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2018 FIFA World Cup
"2018 World Cup" redirects here. For other competitions of that name, see 2018 World Cup (disambiguation).
"FIFA 2018" redirects here. For the video game, see FIFA 18.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup will be the 21st FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament contested by the men's national teams of the member associations of FIFA. It is scheduled to take place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018,[2] after the country was awarded the hosting rights on 2 December 2010. This will be the first World Cup held in Europe since 2006; all but one of the stadium venues are in European Russia, west of the Ural Mountains to keep travel time manageable.

2018 FIFA World Cup
Чемпионат мира по футболу 2018 (Chempionat mira po futbolu 2018)[1]
2018 FIFA World Cup.svg
Tournament details
Host country Russia
Dates 14 June – 15 July (32 days)
Teams 32 (from 5 confederations)
Venue(s) 12 (in 11 host cities)
← 20142022 →
The final tournament will involve 32 national teams, which include 31 teams determined through qualifying competitions and the automatically qualified host team. A total of 64 matches will be played in 12 venues located in 11 cities. The final will take place on 15 July in Moscow at the Luzhniki Stadium.[3][4][5] This will be the first World Cup with Iceland and Panama as participants.

The winners of the World Cup will qualify for the 2021 FIFA Confederations Cup.
Host selection

Main article: Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup bid

Russian bid personnel celebrate the awarding of the 2018 World Cup to Russia.
The bidding procedure to host the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups began in January 2009, and national associations had until 2 February 2009 to register their interest.[6] Initially, nine countries placed bids for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but Mexico later withdrew from proceedings,[7] and Indonesia's bid was rejected by FIFA in February 2010 after the Indonesian government failed to submit a letter to support the bid.[8] During the bidding process, the three remaining non-UEFA nations (Australia, Japan, and the United States) gradually withdrew from the 2018 bids, and the UEFA nations were thus ruled out of the 2022 bid. As such, there were eventually four bids for the 2018 FIFA World Cup: England, Russia, Netherlands/Belgium, and Portugal/Spain.

The twenty-two-member FIFA Executive Committee convened in Zürich on 2 December 2010 to vote to select the hosts of both tournaments.[9] Russia won the right to be the 2018 host in the second round of voting. The Portugal/Spain bid came second, and that from Belgium/Netherlands third. England's bid to host its second tournament fell at the first hurdle.[10]

The voting results were as follows:[11]

2018 FIFA bidding (majority 12 votes)
Bidders Votes
Round 1 Round 2
Russia 9 13
Portugal / Spain 7 7
Belgium / Netherlands 4 2
England 2 Eliminated
Teams

Qualification
Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
For the first time in the history of the FIFA World Cup, all eligible nations - the 209 FIFA member associations minus automatically qualified hosts Russia - entered the qualifying process.[12] Zimbabwe and Indonesia were later disqualified before playing their first matches,[13][14] while Gibraltar and Kosovo, who joined FIFA on 13 May 2016 after the qualifying draw but before European qualifying had begun, also entered the competition.[15] Places in the tournament were allocated to continental confederations, with the allocation unchanged from the 2014 World Cup.[16][17] The first qualification game began in Dili, Timor Leste, on 12 March 2015 as part of the AFC's qualification,[18] and the main qualifying draw took place at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg on 25 July 2015 at 18:00 local time (UTC+3).[19][20][21][2]

Of the thirty-two nations qualified to play at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, twenty countries competed at the previous edition of the tournament in 2014. Both Iceland and Panama qualified for the first time, with the former becoming the smallest country in terms of population to reach the World Cup.[22] Other teams returning after absences of more than three tournaments include: Senegal, competing for the second time after reaching the quarter-finals in 2002; Morocco, who last competed in 1998; Egypt, returning to the finals after a 28-year absence from their last appearance in 1990; and Peru, returning after a 36-year absence (since 1982). It is the first time three Nordic countries (Iceland, Sweden and Denmark) and four Arab nations (Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco) have qualified for the World Cup.[23]

Notable countries that failed to qualify include four-time champions Italy (for the first time since 1958) and 2014 third-place finishers Netherlands. Four reigning continental champions failed to qualify: two-time Copa América champion and 2017 Confederations Cup runner-up Chile; CONCACAF Gold Cup champion United States (for the first time since 1986), 2017 Africa Cup of Nations champion Cameroon, and 2016 OFC Nations Cup champion New Zealand. From the African content, three additional countries also miss out after qualifying in 2014: Ghana and Ivory Coast, who had both made the previous three tournaments, and Algeria, who achieved their best result that year in the round of 16.

