Football may not be going home to England after all but as Gareth Southgate’s side prepare for a third-place play-off against Belgium, the FA will be ticking plenty of boxes on their strategy sheet, writes Chris Hatherall

Captain Harry Kane admitted the England players were hurting after Croatia ended their World Cup dream in last night’s semi-final loss in Moscow.

One thing is for sure in this World Cup – nothing is certain.

Sunday’s World Cup exit to Russia has left Spanish football at another crossroads, with federation president Luis Rubiales now to choose between pointing the team off in a fresh direction, or using his power to feed current grievances and settle old scores.

It never ends well when players and manager fall out, especially so at the biggest sporting event on Earth.

Chris Hatherall looks ahead to today’s World Cup action as eight teams go into Day 13 looking to finish the group stage on a high.

Denmark coach Age Hareide’s withering assessment of opponents France last month has added “salt, pepper and vinegar” to their World Cup match today, his counterpart Didier Deschamps said.

There was a time when a woman’s place on TV coverage of the World Cup was restricted to leering crowd shots of female fans.

It seems churlish to use the word ‘crisis’ after only one defeat but Germany’s World Cup defence is looking increasingly nervous as criticism of Mesut Ozil reached abusive levels yesterday and players had to rebut reports of cliques and disunity in the camp.

Harry Kane is setting his sights on challenging Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for the title of best player on the planet.

Egypt boss Hector Cuper has kept Russia guessing over whether or not he will be able to unleash “one of the best players in the world” on them in St Petersburg tonight.

The possession football championed by coaches like Pep Guardiola is supposed to produce aesthetically-pleasing goals. Against strong defences and world-class goalkeepers, sometimes you need to go back to basics.

Senegal will draw on the spirit of the late Bruno Metsu, the maverick French coach who led them to the 2002 quarter-finals, when they face Poland today in their first World Cup match in 16 years.

When Ireland play in the World Cup, a nation holds its breath but when Brazil play in the World Cup, the world holds its breath, writes Liam Mackey

You don’t have to go full Dunphy and say Chile will win it, but you need to get your ‘might make a semi’ ducks in a row. Larry Ryan, with the help of some graphics, gives you the low down on the main plot lines for World Cup 2018.

Yet again the talk surrounding England as they approach a major tournament is marooned somewhere between hope and hype but Damien Duff has questioned whether Gareth Southgate’s players have the commitment required to make a mark at the World Cup.

Damien Duff is clearly sick of Saipan.

Brazil captain Thiago Silva has backed his compatriot Fabinho to be a success at Liverpool.

Brazil captain Thiago Silva has promised his side will deliver great football at the World Cup this summer.

Spain can be considered favourites for the 2018 World Cup while Gareth Southgate's England are the fifth most likely to win the tournament, according to research group CIES Football Observatory.

Almost 400,000 World Cup tickets have been sold in the latest FIFA allocation, but England fans have remained reticent buyers.

Nearly half of all England fans surveyed believe the national team should boycott this summer's World Cup in Russia following the poisoning attack in Salisbury, a poll has found.

England manager Gareth Southgate has promised to deploy his best poker face during today’s World Cup draw in Moscow regardless of who the Three Lions must play next summer.

The draw for the 2018 World Cup finals takes place in Moscow on Friday.

“There is no reason to believe that he won't sign the contract.”

LATEST: Republic of Ireland defender Cyrus Christie has tonight responded to racist messages targeting him on social media.

Christie was brought to tears in the dressing-room following the Denmark loss after reading the abuse on his smartphone.

The line-up for the 2018 World Cup in Russia is complete after Peru became the 32nd and final nation to book their place at the finals.

Liam Brady believes the lack of emerging talent is linked to Kerr’s absence from an active role in Irish football and that he should be brought back into the fold.

Northern Ireland face a huge battle to keep hold of in-demand manager Michael O’Neill after the Scottish Football Association yesterday made an official approach for the Armagh man.

Failure to reach next year’s World Cup has denied the FAI a potential €9m in prize money and allowances, thereby undermining their chances of becoming debt-free by 2020.

‘I thought that John and myself had agreed to stay on…but we’ll see.”

Mark Kinsella feels history will repeat itself over the next 12 months when it comes to revamping Ireland’s international squad.

Controversial pundit Eamon Dunphy has suggested Martin O’Neill’s tactics in yesterday’s defeat to Denmark prove that he is no longer the man for the job.

Ah, what might have been ...

Ireland's World Cup exit could signal something of a watershed for a series of players.

The Republic of Ireland's World Cup journey came to a shuddering halt last night as Denmark turned on the style in Dublin to book their ticket to Russia.

Republic of Ireland midfielder has hit out at some of the “over-the-top beyond football” criticism of the team after last night’s 5-1 defeat against Denmark.

Darren Randolph has admitted his shock at the manner of the Republic of Ireland's World Cup play-off nightmare.

The line-up for the 2018 World Cup in Russia is close to completion after Australia became the 31st nation to book their place at the finals.

Former Republic of Ireland striker Niall Quinn questioned manager Martin O'Neill's approach after his country's dream to reach next summer's World Cup in Russia was ended following a 5-1 play-off defeat at home to Denmark.

Class.

Ireland’s half-back hopefuls, Joey Carbery and Kieran Marmion, have been told to forget Johnny Sexton and Conor Murray and to play to their strengths.

Right, here we go. Time to give the checklist a final once-over.

While most soccer-loving fans around the globe will be glued to their televisions next year during the World Cup, restaurants and cinemas around Italy might find themselves extra busy during the summer.

Rep of Ireland 1 Denmark 5