The Barcelona defender pulled out of the World champions' squad due to an injury to his right knee.
Close to half of women soccer fans in England and Wales have personally experienced sexist or misogynistic abuse at matches but most have never reported it to authorities, a new study by anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out revealed on Wednesday.
Cricket could emerge as an unlikely saviour of South Africa's World Cup soccer stadiums with the decision by Cricket South Africa (CSA) to stage a Twenty20 international at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
Paul, Germany's late World Cup oracle octopus, was replaced by Paul II on Wednesday -- though his owners are still unsure whether the new cephalopod has also been blessed with the gift of prophecy.
A World Cup soccer final disfigured by cynical Dutch thuggery was partially redeemed in extra time by the swift reflexes of Spanish midfielder Andres Iniesta.
Following the Under-17 World Cup in 2017, India would bid for both the 2018 Club World Cup and the 2020 Under-20 football World Cup.
South African immigration officials have stopped 613 "undesirable" people from entering the country ahead of and during the World Cup, the department of home affairs said.
With their own bitter memories of past semi-final defeats in the soccer tournament, England and Croatia will be competing for a spot in Sunday's final against France.
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Qatar's 2022 World Cup organising committee has denied being aware of any alleged payments by the disgraced former head of the country's soccer association to an ex-vice-president of FIFA.
Germans basked in World Cup glory again when the national team were honoured before attending the premiere of the official movie about their victory in Brazil in July.
While Africa, Asia and North America will not be represented, dashing any hope of a revolutionary breakthrough in the eventual destination of the trophy, at least one of this year's finalists will not have reached the title decider for half a century, if at all.
The sport remains popular only in certain geographic areas while the television appetite is restricted to the English Premier League or Spain's La Liga.
Cities, neighbourhoods and living rooms across the Netherlands fell silent on Sunday night after the national team lost to Spain in the World Cup final, shattering their dream of winning soccer's biggest tournament.
Millions of African fans mourned the agonising exit of Ghana, their last hope for World Cup glory, while four more nations stepped up to battle on Saturday for the remaining longed-for semi-final berths.
Luis Rubiales told a court on Tuesday that player Jenni Hermoso had given her consent for him kiss her in the aftermath of the Spain women's World Cup victory in 2023.
Brazil are the only country bidding to host the tournament following the withdrawal of Colombia in April.
The organisers of Qatar's 2022 World Cup said on Sunday they were investigating the death of an Indian labourer at one of its sites but denied it was caused by working conditions which the wealthy Gulf country is under pressure to improve. Along with accusations of corruption during its World Cup bid, Qatar has long been under fire from rights groups for labour abuses. Last week, world soccer body FIFA urged Qatar to hasten improvements for builders on World Cup sites and said it would monitor conditions. Qatar, an energy exporter which has the highest income per capita in the world, is also under pressure from the United Nations to address workers' rights before World Cup construction peaks in 2017. Labourer Jaleshwar Prasad, 48, fell unconscious on Wednesday while performing steel work at Al Bayt stadium in Al Khor, 50 km (31 miles) north of Doha, a witness told Reuters. Organisers said the death was not caused by working conditions.
Barcelona's electric 18-year-old winger Lamine Yamal has been handed the famous number 10 shirt previously worn by club icon Lionel Messi.
Russia will still stage the 2018 World Cup finals despite the continuing blight of racism in the country's soccer, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said on Sunday.
Host nation Qatar is happy to accommodate a change in the dates for the 2022 World Cup, while insisting it can still stage the tournament in summer.
The incident, the first reported death of a World Cup visitor to Russia, was blamed by police on the driver, although Russian roads are notorious and claimed over 19,000 lives in 2017.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger dissuaded Jack Wilshere from rushing his comeback from injury to ensure he would be fit and ready for the World Cup campaign, the England midfielder has said.
The Champs Elysees and the vast circle around the Arc de Triomphe were packed with an estimated 200,000 fans
Maverick striker Mario Balotelli has been called up by Italy for the first time since the World Cup in June after being included on Sunday in the squad for next weekend's Euro 2016 qualifier at home to Croatia.
Disgraced world soccer president Sepp Blatter and the sport's European head, Michel Platini, will be invited to the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said on Monday. Blatter and Platini, the two men at the top of the world's most popular sport, were banned by soccer governing body FIFA for eight years in December over a spate of corruption scandals on their watch that, among other things, raised questions about Russia's right to host the tournament. Mutko told Russia's R-Sport news agency on Sunday that Blatter and Platini were appealing against their bans and still permitted to attend soccer events. "Formally, the suspension prohibits them from any position in football. But on the other hand, how is that an outstanding player like Michel Platini can't go to the football?" Mutko was quoted as saying. "We will invite them, I see no problems with the events we are hosting."
'It was not an agreement, this was his proposal and of course it (then) went to the vote at the (FIFA) executive committee'
Uruguay forward Luis Suarez has escaped a sanction for allegedly punching an opponent during the World Cup qualifier against Chile, the country's football federation (AUF) said in a statement.
Asia's representatives are once again heading home before the business end of the World Cup gets going.
The Argentina captain's Kolkata schedule on December 13 will begin at 9am with a meet-and-greet event, followed by the unveiling of a 70-feet statue of him at the Lake Town Sribhumi on VIP Road.
After a long and sometimes arduous courtship, soccer has finally revealed its charms to Americans who have embraced the World Cup in record numbers.
Lionel Messi does not need a World Cup winners' medal to be considered among soccer's all-time greats, fellow Argentine Diego Maradona has said.
The three-nation United States-led bid to host the 2026 World Cup outscored its rival Morocco as both passed an inspection of their facilities and infrastructure, global soccer body FIFA said on Friday.
France began dreaming of World Cup glory after a two-decade wait after Les Bleus on Tuesday defeated Belgium to reach the final
Iceland were holding Argentina 1-1 at halftime in their World Cup Group D match on Saturday after Alfred Finnbogason hit back to cancel out Sergio Aguero's opener for the South Americans.
Satyam, which incorporated its sports division in 2007, will offer value-in-kind.
The football teams will be competing amid a tense political backdrop with international negotiations stalled over North Korea's nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.
Crowds of cheering French soccer fans began gathering in Paris on Sunday, draped in red, white and blue and singing the Marseillaise, as excitement was building ahead of the France-Croatia showdown at the World Cup final in Moscow.
FIFA's executive committee approved a package of planned reforms on Thursday aimed at cleaning up soccer's scandal-plagued world governing body, proposing integrity checks and term limits for senior officials and a new separation of policy and management positions.
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