'The Beautiful Game' - The World Cup's sexiest fans ......... so far!

Columbian and Brazilian flag baring babes bursting at the seams!

Foxy South Korean fan puckers up for the cameras!

Argentinian blonde soaking up the attention: lights, cameras, action!

 Elegant Mexican babes looking hot to trot!

Gorgeous Columbian sweetie strikes a pose!

Columbian hottie revs up her fellow fans!

Attractive Bosnian fans can't stop smiling!                         

Glamorous Mexican World Cup reporter Vanessa Huppenkothen

Bikini clad Brazilian senorita dripping wet but whose complaining!

Columbian cutie with a hair flick for the cameras!

Busty Mexican fan takes a selfie!

The 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup - Full Preview

The 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, is an association football tournament for national teams, currently held every four years by FIFA and the 2013 competition will be the 9th tournament of its kind. It will be held held in Brazil from the 15th to 30th June, as a prelude to the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

It is contested by the holders of each of the six FIFA confederation championships (UEFA, CONMEBOL, CONCACAF, CAF, AFC, OFC), along with the FIFA World Cup holder and the host nation, to bring the number of teams up to eight.

The tournament was originally organised by and held in Saudi Arabia and called the King Fahd Cup (Confederations Winners Cup or Intercontinental Championship), contested in 1992 and 1995 by the Saudi national side and some continental champions. In 1997, FIFA took over the organisation of the tournament, named it the FIFA Confederations Cup and staged the competition every two years.

Since 2005, it has been held every four years, in the year prior to each World Cup in the host country of the forthcoming World Cup. Considered a dress-rehearsal for the World Cup it precedes, it uses around half of the stadia intended for use at the following year's competition and gives the host nation, who qualifies for that tournament automatically, experience at a high level of competition during two years of otherwise friendlies. At the same time, participation was made optional for the South American and European champions.

Brazil is the most successful nation in the cup's history, winning the tournament a record three times in 1997, 2005 and 2009 and were also runners-up in 1999. France have won the tournament twice, in 2001 and 2003. Argentina, Mexico and Denmark have each won the competition on one occasion.

Brazil's players celebrate their Confederations Cup success in 2009 in South Africa

Generally, the host nation, the World Cup holders, and the six continental champions qualify for the competition. In those cases where a team meets more than one of the qualification criteria, another team is invited to participate.

Italy were awarded a spot in the 2013 competition because Spain had won both the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2012 UEFA Euro Championships. Since both competitions award their winners a place in the FIFA Confederations Cup, the runner-up of UEFA Euro 2012 received an invitation to the tournament.

2013 Qualified teams:

Brazil - Hosts
Spain - 2010 FIFA World Cup winner
Japan - 2011 AFC Asian Cup winner
Mexico - 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup winner
Uruguay - 2011 Copa América winner
Tahiti - 2012 OFC Nations Cup winner
Italy - 2012 UEFA Euro runners-up
Nigeria - 2013 Africa Cup of Nations winner

Group A: Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Italy

Group B: Spain, Uruguay, Tahiti, Nigeria

Brazil and Japan open proceedings on Saturday 15th June at Brasília's Estádio Nacional while Spain and Uruguay raise the Group B curtain at Recife's Arena Pernambuco on Sunday 16th June.

Seventeen British-based players have been named in provisional squads ahead of the 2013 tournament, and they are as follows:

Spain: Fernando Torres and Juan Mata (both Chelsea), Pepe Reina (Liverpool), Santi Cazorla (Arsenal), David Silva and Jesús Navas (both Manchester City).

Japan: Shinji Kagawa (Manchester United) and Maya Yoshida (Southampton).

Uruguay: Luis Suárez and Sebastián Coates (both Liverpool), Gastón Ramírez (Southampton).

Brazil: Julio Cesar (QPR), David Luiz and Oscar (both Chelsea).

Mexico: Javier Hernández (Manchester United, right)

Nigeria: John Obi Mikel (Chelsea) and Efe Ambrose (Celtic).

