France captain Hugo Lloris has announced his retirement from international football at the age of 36, three weeks after his country lost the World Cup final on penalties to Argentina in Doha.
Four years ago, Cristiano Ronaldo produced an emphatic performance as the forward bagged his maiden World Cup hattrick to help Portugal draw 3-3 against Spain in their Group B encounter of the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Sochi.
The World Cup-winning French team returned home to a heroes' welcome yesterday, parading down the Champs-Elysees as hundreds of thousands of cheering fans gave a raucous welcome to the country's newest idols.
Croatia defender Dejan Lovren is scathing of France's style of play following his side's defeat in Sunday's World Cup final.
Once the French have their hands on the coveted golden trophy, Griezmann grasp it and run down to fans behind the goal to show them the World Cup, before skipping back along the side of the pitch holding it aloft.
Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic stated outright what he felt regarding the controversial penalty call following his side’s 4-2 defeat to France in Sunday’s World Cup final, saying : “You don't give a penalty like that in a World Cup final.”
It was the first time that Video Referee Assistant (VAR) technology was used in a World Cup final but controversial refereeing decsions ensured that a spectacle of the calibre of the final might have been marred by inconsistencies.
Energetic, disciplined and clinical, France won the World Cup on Sunday with a 4-2 victory over Croatia that, even in such a moment of achievement, still left the feeling there may be much more to come from Didier Deschamps' outstanding young team.
The World Cup final between France and Croatia was briefly interrupted when three intruders affiliated to anti-Kremlin punk band Pussy Riot ran onto the pitch before being hauled off by stewards.
The World Cup is not immune from the threat of match-fixing, experts warn, with sophisticated monitoring systems in place to identify suspicious activity during the tournament in Russia.
Lionel Messi unveils Argentina's new black kit while Cristiano Ronaldo shows off Portugal's dazzling new first kit for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia.
FIFA releases special video, set to Rimsky-Korsakov's Flight of the Bumblebee, featuring legends of the game juggling and doing tricks.
Gian Piero Ventura was sacked as Italy coach on Wednesday after the four-time champions failed to reach the World Cup finals.
Stunned Italians awoke Tuesday to the nightmarish realisation they will miss out on the World Cup finals for the first time in 60 years.
Italy fail to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 60 years after being held to a 0-0 home draw on Monday by a defiant Sweden, who booked a place at next year's finals in Russia with a 1-0 aggregate win.
Iceland qualified for the World Cup for the first time after beating Kosovo 2-0 on Monday, while Serbia clinched a spot at next year's finals with a 1-0 win over Georgia.
