Keep your soccer shirts ready, South Africa is all set to give you an unconventional and truly memorable World Cup next year. Working full throttle, the country is ready to launch its first wildlife soccer venue, the Mbombela Stadium in the province of Mpumalanga. Besides the friendly local population, there’ll be giant, orange shaped giraffes to welcome you from the roof and black and white zebra print seats!

It’s official. Besides host South Africa who automatically qualify, Brazil, England, Netherlands, Spain, Paraguay, Ghana, Australia, Japan, South Korea and Korea DPR have also secured a berth in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. While, Peru and Bolivia have no chance of qualifying, let’s take a look at the South American Zone.

Well, England, Netherlands, Spain, Brazil, Paraguay, Ghana, Australia, Japan, South Korea, and Korea DPR have qualified, so has host South Africa, for the 2010 World Cup. That’s 11 teams with dreams to win the title so far… What about Argentina? Does it have a chance or will it miss the soccer fiesta for the first time in 40 years? Let’s take a look…

Barca’s president, Joan Laporta, was thrilled to make the deal official, “Leo should be the highest paid player in the squad. He deserves it. He’s the best player in the world and one of the best in football history. He’s content and that’s why he’s playing the way he is”. Leo joined Barca as a youth team player back in 2001 during which he won a host of trophies.

Emmanuel Adebayor, from Manchester City, has done it again. He has now been charged by the FA for violent conduct against former Arsenal team mate, Robin Van Persie. Earlier, Adebayor was charged with improper conduct, which saw him run the length of the pitch while celebrating his goal against Arsenal, provoking the opposing team! For more details, read on.

Pele, the king of football, is said to have stopped two factions fighting a civil war in Nigeria during the year 1967. Both sides actually held a 48 hour ceasefire to watch Pele play in Lagos! That’s the power of football and Pele!

Some of the most talented players under the age of twenty are showcasing their talent at FIFA’s Under-20 World Cup taking place in Egypt. This Championship has brought soccer greats like Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry and Ronaldinho into the limelight. Here’s who to look out for this year:

Soccer fever runs high among fans from different countries, it also runs among siblings and friends. But did you know it also runs in the genes, with fathers and sons both taking the pitch? Here’s a look at some famous father and son duos taking centre stage on the pitch, though separated by a decade or more…

Soccer, the most watched and played sport in the world, has some amazing and weird facts that are truly fascinating! Here are some you might enjoy.