All-time Confederations Cup top scorers:

Cuauhtémoc Blanco (Mexico) 9 goals
Ronaldinho (Brazil) 9 goals
Adriano (Brazil) 7 goals
Romário (Brazil) 7 goals                        
Marzouk Al-Otaibi (Saudi Arabia) 6 goals

Stadium Venues:                                                    

Six stadiums venues are to be used, each in a different city. The Maracanã, Rio de Janerio (Capacity: 78,639), The National Stadium, Brasilia (Capacity: 72,000), The Arena Pernambuco, Recife (Capacity: 46,000), The Fonte Nova, Salvador  (Capacity: 50,433), Estadio Governador Magalhães Pinto, Belo Horizonte (Capacity: 62,160), The Castelão Arena, Fortaleza (Capacity: 63,903).

All the teams and and the players to watch out for in more detail:

Brazil: (World rank 22) The Home squad is a wild card, simply because of its youth. Coach Felipe Scolari ignored veterans like Kaka and Ronaldinho, meaning that the pressure will shift to Neymar and Leandro Damiao. No one knows if this club is ready for prime time as Neymar has been inconsistent with his national team in recent outings. This is the first time he is facing major European competition in a tournament.

Italy: (World rank 8) The Italians are in this tournament thanks to a second place finish at the Euro Cup. The team still sports grizzled veterans such as midfield general Andrea Pirlo and veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, the Juventus and Italian nation team captain. It also includes a more mature Mario Balotelli (right) that has stepped up his game in recent months, since his January move back to Italy, scoring 12 goals in 13 games for AC Milan. This team is more youthful than Spain and that alone could propel them in this competition.

Uruguay: (World rank 19) The two-time World Cup winners have been in steady decline since winning the 2011 Copa America tournament in Argentina. Uruguay's strength in recent years has been their attack and this tournament will be no exception.
Tabarez will have the luxury of choosing between Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani, Diego Forlan and Abel Hernandez to front his team.

Spain: (World rank 1) The defending World Cup champions are undoubtedly the stand out team in this tournament. They showcase much of the same roster that earned them the 2012 Euro Cup and will be hungry to reinstate Spain as the world's top soccer country after the dual embarrassments endured by Real Madrid and Barcelona in the Champions league.
Nineteen players remain in the squad from last summer's Euros, and 18 from the 2010 World Cup. The biggest question surrounding the team will be its forward situation. Manager Vicente Del Bosque won the Euro Cup without a striker. His top options include David Villa and Fernando Torres, but neither has been reliable over the last year. Sergio Ramos (right) is the defensive rock for 'La Roja,' allowing those in front of him to play with freedom.

Japan: (World rank 32) The Samurai's have steadily improved their status in World Soccer and enter the tournament with qualification for the 2014 World Cup all but secure. CSKA Moscow's Keisuke Honda and manchester United's Shinji Kagawa pulls the creative strings in the Japanese midfield. They are drawn into a group with Spain, Tahiti, and Nigeria - this alone gives them a huge advantage in this tournament moving forward.

Nigeria: (World ranking 31) The 'Super Eagles' have experienced something of a renaissance in the past two years under manager Stephen Keshi. winning the 2013 African Cup of Nations in February with a 1-0 victory over Burkina Faso in the final.
They are also well-placed in their quest for a 2014 World Cup berth, heading Africa's Group F with eight points from four matches in the second round of qualifiers. Nigeria's Confederations Cup squad includes Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel, Maccabi Tel Aviv goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama and Dynamo Kiev forward Brown Ideye (right) who notched 21 times for the Ukrainian outfit this season. With with 'Africa Cup of Nations' top-scorer Emmanuel Emenike injured, Ideye needs to shine!

