England and France qualified in style for the last 16 of the women's World Cup.
FIFA U-17 WC becomes highest scoring in tournament history
Deepika Kumari will now be the sole entry in the women's section at the Tokyo Games. It will be her third successive Olympics.
Spain clung to the top of the FIFA rankings despite modest friendly performances this month while Venezuela's impressive World Cup qualifying campaign propelled them to a record high.
Colombian soccer supporters brought a wave of tropical exuberance to the stolid citizens of Saransk
The local version of soccer is dubbed 'lapotball'. 'Lapot' in Russian refers to the traditional shoes made of vine which Mordovian residents used to wear in olden days.
Neymar's exit from the World Cup due to a back injury left Brazilians shocked and angered on Friday, darkening the mood after the hosts' 2-1 win over Colombia in the quarter-finals had sparked nationwide celebrations.
Former Colombia, Real Madrid and Corinthians midfielder Freddy Rincon is wanted for questioning about drug crimes in Panama, Interpol said on Wednesday.
An emotional Neymar cried as he recalled the challenge that ended his World Cup on Thursday and said he felt blessed not to have ended up in a wheelchair.
Ten-man Greece held Japan to a 0-0 draw that will suit neither side in a Group C match, which ended with boos ringing around the Dunas arena and sent Colombia into the last 16 of the World Cup on Thursday.
Lionel Messi, so often the key man for Argentina, paid tribute to Martinez.
Summary of World Cup qualifiers played across the world on Thursday
In Tokyo's trendy Shibuya, elated supporters streamed out of sports bars after the final whistle at around 1 a.m. local time, the sound of horns and "Nippon" chants filling the streets as they converged upon the district's iconic pedestrian scramble.
Ghana and the United States would look to seal a knockout berth when they face-off in their second group match of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in New Delhi, on Monday.
Argentina's Lionel Messi is the bookmaker's favourite to win the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball at the World Cup while France, Brazil, Argentina and the Netherlands are favourites to win their matches in the quarter-finals which start on Friday.
Colombian fans are paying tribute to defender Andres Escobar, gunned down 20 years ago after scoring an own goal in the World Cup, and hope his memory will inspire the current crop's hunt for glory.
Blue Samurai will not think about playing for a draw to qualify for the World Cup's knockout rounds, according to captain Makoto Hasebe.
Brazil forward Neymar was taken to hospital after being injured in the closing stages of the 2-1 World Cup quarter-final win over Colombia on Friday that kept the hosts on course for a sixth title.
England's last appearance at this stage was in 1990 when they lost in a penalty shootout to West Germany in Turin while eight years later, in their first World Cup as an independent nation, Croatia lost to hosts and eventual winners France.
Poland coach Adam Nawalka said his team had needed to beat Japan in their final World Cup match on Thursday to prove they were not quitters and bring some joy to their country's football fans after a miserable campaign in Russia.
England came into the World Cup with low expectations from their fans and much talk of building for the future but as they face a quarter-final with Sweden on Saturday, manager Gareth Southgate says this generation might not get a better chance to triumph.
The Barcelona forward's comeback could see Brazil attack with the "three Rs" in the World Cup qualifier against Ecuador.\n\n
Next year's Copa America in Chile will give Brazil the chance to bury the ghosts of their miserable World Cup, the president of the country's soccer federation said.
"Dull, boring, lifeless -- nothing else to say really. But we're going to win the World Cup anyway so don't worry about us!" said Leighton from Liverpool.
History-maker Jeakson Singh, who will be remembered as the one who scored India's first goal in any FIFA World Cup, says the team is "ready to fight it out" in its final group game of the U-17 World Cup against Ghana, in New Delhi on Wednesday.
apan, needing only a draw to reach the knockout phase of the World Cup, were being held to a goalless draw at halftime by already-eliminated Poland in their final Group H match on Thursday.
Everton's Pickford made his England debut seven months ago and had only three caps before the World Cup but Southgate let him know he would be his first-choice.
India jumped six places to 141 in the latest world football rankings issued by the game's governing body, FIFA, on Thursday.
It was The Blue Samurai's first win under coach Akira Nishino, who had lost friendlies against Ghana and Switzerland since taking over in April.
Having beaten Colombia in a tense Round of 18 match at the World Cup England can now look forward to a quarter-final against Sweden with the curse of the shootout lifted.
Marin Cilic completed a dream week by steering Croatia into the Davis Cup World Group on Sunday but Spain found themselves out in the wilderness after crashing to defeat in Brazil.
World football governing body chief Gianni Infantino, on Friday, described the FIFA U-17 World Cup as a "resounding success" but refrained from giving any commitment on the country's bid to host the U-20 World Cup in 2019.
As England tightened their grip on Euro 2024 qualifying and France maintained their perfect run, hosts Germany's troubles deepened.
The 12 winners of the Qualifiers on March 6-7 next year will compete alongside the six nations that have automatically qualified for the 2020 Finals.
Sweden and Novak Djokovic's Serbia took the two best runners-up spots and a place in the last eight by virtue of their better match win-loss records among the second placed sides throughout the group stages.
Brazil against Argentina is a true clasico. The teams first met in 1914 and in the years since have established themselves as two of the most storied sides in world soccer. Together they have won seven World Cups.
Ronaldinho, who had a disappointing Club World Cup this month, has been elected South American footballer of the year in the annual poll conducted by the Uruguayan daily El Pais.
A low-down on the eight runners -- four men and four women -- who finished second in their qualifying heats to make the Olympic cut.
'Our defence system starts with our first four and that's why we have a solid defence. People look to Brazil and always try to find players who score or dribble but we have many other qualities. With our goalkeeper and defenders, we have a solid defence' 'It's pretty exciting for us and we are looking to do something great here'
Canada beat USA to enter quarters, Argentina overpower Chile in opening tie
