As much as I would love to witness a Brazil-Argentina final at the Copacabana beach, Colombia, Germany, Netherlands and Argentina look like the semi-finalists and, if Argentina peaks at the right time, Germany vs Argentina could be the title match, says Mauktik Kulkarni.
Brazil play Colombia in Fortaleza in Friday's afternoon kick-off and, with the weight of expectation upon them, there are concerns about whether a team that have failed to sparkle so far can cope with the pressure.
Brazil striker Neymar says he is emotionally ready and physically fit for Friday's World Cup quarter-final with Colombia in Fortaleza.
Mexico defender Rafa Marquez stuck his foot out and Netherlands winger Arjen Robben went down for an injury-time penalty that took his team into the World Cup quarter-finals with a 2-1 win. Did Robben dive or was he fouled by Marquez?
The World Cup served up more nerve-shredding drama with Netherlands scoring two late goals to beat shattered Mexico 2-1 and 10-man Costa Rica bouncing back from conceding a stoppage time equaliser to oust Greece on penalties on Sunday.
FIFA is probing an alleged confrontation between a Brazilian press official and Chile player Mauricio Pinilla in the tunnel at halftime in their World Cup match in Belo Horizonte on Saturday, the governing body said.
Veteran Mexico midfielder Carlos Salcido will replace the suspended Jose Juan Vasquez in Sunday's World Cup second-round match against the Netherlands, coach Miguel Herrera said on Saturday.
Photos of the World Cup game between Mexico and Croatia
Javier Hernandez came off the bench to help Mexico reach the last 16 of the World Cup as their watertight defense and swift counter attacks gave them a 3-1 win against Croatia on Monday to emerge from Group A as runners-up behind Brazil.
Check out some exciting hairstyles sported by the players at the ongoing football World Cup in Brazil.
At the opening ceremony in Sao Paulo, attended by President Dilma Rousseff and a clutch of visiting heads of state, Pele was a notable absentee despite living not far away in Santos.
Miroslav Klose scored a landmark goal as Germany and Ghana drew 2-2 with all the goals coming in a terrific second half of another rip-roaring football World Cup clash in Fortaleza, on Saturday.
It's a World Cup reporter's dream. You board a plane and who's on the flight with you? Luiz Felipe Scolari, the coach of Brazil's national soccer team. Or at least that's what Mario Sergio Conti, one of Brazil's best-known syndicated columnists, thought on Wednesday on a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Sao Paulo.
Ten-man Greece held Japan to a 0-0 draw that will suit neither side in a Group C match, which ended with boos ringing around the Dunas arena and sent Colombia into the last 16 of the World Cup on Thursday.
World Cup sidelights: All the news from Brazil right here...
Brazil failed to win for the first time in 11 games with their own lacklustre midfield as much to blame for the 0-0 draw with Mexico as the inspired goalkeeping performance of Guillermo Ochoa.
Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa produced a heroic performance in a 0-0 draw with Brazil and his Russian counterpart Igor Akinfeev was the villain in a 1-1 draw with South Korea as the World Cup produced more drama on Tuesday.
Goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa made two outstanding saves to deny Neymar as battling Mexico held Brazil to a 0-0 draw in their World Cup Group A match on Tuesday, ending the hosts' 10-game winning streak in the process.
World Cup hosts Brazil are back in the spotlight with the chance to get one foot in the last 16 when they face Mexico in Fortaleza on Tuesday.
He just finished his first foreign visit as prime minister and now PM Narendra Modi has has been invited to witness the final of the World Cup football currently being held in Brazil.
World Cup favourites Brazil will be expected to defeat Mexico in the second round of Group A matches in Fortaleza on Tuesday but their Latin neighbours have no reason to feel overawed.
Two goals in four dramatic second-half minutes set lowly Costa Rica on their way to a deserved 3-1 victory over Uruguay on Saturday in the biggest upset of the World Cup so far.
Images from the FIFA World Cup group fixtures between Costa Rica and Uruguay and Colombia and Greece.
The new government needs to clearly insist on diplomatic reciprocal arrangements with China. While reciprocity is a function of power in bilateral relations, the Modi-led government's responses should be based on India'S inherent strengths, says China expert Srikanth Kondapalli.
'The World Cup is being played in the football crazy country after 64 years and nothing excites the Brazilians more than the sacred game,' says B S Prakash, India's former ambassador to Brazil.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of Brazil Dilma Rousseff on Friday called Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi to congratulate him on his landslide win in the Lok Sabha polls and said they were looking forward to meet him in the BRICS summit in July.
Uruguay striker Luis Suarez is to have surgery on his knee on Thursday morning, just over three weeks before the start of the World Cup, according to local media reports.
The risk of an outbreak of dengue fever during the upcoming soccer World Cup in Brazil is serious enough to warrant a high alert in three of the 12 host cities, according to an early warning system for the disease.
Russia manager Fabio Capello and Juventus coach Antonio Conte voiced support on Saturday for the introduction of 'time-outs' during matches in a move they said would benefit players, managers and commercial partners.
Italy coach Cesare Prandelli has called for the introduction of drink breaks during next year's World Cup finals in Brazil to counter the debilitating effects of heat and humidity at venues in the tropical northeast.
FIFA will go ahead with its controversial decision to stage World Cup matches at midday in tropical venues, president Sepp Blatter said on Tuesday as soccer's governing body announced a bafflingly complex procedure for Friday's draw.
England manager Roy Hodgson borrowed a line from the hit movie Forrest Gump on Monday when he described his thoughts ahead of this week's draw for the World Cup.
Brazil took another step towards recovering their once famous invincibility when Paulinho scored with a late header to seal a 2-1 win over Uruguay and take the hosts into the Confederations Cup final.
Italy striker Mario Balotelli has been ruled out of his side's Confederations Cup semi-final against Spain on Thursday with a thigh injury, the Italian Football Federation said on Sunday.
The early signs from the Confederations Cup are that Brazil's fans can help rather than hinder the team at home, reports of Spain's demise are premature and the heat is going to cause problems for everyone at the World Cup.
Rediff.com brings a selection of the week's best photographs from the sports world.
Two soccer fans were shot dead on their way to a match at the Arena Castelao World Cup stadium in the northeastern Brazilian city of Fortaleza on Sunday, media reported.
With just 500 days to go until the 2014 World Cup kicks off in Brazil, soccer's world governing body FIFA warned that the hosts cannot afford any further delays in getting their venues ready.
The Arena Castelao, the first of Brazil's 2014 World Cup stadiums to be completed, held its first matches on Sunday -- a doubleheader in the northeastern Copa do Nordeste.
The Castelao Arena in the northeastern Brazilian city of Fortaleza became the first stadium to be inaugurated for the 2014 World Cup finals on Sunday.
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