Mexico: (World rank 17) 'El Tri' have been terrible in CONCACAF competition, but still sports a team filled with elite players like Javier Hernandez, Giovanni Dos Santos and Cruz Azul's José Corona, who captained the victorious Olympic squad and has established himself as Mexico's number one goalkeeper. The team needs those three to step up as the squad's recent performances in qualifying have not been promising or inspiring.

Tahiti: (World rank 138) The tiny Pacific island-nation earned a ticket to Brazil with a 1-0 victory over New Caledonia in the 2012 Oceania Nations Cup.
Steevy Chong Hue struck the winning goal and became a national hero overnight in a country renowned more for its idyllic beaches than football.
Tahiti's side is made up mostly of amateurs but coach Eddy Etaeta has insisted the team will be no walkover for their Confederations Cup rivals. However it is highly unlikely Tahiti will makes it out of a group stage. A win would be considered a major success for this team. Their goalkeeper Xavier Samin will play a crucial role if Tahiti want to avoid any humiliating defeats.

The 2013 Confederations Cup: My predictions and the official betting:

Brazil wound up in the toughest group of the competition, Group A. Many believe Italy will take down the other teams in the group stage, but based on other European nation's previous performances in this competition, on paper at least, things do not bode well for the 'Azzurri.' The Mexican side is dangerous, but has been madly inconsistent in its World Cup qualifiers. Japan has been terrific in its qualifiers, but has not faced the level of competition that Group B will pose. The Brazilians are still a work in progress and could finish anywhere from fourth to first in this group depending on whether the other sides in the group turn up! However I expect both Brazil and Italy to finish to qualify from their group.

While Group A is the proverbial "Group of Death," Group B is anything but that. The group could best be described as "Spain versus Everyone else." Uruguay is no longer the team that captured third place in the World Cup three summers ago or the squad that won the 2011 Copa America. This is a team that has yet to win a World Cup qualifier since September 2012. Nigeria might pose the greatest danger in the group. They do possess great pace, but they lack the skill and style to hurt the Spaniards. Spain will undoubtedly win the group while Nigeria I feel will likely grab second spot.

If these scenarios play out then Brazil will Nigeria and Spain will face Italy in the semi-finals. Brazil should have no trouble with Nigeria but Italy could pull the upset on the Spaniards. Prior to their 2012 Euro Cup victory last summer, Spain had not beaten Italy in open field play in many years. Look for Italy to pull an upset.

If Brazil faces Italy, the 'Samba Kings' should have no trouble capturing their fourth Confederations Cup trophy.

Betting:

Brazil at 11/8 are favourites to win the 2013 tournament, followed by Spain 13/8, Italy 7/1, Uruguay 9/1, Mexico 11/1, Nigeria 33/1 then Japan 40/1. Tahiti are the rank outsiders. In fact you can name you're price! However I believe there are better value betting options to consider than just Brazil to win the tournament outright.

My Best Bet:
Brazil and Italy to reach the Final 5/1
Outside Bet: Japan to qualify from Group A 5/1
Mario Balotelli (Italy) to be tournaments top goalscorer 16/1
Longshot:
Brown Ideye (Nigeria) to be to be tournament top goalscorer 80/1 (Top three 1/4 odds)

# Odds courtesy of Betfred and correct at time of writing.

Go to oddschecker for all your FIFA Confederations Cup betting.

Live TV coverage of The FIFA Confederations Cup will be shown on BBC1 and BBC3 and also on ESPN, ESPN2 and CBCSports.

See here for full TV schedule of matches and kick-off times in the UK.

Congratulations Team USA - Women's 2012 Olympic Football Champions

A crowd of 80,203, setting a new Olympic record for women's football saw the United States beat Japan 2-1 in an entertaining and dramatic Women's Olympic Football final, at Wembley a few hours ago. This was a re-match of last summer's Women's World Cup final, when Japan beat the USA on penalty kicks.

An eighth minute goal by midfielder Carli Lloyd following good work by Alex Morgan gave the USA an early lead. Her sublime cross on the turn was headed home by the onrushing Lloyd six yards out, but it was Japan who dominated possession and had the better scoring chances in the first half.