AFC (5)
Australia (43)
Iran (34)
Japan (44)
Saudi Arabia (63)
South Korea (62)
CAF (5)
Egypt (30)
Morocco (48)
Nigeria (41)
Senegal (32)
Tunisia (28)
CONCACAF (3)
Costa Rica (22)
Mexico (16)
Panama (49)
CONMEBOL (5)
Argentina (4)
Brazil (2)
Colombia (13)
Peru (10)
Uruguay (17)
OFC (0)
None qualified
UEFA (14)
Belgium (5)
Croatia (18)
Denmark (19)
England (12)
France (7)
Germany (1)
Iceland (21)
Poland (6)
Portugal (3)
Russia (65) (hosts)
Serbia (38)
Spain (8)
Sweden (25)
Switzerland (11)

Team qualified for World Cup
Team failed to qualify for World Cup
Team expelled from the tournament by FIFA prior to playing a match
Country not a FIFA member
Draw
Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup seeding
The draw will be held on 1 December 2017 at the State Kremlin Palace in Moscow.[24] The 32 teams will be drawn into eight groups of four.

For the draw, the teams will be allocated to four pots based on the FIFA World Rankings of October 2017. Pot 1 contains the hosts Russia (which will be automatically assigned to Position A1) and the best seven teams, Pot 2 contains the next best eight teams, and so on for Pots 3 and 4.[25] This will be different from previous draws, where only Pot 1 was based on FIFA Rankings while the remaining pots were based on geographical considerations. Same as previous editions, teams from the same confederation will not be drawn against each other for the group stage, except for UEFA where each group can contain up to two teams.

Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4
Russia (65) (hosts)
Germany (1)
Brazil (2)
Portugal (3)
Argentina (4)
Belgium (5)
Poland (6)
France (7)

Spain (8)
Peru (10)
Switzerland (11)
England (12)
Colombia (13)
Mexico (16)
Uruguay (17)
Croatia (18)

Denmark (19)
Iceland (21)
Costa Rica (22)
Sweden (25)
Tunisia (28)
Egypt (30)
Senegal (32)
Iran (34)

Serbia (38)
Nigeria (41)
Australia (43)
Japan (44)
Morocco (48)
Panama (49)
South Korea (62)
Saudi Arabia (63)

Squads
Each team must first name a preliminary squad of 30 players. From the preliminary squad, the team must name a final squad of 23 players (three of whom must be goalkeepers) by the FIFA deadline. Players in the final squad may be replaced due to serious injury up to 24 hours prior to kickoff of the team's first match, where the replacement players do not need to be in the preliminary squad.[26]

For players named in the 30-player preliminary squad, there is a mandatory rest period between 21 and 27 May 2018, except for those involved in the 2018 UEFA Champions League Final played on 26 May.[27]
Venues

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stadiums of FIFA World Cup 2018.

Russia proposed the following host cities: Kaliningrad, Kazan, Krasnodar, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Saint Petersburg, Samara, Saransk, Sochi, Volgograd, Yaroslavl, and Yekaterinburg.[28] All the cities are in or just outside European Russia to reduce travel time for the teams in the huge country. The bid evaluation report stated: "The Russian bid proposes 13 host cities and 16 stadiums, thus exceeding FIFA's minimum requirement. Three of the 16 stadiums would be renovated, and 13 would be newly constructed."[29]

In October 2011, Russia decreased the number of stadiums from 16 to 14. Construction of the proposed Podolsk stadium in the Moscow region was cancelled by the regional government, and also in the capital, Otkrytiye Arena was competing with Dynamo Stadium over which would be constructed first.[30]

The final choice of host cities was announced on 29 September 2012. The number of cities was further reduced to 11 and number of stadiums to 12 as Krasnodar and Yaroslavl were dropped from the final list.[31]

Sepp Blatter stated in July 2014 that due to concerns over the completion of venues in Russia, the number of venues for the tournament may be reduced from 12 to 10. He also said, "We are not going to be in a situation, as is the case of one, two or even three stadiums in South Africa, where it is a problem of what you do with these stadiums".[32]

