Veteran striker Olivier Giroud made history for France as they overcame an early scare to trounce Australia 4-1 for a perfect start into their World Cup title defence on Tuesday.

Gareth Bale says it is “incredible” to be a World Cup goalscorer but admits he would trade his strike for three points after earning a late 1-1 draw against the United States.

Novak Djokovic ended his “roller coaster year” on a roaring high with victory at the ATP Finals, matching Roger Federer’s record of six titles by sinking the hopes of Casper Ruud.

Felix Sanchez has sought to ensure Qatar focus on their football amid the controversy around the nation’s hosting of the World Cup ahead of Sunday’s opener against Ecuador.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has accused Western countries of “hypocrisy” and slammed the criticism towards World Cup hosts Qatar during his opening speech ahead of the tournament on Saturday.

Gianni Infantino is set for a third term as president of FIFA after football’s world governing body said on Thursday he was the only candidate for next year’s election.

Cristiano Ronaldo will not play in Portugal’s World Cup warm-up game against Nigeria on Thursday because of illness, according to head coach Fernando Santos.

The Dutch World Cup team will auction off their game shirts and donate the proceeds to migrant workers in Qatar.