Lloyd is mobbed by her US team-mates after scoring the opening goal in the Olympic final 

Christie Rampone had to make a clearance off the line from a shot by Nahomi Kawasumi in the 17th minute. Then in the 18th minute Ogimi missed two chances to draw Japan level. First US goalkeeper Hope Solo showed magnificent agility to tip the Japan striker's header onto the crossbar. The ball fell to Rachel Buehler, but her poor attempted clearance went straight back to Ogimi, but sadly she could only manage to blast her follow up shot from close range high and wide.

Hope Solo keeps Japan at bay with this outstanding save from Ogimi's header

In the 25th minute, Japan had their first of two clear cut penalty shouts turned down. Tobin Heath stuck out her arm and clearly handled the ball following a free kick, but no penalty was awarded.

The Americans' nearly went two up in the 28th minute, courtesy of a near-own goal by Azusa Iwashimizu. A deep cross to the back post was about to be met by Alex Morgan, but Iwashimizu's headed interception saw the ball bounce off her own post and away with Fukumoto stranded.

Then in the 33rd minute Aya Miyama's rasping drive from 12 yards cannoned off the crossbar to safety, and Shinobu Ohno curling right-footed shot from the edge of the box five minutes later beat Solo and the upright by a whisker.

At the break the USA still held a slender one goal advantage.

Early in the second half, an even more obvious penalty offence was committed by the US defender Rachel Buehler, who 'rugby tackled' Saki Kumagai to the ground. Incredibly, no penalty again was given by German referee Steinhaus Bibiana.

Nine minutes into the second half the USA doubled their lead, Lloyd getting her second goal of the night and what a goal it was! She dribbled her way through a number of defenders and towards the edge of the penalty area, before hitting a rocket of a shot across the face of goal and into the far corner of the net, giving Fukumoto in the Japan goal no chance. A contender for goal of the tournament!

Yuki Ogimi deservedly pulled a goal back for Japan in the 63rd minute. Following a goalmouth scramble, Ogimi was on hand to poke home and cut the United States lead to set up a tense final quarter of the match.

Japan did have one last great opportunity to equalise in the 83rd minute, but unlike their other chances, it came as the product of a gift and not their spectacular build-up play.

Rampone, who had been excellent all evening committed a horrendous mistake on the edge of her own penalty box, giving the ball away and allowing substitute Asuna Tanaka to get through on goal. She attempted to curl a shot around Solo, but the US goalkeeper made a spectacular two handed diving save to her left to preserve the lead.

That would be the last great chance that Japan would produce in the match. Japan played excellent football throughout the Olympic final, but Solo's heroics, Lloyds clinical finishing and a large slice luck kept the United States from conceding more than once.

For the fourth time, the United States women's football team are gold medallists at the Olympics.

Match highlights from Wembley as USA beat Japan in the Women's Olympic Football final

Teams:

USA: Solo, Rampone(capt) (Cheyney '57), Buehler (Sauerbrunn '80), O'Hara, Le Peilbet, Boxx, Lloyd, Morgan, Wambach, Rampinoe, Heath.

Japan: Fukumoto, Kinga, Iwashimizu, Kumagai, Sameshima (Iwabuchi '77), Sakaguchi (Tanaka '59), Miyama (capt), Sawa, Kawasumi, Ohno (Maruyama '86), Ogimi.

Penalty pain for USA, as Japan hold their nerve in Women's World Cup Final shoot-out !

Japan celebrate their World Cup success after defeating USA in a penalty shoot-out tonight

Japan became the first Asian nation to win the Women's World Cup, beating the USA in a penalty shoot-out in Frankfurt tonight.

It was a heart breaking end to the tournament for the USA, who were just three minutes away from becoming the first country to lift the trophy for a third time, in what was a truly exhilarating final.

The USA dominated the opening stages. Lively winger Lauren Cheney forced a save from Ayumi Kaihori with a shot from an acute angle, just 25 second into the contest.

