Tottenham’s proposed new stadium has become the first London ground to sign up to be a venue to host games if England win the 2018 World Cup.

WORLD Cup finalists France have jumped into the top three of the IRB world rankings following their semi-final victory over Wales.

At LEAST 22 people were killed in a stadium crush during a World Cup qualifier between Ivory Coast and Malawi in Abidjan yesterday.

FRANZ BECKENBAUER, head of the 2006 World Cup organising committee, claims the sale of match tickets for the football showpiece in Germany is a mammoth task with black market internet providers keen to swell their coffers.

Wales number eight Taulupe Faletau has been ruled out of the Rugby World Cup due to a clavicle injury, the Welsh Rugby Union has announced.

Italy defender Alessandro Nesta is unlikely to recover in time for Friday's World Cup quarter-final clash with Ukraine.

Clive Brittain believes money-spinning five-year-old Kandidate is progressing rapidly enough to take a hand in the Dubai World Cup on Saturday week.

Bookmaker William Hill today said its profits for last year were likely to be above expectations as it looked forward to a strong 2006 buoyed by betting on the football World Cup.

Sweden’s stranglehold at the top of World Cup Qualifying Group Eight was strengthened with a superb 3-0 win at closest rivals Bulgaria.

The FAI have announced they will launch an independent external review of the squad's involvement in the World Cup following the competition.

Russia have been expelled from the Rugby World Cup qualifying tournament after it was found they fielded three ineligible players.

Kieron Dyer is today on the brink of being ruled out of Sven-Goran Eriksson’s England World Cup squad.

Cameroon’s prospects of qualifying for the 2006 World Cup in Germany were dealt a massive blow today when FIFA announced that they would be docked six points from their qualification tally as punishment for wearing one-piece kits during the African Nations Cup.

Seldom will a ridiculous 23-0 result in the Oceania Cup mean so much to those 17,000 kilometres away but Australia’s crushing of Papua New Guinea proved the outcome that confirmed the Irish women’s team will go to the 2018 World Cup.

Ireland U21s 23 FranceU21s 31

Fatboy Slim and Paul Oakenfold are planning club tours to coincide with the World Cup.

ENGLAND’s Howard Webb will be the referee for Sunday’s World Cup final.

SHAY GIVEN jetted in from Newcastle to begin the search for a team to represent Ireland in the Danone Nations Cup World finals in September.