Italy scandal ruling due by Cup final date

A tribunal set up to judge Italy's match-fixing scandal will decide the fate of Juventus, AC Milan and other Serie A clubs before the World Cup final on July 9, Italian soccer commissioner Guido Rossi said on Thursday

England, Ecuador, Germany advance

England, Ecuador and host nation Germany have advanced to the second round of the World Cup. Sweden hopes to join them soon.

EU leaders talk World Cup at summit

The future of Europe was on the table but EU leaders seemed keener to talk about the World Cup as they kicked off a two-day summit in Brussels on Thursday

Chinese zodiac points to Italy or Brazil World Cup win

The Year of the Dog is also the year of Italy and Brazil, according to the Chinese zodiac, making the two countries clear favorites for the World Cup, says a Malaysian newspaper.

Ronaldo dizzy, Germans giddy

Brazil striker Ronaldo, jeered off the field after a lacklustre World Cup performance on Tuesday against Croatia, has undergone medical examinations after complaining of dizziness.

England advances, welcomes back Rooney

Peter Crouch and his England teammates spent most of the game missing chances in front of the net. With the time ticking away and England only minutes from a shocking draw against tiny Trinidad and Tobago, Crouch made the best of his last opportunity.

Sweden tops Paraguay 1-0

The Swedes couldn't put the ball in the net against tiny Trinidad and Tobago. And through 88 minutes on Thursday night, they couldn't do it against Paraguay, either.

Ecuador joins Germany in second round

While the vanquished Costa Ricans hung their heads in bewilderment, Ivan Kaviedes pulled a Spider-Man mask from his shorts -- in Ecuador's team color of yellow, of course -- stretched it over his head and ran around like a schoolboy.

Soccer-mad Swede makes his house a World Cup shrine

A Swedish man gripped by World Cup fever painted his whole house in the blue and yellow colours of the national flag while his wife was at work.

Monks, also soccer fans

Tunisian fan runs on the pitch

A man is stopped by a match steward after he ran onto the pitch during the Group H World Cup 2006 soccer match between Tunisia and Saudi Arabia in Munich June 14, 2006. Tunisia's Ziad Jaziri watches at left. [Reuters]

FIFA promises more water to combat heat

Football's governing body FIFA have promised to give the 32 teams at the World Cup more opportunity to take in fluids to combat the searing heat sweeping through Germany.