On Sunday, the Spanish side edged the Netherlands 1-0 in extra time to win its first ever FIFA World Cup title. On Wednesday, it earned top spot in the monthly FIFA world ranking for the third time. Brazil, which had been ranked No. 1, fell to third thanks to its disappointing World Cup finish, while [...]

In a game when a record number of yellow cards were given and John Heitinga was sent off in extra-time, both sides missed great chances from Arjen Robben and Cesc Fabregas, but Andres Iniesta netted in the 116th minute to give European champions Spain their first World Cup title. Iniesta struck with four minutes remaining [...]

Africa’s first World Cup reaches a fitting climax on Sunday when the two most impressive teams, the Netherlands and Spain, meet in what is expected to be a fascinating contest for soccer’s biggest prize. The best games in a World Cup often come in the semi-finals but after a month of soccer of varied quality, [...]

Germany secured third place in the World Cup courtesy of an entertaining 3-2 win over Uruguay in Port Elizabeth. A Sami Khedira header settled a game that saw both Thomas Muller and Diego Forlan move onto five goals for the tournament. Muller currently leads the race after his fifth goal of the tournament – the [...]

FIFA has insisted that there has been no indication of any match-fixing at the World Cup following reports that it had been warned over Nigeria. The world governing body issued a statement after BBC Two’s Newsnight programme reported that a UEFA investigator had warned FIFA before the tournament that the Nigeria team could be vulnerable [...]

England’s Howard Webb will referee Sunday’s World Cup final between the Netherlands and Spain at Johannesburg’s Soccer City, Fifa said on Thursday. The 39-year-old from Rotherham, in nothern England, has been a Fifa-listed referee since 2005 and the former policeman regularly keeps law and order amongst the top stars of England’s Premier League. Webb is [...]

Cristiano Ronaldo has named his son after himself, and plans to expand his clothing line to include babywear. The Portuguese soccer star sensationally announced he had become a father to a baby boy on his Twitter and Facebook accounts over the weekend. He refused to reveal who the mother was, but said he would have [...]

World Cup final Holland v Spain Soccer City Stadium Kick-off: Sun July 11, 7.30pm BST At last, and in what ought to be a delight to all lovers of fine football, it is time for one of the two greatest footballing nations never to have won the World Cup to join the exclusive club of [...]

For all of Spain’s brilliant passing in their World Cup semi-final against Germany, it was a Carles Puyol header from a corner that put the La Roja into their first ever World Cup final. The Euro 2008 winners dominated possession in Durban but initially struggled to create clear openings against Joachim Low’s impressive young side. [...]

# Man of the Match: Pedro – The Barcelona forward was picked ahead of Fernando Torres and justified the decision with a lively start. His mazy runs and slick interplay caused the German defence multiple problems and he maintained that level throughout the match. When Spain eventually made a change in attack it was David [...]