On eight minutes, Megan Rapinoe found some space on the left and her excellent near post cross was turned just wide again by Cheney. Barely a minute later, Abby Wambach fired a shot over as USA maintained their bright start.

Then it was Atlanta Beat midfielder Carli Lloyd who had the next chance to break the deadlock. Japan were unable to deal with Shannon Boxx's cross into the penalty area and the ball dropped kindly for the midfielder, but her sweetly struck shot from inside the the box sailed just over.

In the 12th minute Rapinoe then pushed the ball wide at the near post in a move reminiscent of Cheney’s effort a few minutes earlier.

In the 29 minute Wambach, the USA’s all-time top FIFA Women’s World Cup goalscorer, hit a stunning shot from close to the corner of the penalty area which rattled the underside of the crossbar and rolled away to safety.

The second half followed a similar pattern to the first, with the USA looking the far more threatening and the more likely to score.

Alex Morgan who came on at half-time for Cheney immediately imposed herself on the game. Four minutes after coming on the youngster got on the end of a Heather O’Reilly cross, only to see her toe-poked effort come back off the upright.

Then on the hour mark a Wambach header forced an excellent save from Kaihori as USA pushed ever closer to an opener.

However it was Morgan (right, wearing 13) who eventually gave the Stars and Stripes the lead on 69 minutes. A quick counter attack saw Rapinoe play an excellent long ball through for Morgan to run onto. She used her strength to hold off a defender, before the 22 year-old substitute hit a perfectly placed angled drive past the despairing Kaihori. 1-0 USA.

The USA seemed comfortably on course for victory with Japan posing little in the way of an attacking force, but with nine minutes of normal time remaining and against the run of play the Asian side equalised. Rachel Buehler and Alex Krieger failed to clear their lines following a cross from the right, allowing Aya Miyama to smash the loose ball past Hope Solo. USA 1-1 Japan.

So for the fourth time in six FIFA Women’s World Cup Finals, the match went into extra-time.

The USA regained the lead in the 104th minute when Morgan aimed a pinpoint cross towards the towering Wambach. The forward powered home a header from six yards, Wambach's fourth goal of the tournament - all from headers. 2-1 USA

But once again, resilient and stubborn Japan equalised when captain Homare Sawa produced an audacious flick from a corner that left keeper Solo helpless. USA 2-2 Japan

The USA pressed again in search for a late winner. Morgan was en route to scoring her second before she was cynically brought down by Azuza Iwashimizu on the edge of the area, and the full-back received a straight red from German referee Bibiana Steinhaus.

The free-kick came to nothing which was followed by the whistle to signal the end of extra-time and penalty-kicks.

Shannon Boxx and Tobin Heath both had their penalties saved by Kaihori, whilst Carli Lloyd completely missed the target, as the USA failed to convert any of their opening three penalties. Although Yuki Nagasato had her effort saved by Solo, Saki Kumagai stayed cool to fire in the decisive spot-kick for Japan as they claimed the FIFA World Cup for the first time.

"We're so happy about the title, now we're number one," said Japan captain Homare Sawa, who won the Golden Boot for top scorer in the tournament with five goals.

Ayumi Kaihori, Japan's goalkeeper added: "We have some very good players on the team and this is why we have been able to win the final. I received excellent support from the other players and I want to emphasise this is a team effort. In the penalty shootout I just had to believe in myself and I was very confident."

USA goalkeeper Hope Solo offered her congratulations to Japan saying: "As much as I've always wanted this, if there were any other team I could give this to it would have to be Japan. I'm happy for them and they do deserve it."

Abby Wambach, the USA striker added: "Japan just kept coming and they never gave up, and in the end they're the world champs."

