'Les Bleus' will be inspired by the two-decade anniversary of their only World Cup win in 1998, while double winners Uruguay's modern generation are desperate to recreate the black-and-white-era glories of their 1930 and 1950 trophies.
A brief history of previous World Cup semi-final appearances by England and Croatia, ahead of their last four match at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium on Wednesday.
IMAGES from the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match played between Brazil and South Korea on Monday.
Archrivals India and Pakistan have been clubbed in the same pool in the 2010 hockey World Cup, which begins in Delhi on February 28. Apart from 1975 champions India and four-time winners Pakistan, Pool B also has Australia, Spain, England and South Africa. Defending champions Germany is the top seed in Pool A, which also has the Netherlands, Korea, New Zealand, Canada and Argentina.
Lionel Messi has identified Spain as the one country he hopes to avoid in the group stages of the World Cup finals next year.
McGahey said she is doing everything possible in her capacity to realise her dream of playing international cricket.
Sandeep Singh scored twice as India beat Pakistan 4-1 in their opening match of the 12th men's Hockey World Cup in Delhi on Sunday.
Afghanistan continued their remarkable rise in international cricket when they beat the Cayman Islands by 82 runs on Saturday to reach the final stage of the 2011 World Cup qualifying competition. Uganda also went through thanks to a 99-run win over hosts Argentina on the final day of world cricket league division three, a six-team tournament which also serves as part of the complex World Cup qualifying system.
Rediff.com brings you the best quotes of the day from Brazil!
The 21-year-old Alejandro Garnacho's sale value is the fourth largest for a United player after Cristiano Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku and Angel di Maria.
Former Indian hockey captain Sandeep Singh will miss next year's World Cup in New Delhi due to a back injury, chief coach Jose Brasa said on Sunday.
Argentina midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron's remote chances of playing at the World Cup dwindled further after his ugly clash with captain Juan Pablo Sorin during Tuesday's Champions League match.
The two lowest-ranked teams will kick off the World Cup at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on June 14.
India has potential to play in FIFA World Cup soon, says Rathore
Argentine superstar Lionel Messi has sent his signed 2022 World Cup victorious jersey to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his 75th birthday.
The Aussie beat Spain 1-0 with a golden goal while top-ranked the Netherlands beat Argentina in the semi-finals.
Referees will use the recently-developed vanishing spray at the World Cup next year to stop defensive walls creeping forward at free kicks, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said on Thursday.
Germany crushed Argentina 4-0 with a sparkling display of attacking football on Saturday to book their spot in the World Cup last four.
Chile beat Ecuador 2-1 in their closing South American qualifier in Santiago on Tuesday as both went through automatically to the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil.
Paraguay's squad for the World Cup finals in Germany will comprise the following 23 players:
The Kabaddi World Cup is all set to begin, in Ahmedabad, on Friday, with organisers and players of competing countries expressing confidence of taking the game to new heights of popularity across the globe.
Belgium have retained injured Vincent Kompany in their final World Cup squad but put fellow defender Laurent Ciman on standby in case the Manchester City skipper is not fit for their opening match in Russia.
The 29-year-old's composure on the ball, ability to pick a pass and tough tackling paid dividends at both ends of the pitch in the must-win game against Nigeria.
With Argentina looking dysfunctional and under-performing throughout the qualifiers, Messi's dream of matching Maradona in Russia always looked a tall order.
The chief organizer of the Lionel Messi football event at Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata, where chaos erupted, has been remanded to 14-day police custody. The arrest follows allegations of mismanagement during Messi's appearance, which led to widespread frustration and vandalism among spectators.
The first of a five part history of the World Cup from Uruguay in 1930 up to the preparations for the 2014 finals in Brazil.
Earlier, Messi's World Cup-winning team mate Emiliano Martinez won the Lev Yashin award for the world's best goalkeeper.
"They are a great team with a great manager," Hernan Crespo added.
Take a look at Germany's journey to the World Cup final in Brazil. It takes years for a fine wine to mature and the Germany team that ripped Brazil apart 7-1 in an astonishing World Cup semi-final has become a rare vintage with coach Joachim Loew finally getting the blend right.
Switzerland will be among the eight seeded teams at the World Cup draw in December after they leapt to seventh in the latest FIFA rankings announced on Thursday, while Italy were edged out.
The draw for the eight groups for the final round of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, which will be played from June 12 to July 13 in Brazil, was just held in Costa do Saupe near Salvador de Bahia.
Messi's World Cup chase takes centre stage in quarter-final clash
The FIFA 2022 World Cup will kick-off in Qatar on Sunday, November 20. Here is a list of the 26-man squads playing in the quadrennial global football extravaganza.
Diego Maradona is delighted by plans to expand the World Cup to 48 teams and Argentina's former captain said on Monday that it would rekindle interest in the tournament.
The Nike swoosh decorates the outfits of Brazil, France and England, the sides in the quarter-finals most favoured by betting websites to win the World Cup, plus Croatia.
A stunning overhead kick by Eduard Bello helped Venezuela hold Brazil to a 1-1 draw in their 2026 World Cup qualifier on Thursday.
>The World Cup captain was a remarkable species: Always trying, pushing, lifting, harassing, delivering; the kind who would unhesitatingly jump into the deep end to save the day. They're all gone now, says Dhruv Munjal.
Iceland must beat group leaders Croatia and hope the result of Argentina against Nigeria goes their way too.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed Hockey India and the Indian Olympic Association to send the country's women's team to participate in the World Cup in Argentina, beginning August 26. The apex court noted that the players selected for the World Cup by Hockey India and the IOA are the same as those identified and selected by the government-run Sports Authority of India.
