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.

Shobnom Bubly has her hands full shooting for Chayanika Chowdhury’s “Prohilekha” in Nababganj. The actress is an avid fan of Brazil, and can’t wait to see the FIFA World Cup 2022 this month.

Sariful Razz swept the audience with his bicycle kick in “Damal”. The talented actor took special training to get into the shape of an ace footballer. The actor spent 3-4 months trying to get into the skin of the character.

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.

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.

England kick off their World Cup campaign against Iran desperate to take the final step after twice falling just short of winning the country's first major trophy in more than half a century. But a resilient Iran would be looking to better their best campaign, which saw them narrowly miss out in the knockout stage in the 2018 World Cup where they won against Morocco and drew against Portugal.

Jersey sales have surged in Bangladesh despite the cost-of-living crisis as fans are gearing up to watch the FIFA World Cup 2022 in style.  

Football took centre stage on Sunday as a World Cup shrouded in controversy prepared to kick off with a glitzy opening ceremony and host Qatar playing Ecuador in the first match to push aside the criticism which has dogged the showcase event.

Qatar became the first home team to lose their opening World Cup match as Ecuador cruised to a 2-0 victory over the hosts, with Enner Valencia scoring twice in the tournament curtain-raiser on Sunday.

Qatar's ruler opened the World Cup on Sunday with a call for people of all races and orientations to put aside their differences, speaking as the host nation faced a barrage of criticism over its treatment of foreign workers and LGBT rights.

Former England and Manchester United star David Beckham, OBE rules our hearts not only for his admirable success in football but also for his impeccable fashion sense. One does not need to be a football fan to know who David Beckham is; after his retirement from sports, he went on a quest to explore his love for fashion which earned him a respectable position in the fashion industry. Beckham has been appointed as the ambassador for the British Fashion Council in 2018.

With the FIFA World Cup 2022 starting today, tensions run high around the country. Avid football fans have already dawned on their favourite team’s jerseys and hoisted their country’s flags alongside that of Bangladesh’s. The entire world will be glued to their tv screens till a winner emerges to claim the Football World Cup.

Defending champions France will not replace the injured Karim Benzema in their World Cup squad, coach Didier Deschamps said on Sunday.

The ace cricketer has already chalked out his predictions for each of the games of the World Cup and has shared his predictions with The Daily Star.