FIFA has implemented mandatory breaks midway through each half at all matches for this World Cup to allow players to hydrate because of the extreme heat in the United States, Canada and Mexico during the near-six-week tournament.

Racial abuse in European soccer is on the rise, with several incidents reported early in the season.

Black players were only just beginning to integrate into some of England's biggest soccer teams in the 1980s when racism was rife and hooliganism was on the rise.