When the team-sheets were delivered, England will have quickly scanned them for the inevitable confirmation: of course Luis Suarez was playing.

Spain, the world champions, the double European champions, the team of the decade, are out of the World Cup.

Heartbroken but intensely proud, Ange Postecoglou says his Socceroos have set a benchmark that can help them become a feared attacking force in world football.

Australia and New Zealand have both recently embraced "football" as a term in a bid for increased integration with the global game, writes Keith Parry.

Brazil native Ana Paula De Jesus says her dream football World Cup final would be to see her countrymen play their arch-rival, Argentina.

The first game of the World Cup could set the tone, not just for Brazil but for the tournament. Can the Selecao deal with expectation?

In February, Spain mourned the death of Luis Aragons, when the man who put the smile back on the face of Spanish football lost his battle with leukaemia.

In a World Cup shaping as one of the most competitive in decades, how teams cope with the demanding travel schedules is emerging as one of the critical success factors.

Wayne Rooney has told England manager Roy Hodgson he is ready for the World Cup, and has dismissed the doubts of former teammate Paul Scholes.

Chelsea legend Frank Lampard has announced he will leave the west London club when his contract expires at the end of June.

The chairman of England's Football Association has called for Qatar to be stripped of the World Cup.

A sophisticated analysis of several factors including form, past performance and national interest in soccer point to what most people are already predicting.

An All Whites head coach will be appointed by the end of this month - and the new man may not necessarily be based in this country.

Gareth Bale's elevation to one of world soccer's biggest stars will be further underlined when he is given the Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi treatment this week.

On his first day as Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti made a bold sales pitch.

The zoology student, arguably the best amateur goalkeeper in New Zealand, has just been recalled to the All Whites and now, at the ripe age of 30, is playing the best soccer of his career.

Who said this about preparing to face Arsenal? "Parts of my body that had had previous injuries would be aching. And it was because my body knew I was getting ready. It was saying - I'm going to suffer."

As Nemanja Vidic reflected on his final season at Manchester United, the glory he was accustomed to was washed away by pain, frustration and memories of teammates turning on each other as the club lurched into crisis under David Moyes.

There will be a RoboCop style to the face of policing in Rio when football fans turn up for the World Cup in Brazil next month.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has congratulated champions Manchester City but has vowed his side will make an even stronger challenge next season.

New Zealand is seeking to cement its status as a viable location for football's biggest tournaments, bidding to host the 2019 Women's World Cup.

On Merseyside they will dredge up all the old stories. How Bayern Munich printed travel information for the 1981 European Cup final before they blew the semifinal against Liverpool.

It will at least go to the last day of the season on Monday, but when the Premier League title race is this good, the only pity is that the entertainment has to end then.

Arsene Wenger played it brilliantly. The way he tells it, he has decided to stay on as Arsenal manager, almost as a kind of favour.