In addition to the World Cup, this summer featured RoboCup — an international tournament in which teams of soccer-playing robots square off.

Arsenal was once the quintessential English football club, with its impressive marble hallways at Highbury stadium and high-tempo football on the playing field.

Highbury has now been replaced by the modern Emirates Stadium, while Arsene Wenger has the club playing some of the most stylish passing football in Europe.

Spanish car maker SEAT began its sponsorship of this historic European competition last season, when Atlético Madrid broke Fulham fans’ hearts with a late winner. Already deemed a resounding success SEAT is looking to develop the partnership further as Matchday 2 is just around the corner.

Real Madrid narrowly edges Manchester United as the most valuable football brand in Europe, experts indicate.

Football clubs releasing new kits each season are stretching supporters’ wallets, despite a proposal in the Premier League charter to restrict a change to once every two years.

Saint Petersburg will host a World Cup semi-final in a 69,500-seat stadium with a moveable roof and retractable pitch if Russia is successful in its bid for the FIFA 2018 tournament.

The FA challenges the nation’s workforce to Get Into Football. The ambitious target for the inspirational new Football Needs’ campaign is to encourage 50,000 new Level 1 coaches by 2011 and 8,000 new referees by 2012.

The Absa Premiership is climbing world football’s money league. In the three years since a R1.6-billion broadcast rights bonanza was secured from pay channel SuperSport, top PSL players’ earnings have rocketed – to the extent that staying at home can now be as lucrative as accepting a European offer.

Qatar unveiled plans involving stadiums that will not only cost $4 billion to build, they will include a cooling system that ensures temperatures on the field and in the stands remains below 81 degrees Fahrenheit.

For the first time in over a decade Argentina has become the main provider of professional footballers worldwide.