2010 World Cup | featured news

The Brazilian referee and his assistants who will work the England-United States match at the World Cup have been studying English-language obscenities the players might use ...

The first documented soccer games in Africa were staged in the future World Cup cities of Cape Town and Port Elizabeth in 1862.

Diego Maradona, mad genius on the soccer field, madman off it, would seem to be an absurd choice to coach Argentina's team in the World Cup.<p/> Maradona, a former cocaine addict who weighed an obese 240 pounds before stomach-stapling surgery, often juggles the ball on the sideline during games. Or he's an emotional wreck, his face contorting operatically. After Argentina scored against Peru in a qualifying match, Maradona dove into a belly slide on the wet grass.

Of all the South African sights and sounds that will make the 2010 World Cup unique, none promises to rouse more controversy than the blare of a plastic horn.

Fans of soccer, known as football in much of the world, are glued to their TVs to watch the draw for the 2010 soccer World Cup in South Africa.

Ireland has given up hope of a World Cup playoff replay against France because of Thierry Henry's hand ball. Henry's deliberate handling set up a goal for William Gallas in Wednesday's 1-1 draw that sent France to next year's tournament and knocked out Ireland. The Irish appealed to the French federation to agree to a replay but were turned down Friday.

Greece qualified for the World Cup on Wednesday, beating Ukraine 1-0 on aggregate after Dimitrios Salpigidis' first-half goal in the second leg.