World leaders should boycott Russian President Vladimir Putin's VIP box at next month's World Cup opening unless he takes steps to protect Syrian civilians, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday.

Russia will reportedly deploy jamming devices used in Syria and the war in Ukraine to defend World Cup stadiums against a drone attack. The threat of terror has been a prime concern for organisers of the June 14 to July 15 football showpiece.

Flagmakers in Bangladesh are doing a roaring trade, weeks ahead of the World Cup, but no-one is interested in the home nation's colours -- the money is all on pennants for Lionel Messi's Argentina and Neymar's Brazil.

Goalkeeper Nahuel Guzman was called into Argentina's World Cup squad on Tuesday as a replacement for Sergio Romero after the Manchester United player was cut from the team with a knee injury, the country's football federation (AFA) says.

A Russian girls’ football team, from Agryz in Tatarstan, will perform as ball boys in the opening World Cup match.

Inter Milan striker Mauro Icardi, the joint-leading scorer in Italy this season, was a notable omission from Argentina's 23-man World Cup squad named by coach Jorge Sampaoli.

Radja Nainggolan ended his international career yesterday after Belgium coach Roberto Martinez left the AS Roma midfielder out of his squad for next month's World Cup in Russia.

A football-crazy Bangladeshi man named Amzad Hossain, who created world-record three-and-a-half-kilometer German flag to support the Die Mannschaft at the FIFA World Cup in 2014, is set to extend his record as this time around he will build a five-and-a-half-kilometer flag for 2018 Russia World Cup.

French midfielder Paul Pogba says he and his France team-mates must approach the World Cup finals in June with the right mindset as that counts more than technical ability.

Disgraced Michel Platini sensationally admits to a "little skulduggery" in rigging the draw to ensure Brazil and France could not meet until the final of the 1998 World Cup, where he was organising committee president.

Visa (NYSE:V), the Official Payment Services Partner of FIFA, today announced that professional footballer and face of Visa’s 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ global marketing campaign, Zlatan Ibrahimović, will return to the tournament with Visa and join football fans in Russia this summer.

Argentina striker Sergio Aguero says that he feels "like new" and is ready to play his "best World Cup" in Russia despite struggling in recent months with a knee injury.

Forwards Eder and Nani were surprise absentees from Portugal's World Cup squad with national team coach Fernando Santos opting instead for the youth of Andre Silva and Goncalo Guedes to play alongside superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

Brazil star Neymar expresses his hunger for World Cup glory.

England manager Gareth Southgate named his 23-man squad for the World Cup on Wednesday and here we look at the social media response from Southgate's players:

A World Cup manual with a chapter titled "What to do to have an opportunity with a Russian woman" and distributed at the headquarters of The Argentina Football Association (AFA) is under investigation

Neymar admits no one is more scared than him ahead of the World Cup in 2018.

Peru captain Paolo Guerrero hits out at the "injustice" of a 14-month doping ban that has ended his dream of appearing at the World Cup in Russia.

Injured Manuel Neuer is named in Germany's extended 27-man pre-World Cup squad, but there is no place for Brazil 2014 winner Mario Goetze.

Inter Milan striker Mauro Icardi and Juventus playmaker Paulo Dybala are given a World Cup boost after being included in a 35-man pre-selection squad for Russia 2018.