England, Germany and five other European teams at the World Cup on Monday abandoned plans to wear a rainbow-themed armband in support of LGBTQ rights, citing the threat of disciplinary action from FIFA.

Lionel Messi’s Argentina have an easy-looking start to the World Cup on Tuesday based on blistering recent form and opponents Saudi Arabia’s history of drubbings in tournament openers.

Qatari media laid into a “weak” performance by the national team on Monday after the hosts’ much-heralded World Cup debut ended in a tame 2-0 defeat by Ecuador.

World Cup holders France will need Kylian Mbappe at his best in Qatar following the loss of Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema to injury, coach Didier Deschamps said on Monday.

Denmark go into their opening World Cup game against Tunisia side on Tuesday in the unusual position of being among Europe’s dark horses, in with an outside chance of winning the tournament if they can get everything right in Qatar.

State-run Bangladesh Television bought the rights to cover all 66 2022 FIFA World Cup matches for a whopping Tk 98 crore after a belated move from the government.

Ugandan authorities on Monday banned prison staff from using mobile phones during the World Cup, warning inmates might exploit the "excitement" surrounding the football tournament to escape.

Iran's national soccer team chose not to sing their country's anthem before their opening World Cup match against England on Monday, in an apparent show of support for protesters back home.

You are what you eat – how true is this statement? Well, whether or not it reflects on us ordinary individuals, for athletes, this directly reflects on their performance. So, what are the top players in the world eating for such power-packed performance on the field?

Among the groups in this year’s FIFA World Cup, Group B really stands out.

The captains of England, Wales, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany and Denmark will not wear "OneLove" armbands after FIFA made it clear they would be booked, the associations said in a joint statement on Monday.

Transfer fees for football players in European Club Football often involve astronomical figures of over 100 million Euros, given the hype surrounding any talented player. This was not the case even a decade ago. At that time, it seemed unreal that any club will shell out close to 100 million, but Gareth Bale of Wales, whose transfer to Spanish giants Real Madrid kicked off the 100 million plus transfer era way back in 2013.

Germany's teenage sensation Jamal Musiala on Monday credited his England youth period for helping him develop his creative game that has quickly turned him into one of the rising stars of the sport.

USA take on a Gareth Bale-led Wales in their opening fixture. The 2021 CONCACAF Nations League champions will bank on some bright young players to take them over the line against a stubborn Wales side.

Strike bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi will definitely miss the much-awaited three-match Test series against England starting next month after being left out of the 18-man squad announced by Pakistan on Monday.

Cristiano Ronaldo believes his explosive TV interview, in which the Manchester United forward said he had been betrayed by the club and was being forced out, had not been a distraction in the Portugal changing room in the World Cup.

As the Netherlands return to the World Cup after missing out in 2018 they will be up against the champions of Africa, Senegal, who will be without the services of their talismanic skipper Sadio Mane.

Taking selfies from the stands and sitting on the grassy pitch, thousands of migrant workers gathered in a Doha stadium to watch the opening match of the first World Cup in the Middle East.

Nearly three million World Cup tickets have been sold, FIFA said Sunday, as the governing body's president revealed the tournament had helped push revenues over the past four years to a record $7.5 billion.

Bangladeshi chemist Abu Kowsir says South Korea gave his family prosperity -- so the least he can do is cheer on his benefactors when they begin their World Cup campaign this week.