Match highlights: Women's World Cup Final - USA v Japan on 17th July 2011

Goals: Alex Morgan (USA) 69', Aya Miyama (JPN) 81', Abby Wambach (USA) 104', Homare Sawa (JPN) 117'

Penalty shoot-out:
Shannon Boxx - Saved
Aya Miyami - Goal
Carli Lloyd - Missed
Yuki Nagasato - Saved
Tobin Heath - Saved
Mizuho Sakaguchi - Goal
Abby Wambach- Goal
Saki Kumagai - Goal

Japan beat the USA 3-1 on penalties.

The next Women's World Cup finals will be held in Canada in 2015.

All 'White' On The Night - England's Lionesses March On!

England booked their ticket into the quarter-finals of the 2011 Women's World Cup tonight, with an impressive 2-0 victory over Japan, in the Impuls Arena, Augsburg to claim top spot in Group B.

England now face a quarter-final in Leverkusen on Saturday, against France who lost tonight 4-2 to hosts Germany.

England manager Hope Powell made four changes to the line-up that started against New Zealand in their last match.

Captain Faye White and midfielder Fara Williams were both rested while Jess Clarke and Karen Carney, both substitutes against New Zealand, were preferred to Yankey and Eni Aluko by the England manager.

England were forced to hold off some intense early pressure from the Japanese, before taking the lead in the 15th minute in quite spectacular fashion.

Karen Carney delivering a perfectly weighted ball from inside her own half for Ellen White to chase.
Running in between the Japanese centre-backs, the Arsenal striker did not break stride before lifting the ball sublimely over goalkeeper Ayumi Kaihori from the edge of the penalty box, to score arguably the goal of the tournament so far.

England striker Ellen White celebrates after scoring a 'wonder goal' in the Women's World Cup tonight

Not long after her goal striker White who was a constant threat, saw another stunning effort, an acrobatic hooked volley fabulously tipped onto the crossbar by Kaihori.

Japan's potent attack, which put four goals past Mexico in its last game, was unusually quiet and their best chance came when Kozue Ando had her shot blocked and cleared near the goal line by England defender Sophie Bradley midway through the opening half.

The second goal eventually came after 66 minutes from half-time substitute Rachel Yankey. England's most experienced player took down Rachel Unitt’s cross before cleverly chipping the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper from a tight angle.

The Japanese, who were already guaranteed a last-eight berth, impressed with their neat approach play and movement, but they could not find an end product to match.

England played the rest of the game out in relative calm, with few scares, while New Zealand produced a terrific fightback in Sinsheim, scoring twice in stoppage time to earn a 2-2 draw with Mexico in tonight's other Group B fixture.

England, despite a disappointing opening draw against Mexico followed by a narrow 2-1 win against New Zealand, will go into Saturday's game against France full of confidence after this solid performance against a talented Japanese side.
England look to have a strong squad with strength and depth in all areas, and most importantly they seem to be peaking at the right time.

In Tuesday's other match in Group A, Nigeria beat Canada 1-0 in Dresden, a third successive defeat for the Canadians.

"We were very, very good today. You've got to respect Japan and the way they play, but we had a gameplan and we implemented it. The ambition was to get out of the group and top the group and we've done that. We're in the quarters and we'll have to do our best" - England manager Hope Powell's post match comments.

"It's almost indescribable, scoring in a World Cup, it's the pinnacle of your career. You've got to beat the best to be the best, so bring them on in the quarter-finals" - England scorer Ellen White's post match comments.

Match Highlights - England v Japan, Women's World Cup 5th July 2011

England Ladies:(4-4-1-1): Bardsley; A Scott, Bradley, Stoney, Unitt; Carney, J Scott, Asante, Clarke (Yankey 46); K Smith (Aluko 62); E White (Bassett 90).

Subs not used: F White, F Williams, Brown (g), Houghton, Susi, Rafferty, Chamberlain (g).

Goals: E White (15), Hankey (66)

Read more: England Women's Football Team/Facebook

The Latest World Cup News

After yesterday's final group games which saw Spain, Portugal, Brazil and Chile book their places in the second round of the 2010 World Cup, we now move straight into the knock-out phase of the tournament.
Today sees Uruguay up against South Korea in Port Elizabeth, whilst the USA take on Ghana in Rustenburg in the late kick-off.

