Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi defied huge pressure to resign on Monday, desperately playing his last cards to save his crumbling government.
Rarely can a global event have generated so much advance pessimism as the World Cup, and the sceptics are now finally having to eat their words.
Spain won the World Cup for the first time when they beat Netherlands 1-0 thanks to a super strike by tireless midfielder Andres Iniesta.
Nelson Mandela briefly visited the stadium just before the World Cup final between Spain and The Netherlands on Sunday.
Germany and Spain do battle on Wednesday for the right to meet The Netherlands in the World Cup final.
Germany demolished Argentina and Spain beat Paraguay by one goal in a quarterfinal of extraordinary drama on Saturday.
Germany gave a devastating display of their nation’s traditional power on Sunday to overrun Australia and Ghana were the toast of Africa.
Two of the world’s most talented players, Argentina’s Lionel Messi and England’s Wayne Rooney, take the stage on Saturday.
To coaches and players they could be a curse, to South Africans they might be a weapon that helps them overcome one of the lowest ratings for a host.
The Soccer World Cup will have the globe’s largest audience glued to their TV screens for a month from Friday.
The king of South Africa’s makarapa fan helmet has moved from his township workshop to a factory to meet World Cup demand.
Authorities are asking foreign fans to join South Africans in saving electricity during the Soccer World Cup to avoid power cuts.
After years of doubt, soul-searching and criticism, SA stands on the threshold of a unique World Cup that looks likely to confound the pessimists.
Down the road from the Constitutional Court, South Africa’s only lesbian soccer team fight not just for the ball but to overturn brutal prejudice.
The Soccer World Cup will be SA’s greatest opportunity to show off the diversity and potential of the nation, President Jacob Zuma said on Wednesday.
More than 100 000 World Cup tickets have been sold in less than two days, but the likely number of foreign fans has been halved.
