Italy are a bunch of up-tempo, passionate over-actors, right? England are stout and defensive, but kinda boring, yes? Every South American team is fiery and skillful; every African team is a surprise underdog; the Germans play with ruthless, dull efficiency. But this is the World Cup—a country's identity can change so much even between tournaments.

Brazil's fraught racial and sexual history with soccer—and my family's fraught history with Brazil.

The land of sun, sex, and soccer couldn’t be more down about the World Cup.

Most of the world can watch the World Cup for free. Not so much in the US. The tournament, which begins today, will largely air on cable; streaming matches online also requires a television subscription. But there are a few options for so-called cord cutters who don't pay for TV but still want to watch the World Cup....

World Cup soccer excitement has launched into space. Three astronauts in orbit are getting into the World Cup spirit on the International Space Station. The crewmembers are joining with billions of soccer fans back on Earth to root for their favorite teams in the 2014 FIFA World Cup tournament, which starts today (June 12) in Brazil.

Most of the world can watch the World Cup for free. Not so much in the US. The tournament, which begins today, will largely air on cable; streaming matches online also requires a television subscription. But there are a few options for so-called cord cutters who don’t pay for TV but still want to watch the World Cup.

All the colour and drama from the Fifa World Cup opening ceremony at the Arena in Sao Paulo.

The final hours of build up to the most eagerly but most nervously anticipated sporting event in decades began with tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades fired down the streets of Sao Paulo, as the promised and much feared protests materialised, where there was hope that they wouldn't.

Out of Many, One 2014 World Cup Promo for the United States Men's National Soccer Team

When Iran faces off against Nigeria for a June 16 match in the FIFA World Cup, fans in both teams’ home countries may be hard-pressed to find a public spot to watch the game. In an attempt at crowd control, Iranian police banned cafes and restaurants from airing World Cup games, even Iran's own matches, the BBC reported Tuesday, citing local media. The decision came just weeks after the country banned women from watching the games with men in public cinemas.

Nando Vila and Joseph O’Neill on the Epic Rematch...That No One's Talking About 

Van Persie's flying header vs Spain on Friday June 12 2014, in World Cup match between Netherlands and Spain. Candidate for goal of the tournament?

In a case of “it seemed like a good idea at the time,” three doves were released just before the start of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Two died shortly afterwards. A reporter from The Guardian at the game noticed the doves crash land into the stands.

If there's one thing English people love more than cocaine, it's soccer. The problem is, fans up and down the country might have a tough time getting a buzz on during the World Cup thanks to an unprecedented coke drought. Traditionally, the tournament is a boomtime for dealers, and you'd expect a combination of sunny weather and games that potentially won't finish until 3 AM local time to fuel demand among all-day drinkers who don't want to fall asleep in public.

Refereeing controversies are to World Cups what gaffes are to political campaigns: overly discussed and inevitable. This year’s tournament kicked off yesterday, and already it has its first. In the opening game between Croatia and Brazil—this year’s host and the most soccer-crazed nation on earth—the heavily favored Brazilians played unevenly.

London’s Sunday Times reported this past weekend on what it called the “Plot to buy the World Cup.” The story (behind a paywall) details what many already suspected: that FIFA officials who awarded the 2022 World Cup to Qatar had been bribed. The paper’s accusations are based, it says, on millions of documents and e-mails that came from a senior FIFA official.

China may be the world’s most populous nation but a men’s soccer giant it is not. Indeed, the nation, ranked 103 in FIFA’s rankings — that’s one below Equatorial Guinea — didn’t even make this year’s World Cup finals. Or the last one. Or the one before that. So how do China’s beleaguered football fans feel? Resigned, mostly. “If China were in the World Cup,” says Chen Xiao, a football journalist from Shijiazhuang, in northeastern China, “it would contradict the laws of football.”

It looks like a bottle of mace and comes out like shaving cream. What is it and why do refs have it?

Brazilians may love football. But many of them are not welcoming the World Cup, costing their unequal country $11 billion, without a fight.

Munich Re underwriting manager Andrew Duxbury has modeled earthquakes, floods, crime, terrorism, and other worst-case scenarios for Brazil

Brazilians may love football. But many of them are not welcoming the World Cup, costing their unequal country $11 billion, without a fight.

The United States and Ghana are more or less evenly matched on the field. But plans to broadcast today's World Cup match between the two nations show how far apart their economies remain. When the teams kick off at 6pm in New York and 10pm in Accra, the most pressing concern for American soccer fans may be...

English Goalkeeper Reaction after Pirlo's Free Kick.

English Goalkeeper Reaction after Pirlo's Free Kick.

An early goal by Clint Dempsey -- the sixth fastest in World Cup history -- gave the United States national team a shocking lead against Ghana in the teams' opening game of Group G. And a late goal by John Brooks, an inexperienced American defender who came on as second-half substitute, earned the Americans a victory.

Creating nine million stickers a day, Panini’s South American HQ is capitalising on the collecting craze and debunking the conspiracy theories

Every four years, Brazilians decorate their streets in green and yellow, celebrating the arrival of the most anticipated sports tournament in the country. With the kick-off for the FIFA World Cup in Brazil less than one month away, the country's passion for football should be pulsating more than ever. But there are some signs to the contrary. "World Cup for whom?" read the words painted on a wall on a street in Sao Paulo.

Brazil arrested a suspected Mexican drug trafficker on his way to watch his national soccer team play in the World Cup. He bought a ticket under his name. Jose Diaz-Barajas, 49, was arrested at Rio de Janeiro’s Tom Jobim airport last night as he boarded a plane to Fortaleza, where Mexico plays Brazil today, Luiz Cravo Dorea, head of international cooperation at the Federal Police, said.

Exactly how much cheating goes on in soccer is hard to quantify, but the psychologist Chris Stride has collected some data.

ESPN may have lost the broadcast rights to the World Cup, but the network is making the most of its last hurrah with the United States-Ghana match turning in a very solid 7.0 rating. That goes down as the highest-rated men's soccer match ever on the cable channel. The 2011 Women's World Cup Final scored a 7.4 rating.

When the US men’s soccer team played Ghana in Natal, Brazil yesterday, the temperature reached the mid-80s and the humidity outlook was, basically: Expect your sweat glands to sprout sweat glands. But the crazy thing about Brazil is that while it might feel like the dead of summer in one city, it could very well feel a crisp spring day in another. This unpredictability is tough enough on athletes, who ideally train in conditions that reflect the climate they’ll be competing in.

Brazil’s efforts to clean up the favelas for the World Cup have led to a surprising development: Due to property laws, many slum residents now own some of the city’s best real estate.

An infographic helping you choose the right team.

Shocking Documentary Qatar's World Cup by ESPN E60

The world of soccer is showing us once again just how violent it can be to attend a game, or wear your team’s colors on enemy turf. On Thursday, a group of Brazilians wearing hoodies attacked English soccer fans in São Paulo, a few feet away from a bar that was holding an official FIFA Fan Fest event.