By Andrew Warshaw
September 25 – The world’s best referees are being put through their paces at a special workshop at FIFA headquarters this week designed to fine-tune them ahead of the 2014 World Cup finals.
By David Gold
September 21 – A petition in Brazil calling for a “more democratic” choice of names for the mascot of the 2014 FIFA World Cup has attracted over 23,000 signatories.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 21 – Mexico is planning to put in a bid for a record-breaking third FIFA World Cup in 2026, Mexican Football Federation (FMF) President Justino Compeán has revealed.
By David Gold
September 20 – The battle is heating up between the two Moscow stadiums competing to join the Luzhniki as a host venue of FIFA World Cup matches in 2018.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 19 – Five Russian cities are nervously waiting to see whether they will miss the cut in the race to be selected to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 18 – European leagues could be halted for an entire month before the Christmas period to allow the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup to be staged in winter.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 17 – FIFA and Brazil 2014 have announced that a yet to-be-named armadillo will be the World Cup mascot.
By David Gold
September 13 – The Itaquera in São Paulo which will host the opening game of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, will boast the world’s largest LED stadium panel.
By David Gold
September 12 – Two cities will be dropped from the list of 13 in contention to host FIFA 2018 World Cup matches, Vitaly Mutko, the Russian Sports Minister has confirmed.
By David Gold
September 8 – A delegation of FIFA and Brazil 2014 members have visited the renovation works on the iconic Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 7 – UEFA President Michel Platini has reiterated his call for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to be played in winter to avoid the searing heat of the desert summer where temperatures can reach 50 degrees.
By David Gold
September 4 – Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has launched a blistering attack on the construction efforts for a new stadium in St Petersburg for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 3 – The official match ball for the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals will be named Brazuca, a term used by Brazilians to describe national pride in the country’s way of life and which symbolises emotion and pride.
By David Gold
September 1 – FIFA and Brazil 2014 have denied reports that Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanã could stage a quarterfinal of the World Cup.
By Duncan Mackay at the Main Press Centre on the Olympic Park in London
August 30 – G4S has ruled out bidding for the security contracts at the Rio 2016 Olympics and Paralympics following the fiasco at London 2012, which it confirmed will cost the company £50 million ($78 million/€64 million).