WORLD CUP

Fans in the United States will be able to enjoy unprecedented coverage of the World Cup this summer.

In the countdown to the World Cup games, Brazil is beset by strikes and threats of more strikes.

Runners-up in 2010, the Netherlands could be set for an early exit at this World Cup, with Spain and Chile providing stern opposition.

Two days to go before the 2014 World Cup, subway workers may strike again, water is scarce and poor field conditions could injure players.

Several players could earn big-money transfers behind their performances in Brazil.

Deutsche Bank analysts devised a computer model that picked England as the winner while Brazil emerges as the favorite in most predictions.

The group also features Croatia and Cameroon.

The FIFA bribery scandal surrounding the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is yet another distraction for Brazil.

The world's biggest sporting event begins Thursday, and Brazil's biggest city is a gridlocked mess, with police using tear gas.

"As a FIFA partner, we expect these allegations to be investigated appropriately," says Sony, a major sponsor of the event.

England will play their final pre-World Cup friendly when they meet Honduras in Miami on Saturday.

Check out images of all 12 stadiums and notable sites throughout the host country for the premiere international soccer tourney.

It's just the latest in a series of headaches for Brazil leading up to next week's big soccer tournament.

The ubiquitous plastic trumpets that turned the 2010 cup into a constant racket will be gone this time, and so will iPads.

There is usually at least one team that gatecrashes the latter stages of the World Cup, and there are plenty of candidates to fulfill that role in Brazil.

Hosting the World Cup is expected to cost the nation about $11 billion.

As international forces prepare the leave Afghanistan and elections loom, more farmers are turning to poppy cultivation as opium prices grew last year.