In October 2014, on their first official visit to Russia, FIFA's inspection committee and its head Chris Unger visited St Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan and both Moscow venues. They were satisfied with the progress.[33]

On 8 October 2015, FIFA and the Local Organising Committee agreed on the official names of the stadiums used during the tournament.[34]

Moscow Saint Petersburg Kaliningrad
Luzhniki Stadium Otkrytiye Arena
(Spartak Stadium) Krestovsky Stadium
(Saint Petersburg Stadium) Kaliningrad Stadium
Capacity: 81,000 Capacity: 45,360 Capacity: 68,134 Capacity: 35,212[35]
(new stadium)
Luzhniki Stadium1.jpg Stadium Spartak in Moscow.jpg RUS-2016-Aerial-SPB-Krestovsky Stadium 01.jpg Kaliningrad 05-2017 img72 new stadium.jpg
Kazan
2018 FIFA World Cup is located in European Russia MoscowMoscow Saint PetersburgSaint Petersburg KaliningradKaliningrad Nizhny NovgorodNizhny Novgorod KazanKazan SamaraSamara VolgogradVolgograd SaranskSaransk SochiSochi Rostov-on-DonRostov-on-Don YekaterinburgYekaterinburg
Nizhny Novgorod
Kazan Arena Nizhny Novgorod Stadium
Capacity: 45,379 Capacity: 44,899
(new stadium)
RubinKazanNewStadium.png Construction of Nizhny Novgorod Stadium.jpg
Samara Volgograd
Cosmos Arena
(Samara Arena) Volgograd Arena
Capacity: 44,918
(new stadium) Capacity: 45,568
(rebuilt)
Самара Арена Апрель2.png Construction of Volgograd Arena outside.jpg
Saransk Rostov-on-Don Sochi Yekaterinburg
Mordovia Arena Rostov Arena Fisht Olympic Stadium
(Fisht Stadium) Central Stadium
(Ekaterinburg Arena)
Capacity: 45,015
(new stadium) Capacity: 45,000
(new stadium) Capacity: 47,659 Capacity: 35,696[35]
(upgraded)
Mordovia-Arena stadium(building).jpg
Rostov Arena 21.05.2017.jpg
Schedule

A ceremony in Moscow launching the countdown from 1000 days until the 2018 FIFA Football World Cup begins in Russia.
The full schedule was announced by FIFA on 24 July 2015 (without kick-off times, which were confirmed later).[36] Russia will be placed in position A1 in the group stage and play in the opening match at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on 14 June, which will also host the second semi-final on 11 July and the final on 15 July. The Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg will host the first semi-final on 10 July and the third place match on 14 July.[16]
Group stage

The top two teams of each group advance to the round of 16. Matches are played on a round-robin basis.

All times listed are local time.[37]

Tiebreakers
The rankings of teams in each group are determined as follows (regulations Article 32.5):[26]

points obtained in all group matches;
goal difference in all group matches;
number of goals scored in all group matches;
If two or more teams are equal on the basis of the above three criteria, their rankings are determined as follows:

