Lionel Messi has recovered fully from his thigh muscle injury and can begin work on his fitness although no date has yet been set for his return to action, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) said on Friday.
As expected, fast bowler Jofra Archer was included in the 12 and looks poised to make his Test debut in the absence of England's record wicket taker James Anderson.
Chelsea's Spanish striker Diego Costa was named along with usual suspects Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the 23- man FIFA Ballon D'Or short-list released on Tuesday.
Kylian Mbappe missing the decisive kick in the shootout as world champions France were eliminated from Euro 2020 by Switzerland on Monday encapsulated the biggest lesson of an extraordinary night -- you cannot rely on individual brilliance alone.
Edinson Cavani's potential absence for Uruguay would be a severe blow to their hopes of beating France in the World Cup quarter-finals, according to his former team mate and French midfielder Blaise Matuidi.
Colombia beat Ivory Coast 2-1 in yet another action-packed World Cup clash in Brasilia on Thursday to top Group C on six points and move within touching distance of making the knockout phase for the first time since 1990.
The old guard, once again, came good for Italy, this time steering the Azzurri to Euro 2020 glory, but wily defensive stalwarts Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini cannot go on forever.
England and Belgium face a World Cup conundrum ahead of Thursday's crunch in Kaliningrad
Costa Rica secured a place in the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time on Sunday after beating Greece 5-3 on penalties after the teams finished level at 1-1 after extra time, the Central Americans playing for almost an hour with 10 men.
Neymar has given the ball away 84 times at this tournament
An own goal by John Boye and a late strike by Cristiano Ronaldo gave Portugal a 2-1 victory over incident-hit Ghana on Thursday, but it was not enough to make the second round as both sides exited the World Cup.
FIFA is probing an alleged confrontation between a Brazilian press official and Chile player Mauricio Pinilla in the tunnel at halftime in their World Cup match in Belo Horizonte on Saturday, the governing body said.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Javier Hernandez has been a bit-part player at Real Madrid since joining on loan from Manchester United but injuries handed the Mexico striker a rare chance on Wednesday which he took with aplomb.
Spain, chasing an unprecedented third successive European Championship title and looking forward to facing Germany or Slovakia in the next round, have the upper hand in recent history, having not lost a competitive match against Italy since the 1994 World Cup.
As the countdown to 2018 starts, it's time to rewind those moments in sport that stood out this year.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
The 2017 edition of the Guinness World Records reveals a selection of the most jaw-dropping records and record holders.
England under-21 coach Gareth Southgate looks likely to be put in temporary charge of the national team after the resignation of Roy Hodgson following the side's Euro 2016 exit, British media reported on Wednesday.
When Neymar left Barcelona for Paris St-Germain last August he knew the 2017/18 season would be stressful but even for a man who loves to make headlines this year has provided plenty of news, both good and bad.
FIFA will go ahead with its controversial decision to stage World Cup matches at midday in tropical venues, president Sepp Blatter said on Tuesday as soccer's governing body announced a bafflingly complex procedure for Friday's draw.
Suspension, internal mudslinging and factionalism overshadowed some stellar performances by Indian archers as the sport went from bad to worse with just a few months left for Tokyo Olympics in an eventful 2019. The biggest blow to Indian archery came in August when World Archery suspended the national federation after two warring groups conducted parallel elections in Delhi and Chandigarh in a clear defiance of the international body's guidelines.
Messi, whose deal expires in 2021, had called his side "weak" and "inconsistent" after they lost the league title to Real Madrid.
Brazil beat Chile 3-2 in a penalty shootout to reach the World Cup quarter-finals after their dramatic last-16 match in Belo Horizonte ended 1-1 after extra time on Saturday.
France and Ecuador drew 0-0 in their final World Cup Group E game on Wednesday to send the French into the last 16 as group winners and eliminate their opponents due to Switzerland's 3-0 win over Honduras.
Paris St Germain coach Laurent Blanc criticised the new generation of footballers after defender Serge Aurier was suspended indefinitely by the French champions for insulting the former national team manager.
News of all that transpired on and off the football field.
Croatia finished ahead, on goals scored, of the Czech Republic, who lost 1-0 to group winners England.
FIFA defended the harsh punishment it handed down to Uruguay striker Luis Suarez for biting an opponent during the World Cup, despite complaints on Friday from his coach, politicians and even the man he bit that the record penalty was excessive.
With the teams having played their second matches in the league stage in Euro 2020, at the conclusion of the Spain-Poland match in Group E on Saturday, here's a look at the best goals from those matches.
It will be virgin territory for Wales when they face Portugal in the Euro 2016 semi-finals yet their opponents could be forgiven a sense of deja vu as they step on to the pitch in Lyon on Wednesday.
Nadal has traditionally started his French Open campaigns with at least one claycourt title under his belt but this year got to the French capital empty-handed.
If Claudio Ranieri was hoping there might be a player lurking in his reserves to salvage Leicester City's unravelling season he was left disappointed on Saturday as his side were beaten 1-0 by third-tier Millwall in the FA Cup fifth round.
England's performances at Euro 2016 so far will leave none of their opponents scared at the prospect of a knockout clash with the country, according to former striker Alan Shearer.
Rediff.com looks at the five best goals from the concluding round in the league stage.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated his recent Ballon d'Or award by scoring twice for the first time in a La Liga game this season as champions Real Madrid swept to a stunning 5-0 win over Sevilla on Saturday to go five points behind leaders Barcelona.
Barca coach, Luis Enrique says that all is well at Camp Nou and the team is united.
