Last year, England were considered one of the favourites to win the World Cup. Buoyed by an exemplary qualifying campaign – winning nine of 10 fixtures on the road to South Africa – England’s chances were gifted another boost when the side was drawn against Slovenia , Algeria and the...

Who’s the next Theo Walcott? By that we mean, who’s the next young footballer to be  plucked from relative obscurity and thrown into England’s World Cup squad at the very last minute, leaving a nation scratching its heads? Read more…

Can you imagine a greater disappointment than missing the World Cup because of an injury?  You’ve trained hard your entire life. You’ve dedicated your life to this dream. It’s something you’ve fantasized about forever. And then, right before those dreams are realized, you plant your foot the...

If you need more evidence that football is taking root in the great ole’ US of A, consider this: Besides host nation South Africa, Americans have purchased more tickets for this summer’s World Cup extravaganza than any other country on the planet. Read more…

With one innocuous challenge on Chelsea defender Ashley Cole, Everton’s American on-loan Landon Donovan has suddenly driven a stake through the dreams of both Chelsea and England fans. Ashley Cole's moment of truth Read more…

It increasingly looks like Ronaldinho will not be going to South Africa this summer. The AC Milan man, who is now 29, has not played for the national team since the beginning of 2009 – and it looks like that won’t be changing any time soon. The gifted playmaker was left out of the 22-man...

Fabio Capello’s showdown with John Terry – the most anticipated summit since Reagan and Gorbachev – is expected today. Hopefully it will bring to a close what has been a week of rumour, muckraking, and feverish debate over whether Terry should be stripped of his England captaincy. It’s been billed...

Yesterday’s FIFA decision to not reprimand Thierry Henry for his now infamous handball during extra-time of the France v Ireland World Cup playoff second leg sends a clear message to all law abiding professionals – cheaters win. Read more…

On the few occasions that we’ve sat at pitch level during a football match, we’ve always been amazed at the stunning lack of depth perception you get compared to sitting higher up. From this ground level perspective, you can hardly see the space between players; everyone seems to be...

The balls have barely been pulled out of the glass bowls… but we’re already delivering some immediate reaction from today’s star-studded draw in Cape Town for the 2010 World Cup.  Sepp Blatter and football fans alike should be very pleased: there are going to be some mouth-watering encounters...