the countries assured of places in the 32-team field for next year's World Cup finals in Russia after Tuesday's qualifiers.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
As we prepare to cruise into the New Year, Rediff.com gives you a glance back, through photos, into all the sporting moments that made the last 12 months memorable.
A special forum to promote inter-regional trade between India and Mercosur countries will be held on June 9 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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.
Noted economist Arvind Subramanian is favoured as the choice for the government's Chief Economic Advisor (CEA).
Germany will retain their World Cup title in Moscow to equal Brazil's record of five wins in the tournament, according to a Reuters poll of financial specialists more used to predicting market moves.
A stoppage-time goal helped Ecuador rescue a 2-2 draw at home to Paraguay in World Cup qualifying on Thursday, preserving their record as South America's only unbeaten side and keeping them top of the 10-team standings in the race to Russia.
European champions Portugal spurned a two-goal lead against Tunisia, stumbling to a 2-2 draw, as France, one of the World Cup favourites, flexed their muscles with a comfortable 2-0 win over Ireland in warm-up friendlies on Monday.
Man U's impressive pre-season tour of the US continued with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Mexico's Club America.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
The Brazilian ace criticised his club for their failure to give him a chance to prove himself in Serie A.\n\n
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will again be duelling for the title of world's best footballer after their names once again headed the shortlist on Thursday for The Best FIFA Men's Player.
Hundreds of Argentines protested in the pouring rain on Saturday, demanding that soccer star Lionel Messi return to Argentina's national team after he unexpectedly quit following a loss in the regional Copa America final.
Karim Benzema scored twice after the interval with a penalty and a header from a corner to give Santiago Solari's side a 3-1 lead, after Raphael Varane struck in the 34th minute to cancel out Anuar Tuhami's goal for Valladolid five minutes earlier.
Chelsea will pay 30 million euros ($33.54 million) for the player, three of which will be based on performance, the Spanish champions said on their website.
Bayern Munich's Douglas Costa scored a first-half winner as the holders did the bare minimum to beat VfL Wolfsburg 1-0 on Tuesday and move into the German Cup quarter-finals.
The Briton, who was thrashed 6-3 6-1 by the Croatian in the Dubai Championships in 2015, performed poorly in the first set and after recovering in the second he then surrendered his serve in the seventh game, giving Coric three break points.
Liverpool striker Luis Suarez wants an "amicable agreement" to leave the club, honouring last year's contract clause that said he could leave if they failed to qualify for the Champions League.
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique is expecting an even greater impact from Luis Suarez this season with the cloud of disciplinary problems no longer hanging over the Uruguay striker.
