on pre-paid cards at a cost of Rs 40 per activation, providing its subscribers the facilities to recive calls and short message service.
Two Indians, including a 31-year-old mother, were found dead under mysterious circumstances in Oman, a media report said on Tuesday.
The El Nino weather phenomenon will bring drier winter weather to Indonesia, India, Mexico, Central America and northern Brazil, US government weather forecasters said.
The game was heading for extra time when Dutch striker Roy Makaay raced into the box and past a defender to hit the winner seconds before the final whistle.
The United States beat Paraguay 1-0 and advanced to the quarter-finals of the Copa America as Group A winners on Saturday after Costa Rica stunned already-qualified Colombia 3-2.
Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery, sidelined with an injury since March, could return to team training in the coming few weeks, coach Pep Guardiola said on Friday.
Here is a terrific quote that is doing the rounds from Chile's coach, Jorge Sampaoli.
The Brazilian World Cup winner tore a muscle in his right thigh and will almost certainly miss Barcelona's clash with arch rivals Real Madrid.
The Barcelona forward will miss Brazil's WC qualifiers against Peru and Uruguay due to a torn thigh muscle in his right leg.
The total number of spectators, who turned up at the six host venues across the country, currently stand at 12,24,027, a mere 6949 less than the earlier attendance of 12,30,976 set in the first edition of the tournament in China in 1985.
An early goal from Lautaro Martinez and a late second from Sergio Aguero gave Argentina a 2-0 win over Qatar on Sunday, a deserved victory that takes them into the Copa America quarter-finals.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Wednesday
'I'm very happy to have played, my last game was against Jamaica on October 12,' the Brazilian said.
The AC Milan striker is likely to step-in for injured Ronaldinho in Brazil's 2006 World Cup qualifier against Peru.\n\n
The Brazilian ace criticised his club for their failure to give him a chance to prove himself in Serie A.\n\n
Barcelona's injury crisis deepened on Wednesday after tests confirmed first-choice centre back Javier Mascherano will be out of action for upto 15 days after damaging a thigh muscle in Tuesday's 4-1 La Liga win at home to Real Sociedad.
It will have made uneasy viewing for coach Jorge Sampaoli and emphasised more than ever how reliant his side are on their talisman Messi, who has been struggling with a muscle problem.
The specter of war in Iraq and instability in the world's No. 5 oil producer, Venezuela, as well as world market woes, bode poorly for the global economy, a top IMF official said on Friday.
Brazil coach Dunga said Tuesday he would pick star striker Neymar for the Olympics rather than the Copa America Centenario if he is only cleared to play in one tournament this summer. Neymar's summer schedule has been the subject of much debate, with the Barcelona superstar initially vowing to play both tournaments -- the 16-team Copa America in the United States in June followed by the Olympics in August. But the chances of Barcelona signing off on such a grueling schedule for their prized striker seem remote. With the Copa America part of the FIFA calendar, Barcelona are obliged to release Neymar for the tournament. However, the Spanish giants have no obligation to release Neymar for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where five-time world champions Brazil will once again try to win the only major title that has eluded them. It is possible Barcelona could give Neymar the green light to play in the the Olympics on the condition he does not play the Copa America.