Uruguay are expected to stick with the same line-up that beat Mexico 1-0 in their final group game. Coach Oscar Tabarez may be tempted to bring in defender Diego Godin in place of Mauricio Victorino, who is one booking away from suspension, as are fellow defenders Diego Lugano and Jorge Fucile - BBC Sport

South Korea coach Huh Jung-Moo could drop fullback Cha Du-Ri, who was at fault for Nigeria's opening goal in their 2-2 draw, with Kim Dong-Jin favourite to replace him.
One booking away from suspension are midfielders Lee Chung-Yong and Kim Nam-Il, along with striker Yeom Ki-Hun - BBC Sport

The United States welcome the return of Robbie Findley from suspension after he missed the Algeria victory thanks to two yellow cards picked up in the opening two matches.
Replacing Findley in attack for the game in Pretoria was Herculez Gomez, however with DaMarcus Beasley and Edson Buddle also both available, coach Bob Bradley has options as to who will partner Jozy Altidore up front.
Midfielder Maurice Edu is likely to retain a starting berth after coming in for Jose Francisco Torres - skysports.com

Ghana could be without centre-back Isaac Vorsah for the knockout encounter as the defender struggles to win his fitness battle. Vorsah missed the draw against Australia through injury and was hoping to be in contention for the loss to Germany, however Serbian coach Milovan Rajevac was forced to start him on the bench.
There was better news for fellow first-choice defender John Mensah, who also returned from the sidelines to complete 90 minutes, meaning Ghana may field an unchanged starting XI.
Midfielder Sulley Muntari may come in for Prince Tagoe, despite a 'reported bust-up' with his coach, should Rajevax decide to tinker with his system - skysports.com

The clash between arch-rivals Germany and England rates as one of the glamour fixtures in world football, as both teams gear up for Sunday's last 16 meeting in Bloemfontein.
England's Jamie Carragher could return after suspension at the heart of England's defence replacing Matthew Upson.
Striker Miroslav Klose should return to the German starting line-up after suspension with Cacau making way. Toni Kroos may start in midfield as Bastian Schweinsteiger is doubtful with a thigh muscle injury - Fourfourtwo.com

Brazil will welcome back midfield pair Kaka and Elano for Monday's last 16 encounter against fellow South Americans Chile, in Johannesburg. Kaka served a one-match ban against Portugal while Elano was ruled out through injury - Fifa.com

Spain midfielder Xavi Alonso is a doubt for the World Cup round of 16 showdown with Iberian neighbours Portugal after suffering a sprained ankle in their win over Chile - Goal.com

Japan striker Shinji Okazaki has warned Paraguay that they have "nothing to lose" as they bid for a historic place in the World Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday.
The Samurai Blue helped Japan to victories over Cameroon and Denmark in Group E to seal their place in the last 16 for the first time ever on foreign soil. Okazaki opened his World Cup account when he came off the bench to score the clincher in the 3-1 win over the Danes on Thursday.
Okazaki's first World Cup goal came as a relief for the 24-year-old, who finished as the world's top international scorer for 2009 with 15 goals. Since the turn of the year, however, he has struggled to match that form, but after getting off the mark on Thursday he is determined to add to his tally in South Africa - Fifa.com

Sven-Goran Eriksson has refused to confirm where his future lies after stepping down as Ivory Coast manager.
His team crashed out of the World Cup in the opening stages after failing to progress from Group G, and now that the Swede's short term deal as coach has ended, he has been linked with a return to club management - Goal.com

The Latest World Cup News

Ivory Coast captain Didier Drogba's participation in the World Cup is in serious doubt after he broke a bone close to his elbow.
The Chelsea striker, 32, picked up the injury 16 minutes into his side's 2-0 friendly win over Japan yesterday, in Saitama.
However coach Sven-Goran Eriksson said there was still a chance the talismanic Drogba could feature in South Africa.
"He got a bad injury and may have an operation, but he is not out. The doctors can't say any more than that," he told BBC Radio 5 live - BBC Sport

