‘The Greatest Show on Earth’ kicks off with hosts Qatar taking on South-American side Ecuador in the opener. Can the 2019 Asian Cup champions, with their possession-based style, mark their World Cup debut with a momentous win or will Ecuador use their physicality and aerial prowess to spoil Qatar’s party?

Qatar World Cup will be a joy to watch. But do spare a thought for the workers who made it all possible.

Germany team official Oliver Bierhoff said Saturday he "could not understand the decision" to ban beer from stadium perimeters at the Qatar World Cup.

People of various ages, races, genders, cultures, and nationalities are often brought together through football, and the World Cup is the perfect example of this. Because it is the sport that is played and watched the most around the world, the World Cup is one of the most eagerly awaited sporting occasions, with the Olympics coming in as a distant second.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino blasted the "hypocrisy" of Western critics of Qatar's human rights record on Saturday, making a passionate defence of the World Cup in the Gulf state on the eve of the kick-off.

Spain dropped injured left-back Jose Gaya from their World Cup squad on Friday, with teenager Alejandro Balde replacing him.

In a reversal, World Cup organisers will announce on Friday that no alcoholic beer will be sold to fans at Qatar's stadiums, a source with knowledge of the decision told Reuters.

Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal said Dutch fans who are boycotting the World Cup over human rights concern are right to do so but hopes that if his side get to next month's final they will at least watch the game on television.

Cameroon's image as World Cup gatecrashers, capable of taking down top contenders and wreaking havoc, has faded away after two decades of failure at the finals

The pressure is on for "Captain America" Christian Pulisic to put on a superhero performance on his World Cup debut in Qatar, building on years of sky-high expectations from his U.S. fans.

A blind 12-year-old Venezuelan soccer fan has found a way to participate in the craze of collecting World Cup soccer stickers, by adding Braille to them.

A fictional series that premiered on Disney's DIS.N Star+ on Wednesday brought to the screen one of Argentine soccer fans' worst nightmares: their national team being disqualified from the World Cup.

James Maddison has been rewarded with a call-up to England's World Cup squad after his scintillating form for Leicester as Gareth Southgate showed faith in a series of players short on form or fitness.

Sadio Mane will be included in Senegal's squad for the World Cup despite suffering a leg injury this week, a source within the country's football federation told AFP on Thursday.

Germany handed a surprise call-up to Borussia Dortmund teenager Youssoufa Moukoko in their World Cup squad on Thursday as 2014 World Cup winner Mario Goetze marked a sensational return to the national team set up after five years.

Switzerland midfielder Granit Xhaka can swing from the sublime to the ridiculous in a matter of moments, but on his day he is the driving force of his team’s midfield and has featured in every one of their games at the last two World Cup finals.

Violent fans involved in illegal associations and even those in debt for food dues are part of a list of 6,000 Argentines who will not be allowed to enter World Cup stadiums in Qatar, the Buenos Aires city government said on Monday.

Ten thousand French fans have registered for World Cup fan passes and France will not boycott the tournament in Qatar, its ambassador to the Gulf state has said.

History beckons for Harry Kane in Qatar with the England captain just two goals away from matching Wayne Rooney's record of 53 for the Three Lions.