points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned;
goal difference in the group matches between the teams concerned;
number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned;
fair play points
first yellow card: minus 1 point;
indirect red card (second yellow card): minus 3 points;
direct red card: minus 4 points;
yellow card and direct red card: minus 5 points;
drawing of lots by the FIFA Organising Committee.
Group A
Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup Group A
Pos Team v t e Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Russia (H) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to knockout stage
2 A2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 A3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 A4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played on 14 June 2018. Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Host.
14 June 2018
18:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Russia Match 1 A2
Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow
15 June 2018
17:00 YEKT (UTC+5)
A3 Match 2 A4
Central Stadium, Yekaterinburg
19 June 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Russia Match 17 A3
Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg
20 June 2018
18:00 MSK (UTC+3)
A4 Match 18 A2
Rostov Arena, Rostov-on-Don
25 June 2018
18:00 SAMT (UTC+4)
A4 Match 33 Russia
Cosmos Arena, Samara
25 June 2018
17:00 MSK (UTC+3)
A2 Match 34 A3
Volgograd Arena, Volgograd
Group B
Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup Group B
Pos Team v t e Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 B1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to knockout stage
2 B2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 B3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 B4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played on 15 June 2018. Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
15 June 2018
18:00 MSK (UTC+3)
B3 Match 4 B4
Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg
15 June 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
B1 Match 3 B2
Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi
20 June 2018
15:00 MSK (UTC+3)
B1 Match 19 B3
Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow
20 June 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
B4 Match 20 B2
Kazan Arena, Kazan
25 June 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
B4 Match 35 B1
Mordovia Arena, Saransk
25 June 2018
20:00 KALT (UTC+2)
B2 Match 36 B3
Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad
Group C
Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup Group C
Pos Team v t e Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 C1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to knockout stage
2 C2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 C3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 C4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played on 16 June 2018. Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
16 June 2018
13:00 MSK (UTC+3)
C1 Match 5 C2
Kazan Arena, Kazan
16 June 2018
19:00 MSK (UTC+3)
C3 Match 6 C4
Mordovia Arena, Saransk
21 June 2018
17:00 YEKT (UTC+5)
C1 Match 21 C3
Central Stadium, Yekaterinburg
21 June 2018
19:00 SAMT (UTC+4)
C4 Match 22 C2
Cosmos Arena, Samara
26 June 2018
17:00 MSK (UTC+3)
C4 Match 37 C1
Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow
26 June 2018
17:00 MSK (UTC+3)
C2 Match 38 C3
Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi
Group D
Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup Group D
Pos Team v t e Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 D1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to knockout stage
2 D2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 D3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 D4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played on 16 June 2018. Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
16 June 2018
16:00 MSK (UTC+3)
D1 Match 7 D2
Otkrytiye Arena, Moscow
16 June 2018
21:00 KALT (UTC+2)
D3 Match 8 D4
Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad
21 June 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
D1 Match 23 D3
Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod
22 June 2018
18:00 MSK (UTC+3)
D4 Match 24 D2
Volgograd Arena, Volgograd
26 June 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
D4 Match 39 D1
Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg
26 June 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
D2 Match 40 D3
Rostov Arena, Rostov-on-Don
Group E
Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup Group E
Pos Team v t e Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 E1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to knockout stage
2 E2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 E3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 E4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played on 17 June 2018. Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
17 June 2018
16:00 SAMT (UTC+4)
E3 Match 10 E4
Cosmos Arena, Samara
17 June 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
E1 Match 9 E2
Rostov Arena, Rostov-on-Don
22 June 2018
15:00 MSK (UTC+3)
E1 Match 25 E3
Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg
22 June 2018
20:00 KALT (UTC+2)
E4 Match 26 E2
Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad
27 June 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
E4 Match 41 E1
Otkrytiye Arena, Moscow
27 June 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
E2 Match 42 E3
Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod
Group F
Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup Group F
Pos Team v t e Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 F1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to knockout stage
2 F2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 F3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 F4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played on 17 June 2018. Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
17 June 2018
18:00 MSK (UTC+3)
F1 Match 11 F2
Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow
18 June 2018
15:00 MSK (UTC+3)
F3 Match 12 F4
Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod
23 June 2018
18:00 MSK (UTC+3)
F1 Match 27 F3
Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi
23 June 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
F4 Match 28 F2
Rostov Arena, Rostov-on-Don
27 June 2018
17:00 MSK (UTC+3)
F4 Match 43 F1
Kazan Arena, Kazan
27 June 2018
19:00 YEKT (UTC+5)
F2 Match 44 F3
Central Stadium, Yekaterinburg
Group G
Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup Group G
Pos Team v t e Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 G1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to knockout stage
2 G2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 G3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 G4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played on 18 June 2018. Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
18 June 2018
18:00 MSK (UTC+3)
G1 Match 13 G2
Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi
18 June 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
G3 Match 14 G4
Volgograd Arena, Volgograd
23 June 2018
15:00 MSK (UTC+3)
G1 Match 29 G3
Otkrytiye Arena, Moscow
24 June 2018
15:00 MSK (UTC+3)
G4 Match 30 G2
Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod
28 June 2018
20:00 KALT (UTC+2)
G4 Match 45 G1
Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad
28 June 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
G2 Match 46 G3
Mordovia Arena, Saransk
Group H
Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup Group H
Pos Team v t e Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 H1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to knockout stage
2 H2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 H3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 H4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played on 19 June 2018. Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
19 June 2018
15:00 MSK (UTC+3)
H1 Match 15 H2
Otkrytiye Arena, Moscow
19 June 2018
18:00 MSK (UTC+3)
H3 Match 16 H4
Mordovia Arena, Saransk
24 June 2018
20:00 YEKT (UTC+5)
H4 Match 32 H2
Central Stadium, Yekaterinburg
24 June 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
H1 Match 31 H3
Kazan Arena, Kazan
28 June 2018
17:00 MSK (UTC+3)
H4 Match 47 H1
Volgograd Arena, Volgograd
28 June 2018
18:00 SAMT (UTC+4)
H2 Match 48 H3
Cosmos Arena, Samara
Knockout stage

Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage
In the knockout stages, if a match is level at the end of normal playing time, extra time is played (two periods of 15 minutes each) and followed, if necessary, by a penalty shoot-out to determine the winner.[26]

Bracket

Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final

30 June – Sochi

Winner Group A

6 July – Nizhny Novgorod

Runner-up Group B

Winner Match 49

30 June – Kazan

Winner Match 50

Winner Group C

10 July – Saint Petersburg

Runner-up Group D

Winner Match 57

2 July – Samara

Winner Match 58

Winner Group E

6 July – Kazan

Runner-up Group F

Winner Match 53

2 July – Rostov-on-Don

Winner Match 54

Winner Group G

15 July – Moscow (Luzhniki)

Runner-up Group H

Winner Match 61

1 July – Moscow (Luzhniki)

Winner Match 62

Winner Group B

7 July – Sochi

Runner-up Group A

Winner Match 51

1 July – Nizhny Novgorod

Winner Match 52

Winner Group D

11 July – Moscow (Luzhniki)

Runner-up Group C

Winner Match 59

3 July – Saint Petersburg

Winner Match 60 Third place play-off

Winner Group F

7 July – Samara 14 July – Saint Petersburg

Runner-up Group E

Winner Match 55 Loser Match 61

3 July – Moscow (Otkrytiye)

Winner Match 56 Loser Match 62

Winner Group H

Runner-up Group G

Round of 16
30 June 2018
17:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Winner Group C Match 50 Runner-up Group D
Kazan Arena, Kazan
30 June 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Winner Group A Match 49 Runner-up Group B
Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi
1 July 2018
17:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Winner Group B Match 51 Runner-up Group A
Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow
1 July 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Winner Group D Match 52 Runner-up Group C
Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod
2 July 2018
18:00 SAMT (UTC+4)
Winner Group E Match 53 Runner-up Group F
Cosmos Arena, Samara
2 July 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Winner Group G Match 54 Runner-up Group H
Rostov Arena, Rostov-on-Don
3 July 2018
17:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Winner Group F Match 55 Runner-up Group E
Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg
3 July 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Winner Group H Match 56 Runner-up Group G
Otkrytiye Arena, Moscow
Quarter-finals
6 July 2018
17:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Winner Match 49 Match 57 Winner Match 50
Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod
6 July 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Winner Match 53 Match 58 Winner Match 54
Kazan Arena, Kazan
7 July 2018
18:00 SAMT (UTC+4)
Winner Match 55 Match 60 Winner Match 56
Cosmos Arena, Samara
7 July 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Winner Match 51 Match 59 Winner Match 52
Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi
Semi-finals
10 July 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Winner Match 57 Match 61 Winner Match 58
Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg
11 July 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Winner Match 59 Match 62 Winner Match 60
Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow
Third place play-off
14 July 2018
17:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Loser Match 61 Match 63 Loser Match 62
Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg
Final
Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup Final
15 July 2018
18:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Winner Match 61 Match 64 Winner Match 62
Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow
Controversies

Main article: List of 2018 FIFA World Cup controversies
As with the 2014 Winter Olympics, the choice of Russia as host has been challenged. Controversial issues have included the level of racism in Russian football,[38][39] and discrimination against LGBT people in wider Russian society.[40][41] Russia's involvement in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine has also caused calls for the tournament to be moved, particularly following the annexation of Crimea.[42][43] FIFA President Sepp Blatter said: "The World Cup has been given and voted to Russia and we are going forward with our work".[44]