Nigeria suffered a blow just under a week away from the start of the World Cup as they announced that star midfielder John Obi Mikel had been left out of the squad because he did not want to aggravate a knee injury.
The 23-year-old Chelsea star will be replaced in the Nigeria squad by uncapped Brown Ideye, who plays for Sochaux in France - Fifa.com

Brazil have two injury worries in the shape of goalkeeper Julio Cesar and left-back Michel Bastos.
Cesar, 30, missed training for the second consecutive day on Friday and had intensive physiotherapy on the back injury he suffered in Wednesday's 3-0 win against Zimbabwe.
The 26-year-old Bastos damaged his ankle in training.
However, both players are expected to be fit for Brazil's opening fixture against North Korea on the 15th June - BBC Sport

New Zealand coach Ricki Herbert remains bullish about his side's chances at the World Cup despite going down 3-1 to Slovenia (Group opponents of England) in a warm-up match in Maribor on Friday.
Two excellent free-kicks from star Milivoje Novakovic, and a tap-in from Andraz Kirm was enough to see off the challenge from the All Whites, who saw Rory Fallon drive home their solitary goal - Fifa.com

Italy midfielder Andrea Pirlo faces a race against time to be fit for the finals after suffering a calf injury in Thursday's 2-1 friendly defeat to Mexico.
The 31-year-old will miss the World Cup holders' opener against Paraguay on the 14th June and there are fears he could be ruled out of the whole tournament.
The AC Milan playmaker has left the Azzurri's training camp in the Italian Alps to recover at home but is scheduled to fly to South Africa with the team on the 8th June.
"It's an injury which worries me but there's time," said team doctor Enrico Castellacci - BBC Sport

France suffered a shock 1-0 defeat against China in their final warm-up match on Friday.
China, who are ranked 84th in the world, scored the only goal in the friendly on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean in the 68th minute.
France play Uruguay in their opening match on the 11th June and are hoping to avoid a repeat of their group-stage exit during Euro 2008 - BBC Sport

Chile striker Humberto Suazo may be forced to sit out the World Cup if he is deemed to have used a banned substance when trying to overcome injury, according to Chilean newspaper El Mercurio.
Having acquired a hamstring problem that threatened to rule him out of the competition in a friendly against Israel last Sunday, the powerful forward underwent a course of platelet injections, which have been proven to speed up the muscle healing process. These injections, however, may be illegal according to revised WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) rules.
The 29-year-old was in prolific form during the qualifying campaign, registering on 10 occasions to send the Chileans through as the second best team from South America.
Chile is appearing in its first World Cup since 1998, and faces Honduras in its opening Group H game on the 16th June - Goal.com

Holland coach Bert van Marwijk fears Arjen Robben may miss the World Cup after the winger suffered a hamstring injury against Hungary.
Robben appeared as a second-half substitute in today's friendly against Hungary and scored twice in the 6-1 romp before hurting his hamstring in the closing stages.
The Bayern Munich ace will undergo a scan on the problem on Sunday, meaning he will not travel with the rest of the Dutch squad to South Africa this evening.
Van Marwijk is hoping that Robben's injury will not prove serious enough to rule him out of the World Cup, but he is braced for the worst - Skysports.com

Denmark's injury problems are mounting.
Thomas Kahlenberg is set to miss Denmark's World Cup warm-up match against South Africa tomorrow.
The Wolfsburg midfielder is struggling with injury while Jon Dahl Tomasson is also doubtful for the match. The Feyenoord striker was absent from yesterday's training session and was to be assessed today.
Goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen, defender Simon Kjaer and striker Nicklas Bendtner are already missing as Denmark complete their preparations for their Group A matches against Holland, Cameroon and Japan - Fifa.com