Adidas Says World Cup Soccer Sales Beat Expectations (Update1) (Bloomberg.com)
June 28 (Bloomberg) — Adidas AG, the world’s No. 2 sporting- goods maker, said sales of Teamgeist soccer balls, team jerseys and F50+ boots exceeded its forecasts during the World Cup as it captures market share from rivals including Nike Inc.

Germany out to strike fear into Albiceleste
Ever since coach Jurgen Klinsmann took charge of Germany in the of summer 2004, the talk has been of a what would happen when Germany came up against elite opposition. Now, that moment of truth has arrived in the form of the quarter-finals of the 2006 FIFA World Cup on home soil…

World Cup May Increase Appetite for German Soccer, League Says (Bloomberg.com)
June 30 (Bloomberg) — The World Cup may increase the appetite for watching German soccer, making it easier to sell television rights abroad to matches played by clubs such as Bayern Munich, according to the country’s top league.

World Cup fever infects Cuban children (AP via Yahoo! News)
Cuba, the land of baseball fanaticism, has caught World Cup fever. Children across the island are putting down their bats in favor of the ultimate foot game, turning patches of grass into soccer fields and using everything from basketballs to crumpled-up pieces of paper as balls.