Football

Seas of red-clad Norwegian supporters are rowing shoulder to shoulder at stadiums, schools, even a nursing home. Not everyone is thrilled

Referees have been encouraged to avoid whistling for trifling fouls, helping reduce stoppages and increase ball-in-play time

The group stage served up a feast and there is more drama ahead in the knockout rounds

Through 44 matches, attendance has topped 2.85 million and stadiums are 99.6% full, finds - Fifa data

Hotel and visitation numbers were expected to spike this year. So far, several of the host cities have instead seen slumps

Some of the concerns raised ahead of the tournament still linger, however

The system may be neither fair nor transparent, but it is proving effective at maximising profits from the global event

The star forward has a mostly anonymous display against the Democratic Republic of Congo

The craze for the superstar’s elusive golden version has helped fuel shortages and driven up prices