With the exception of one or two hidings, games at this World Cup have been much closer than expected

The first round of games are done. Who stood out, who flopped and what to watch out for

Europe baulking at protesting against the host nation’s human rights abuses shows the power of black gold

Rwanda’s Salima Mukansanga has broken new ground to become the first African woman to officiate a men’s World Cup

The Saudis were superb, but the Argentinians got spooked by the hovering legacy of World Cup failures past

One final lap for Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen’s 15th Grand Prix win of the season

The Three Lions played like a team unencumbered by public scrutiny. Iran did not have that luxury

Both Qatar’s authorities and football team have no idea how to play the beautiful game well

With Mané and Salah absent, the semifinals seem as remote as ever, thanks to a glaring imbalance in development systems

Portugal enter with their most exciting side since 2006 and Ghana have a shot at revenge against Uruguay

Tournament favourites Brazil should coast through, but Cameroon, Serbia and Switzerland have it all to play for

Belgium and Croatia are likely to go through but both sides are approaching the end of their golden eras and Morocco could take advantage of that