Allegations of corruption in the bidding processes for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups caused threats from England's FA to boycott the tournament.[45] FIFA appointed Michael J. Garcia, a US attorney, to investigate and produce a report (the Garcia Report) on the corruption allegations. Although the report was never published, FIFA released a 42-page summary of its findings as determined by German judge Hans-Joachim Eckert. Eckert's summary cleared Russia and Qatar of any wrongdoing, but was denounced by critics as a whitewash.[46] Garcia criticised the summary as being "materially incomplete" with "erroneous representations of the facts and conclusions", and appealed to FIFA's Appeal Committee.[47][48] The committee declined to hear his appeal, so Garcia resigned in protest of FIFA's conduct, citing a "lack of leadership" and lack of confidence in the independence of Eckert.[49]

On 3 June 2015, the FBI confirmed that the federal authorities were investigating the bidding and awarding processes for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.[50][51] In an interview published on 7 June 2015, Domenico Scala, the head of FIFA's Audit And Compliance Committee, stated that "should there be evidence that the awards to Qatar and Russia came only because of bought votes, then the awards could be cancelled".[52][53]

Due to the financial crisis in the Russian economy, the budget for the preparations was cut a few times. In June 2015, a government decree cut the budget by $560 million, to a total of $11.8 billion.[54]
Russian visa policy

The general visa policy of Russia will not apply to the World Cup participants and fans, who will be able to visit Russia without a visa right before and during the competition regardless of their citizenship.[55]
Branding

The typeface used for branding
The tournament logo was unveiled on 28 October 2014 by cosmonauts at the International Space Station and then projected onto Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre during an evening television programme. Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said that the logo was inspired by "Russia's rich artistic tradition and its history of bold achievement and innovation", and FIFA President Sepp Blatter stated that it reflected the "heart and soul" of the country.[56] For the branding, a typeface called Dusha (from Душа, Russian for soul) was created by Portuguese design agency Brandia Central in 2014.
Broadcasting rights

See also: 2018 FIFA World Cup broadcasting rights
FIFA, through several companies, sold the broadcasting rights for the 2018 FIFA World Cup to various local broadcasters.

In the United States, the 2018 World Cup will be the first men's World Cup whose rights will be held by Fox Sports. The elimination of the U.S. national team in qualifying led to concerns that U.S. interest and viewership of this World Cup would be reduced (particularly "casual" viewers interested in the U.S. team), especially noting how much Fox paid for the rights, and that U.S. games at the 2014 World Cup peaked at 16.5 million viewers. During a launch event prior to the elimination, Fox stated that it had planned to place a secondary focus on the Mexican team in its coverage to take advantage of their popularity in the U.S.; the network stated that it still committed to broadcasting a significant amount of coverage for the tournament.[57][58][59]
Prize money

Prize money amounts were announced in October 2017.[60]

Position Amount (USD million)
Per team Total
Champions 38 38
Runners-up 28 28
Third place 24 24
Fourth place 22 22
5th–8th place 16 64
9th–16th place 12 96
17th–32nd place 8 128
Total 400
Mascot

The official FIFA World Cup mascot for the 2018 tournament, a wolf named Zabivaka ("the one who scores" in Russian), was unveiled on 21 October 2016. Representing an anthropomorphic wolf with brown and white wool T-shirt with the words "RUSSIA 2018" and orange sport glasses. The combination of white, blue and red T-shirt and shorts are the national colors of the Russian team. The student designer is Ekaterina Bocharova, and the mascot was selected by Internet voting.

The election results were announced on 22 October 2016, in the Evening Urgant on Channel One Russia. Wolf, named Zabivaka, scored 53% of the vote, ahead of Tiger (27%). Cat, with 20% of the vote, was third. More than 1 million people participated in the voting, which took place during September 2016 on the FIFA platforms, as well as during the live broadcast on Channel One, where the results of the creative competition were announced.[61]
Ticketing

The first phase of ticket sales started on 14 September 2017, 12:00 Moscow time, and lasted until 12 October 2017.[62]
Sponsorship

FIFA partners FIFA World Cup sponsors European supporters
Adidas[63]
Coca-Cola[64]
Gazprom[65]
Hyundai–Kia[66]
Qatar Airways[67]
VISA[68]
Wanda Group[69]
Anheuser-Busch InBev[70]
Hisense[71]
McDonald's[72]
Vivo[73]
Alfa-
See also

2017 FIFA Confederations Cup
2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)
2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)
2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)
2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)
2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC)
References

^ Standard Russian pronunciation is [tɕɪmʲpʲɪɐˈnat ˈmʲirə pə fʊdˈboɫʊ dʲvʲɪ ˈtɨsʲɪtɕɪ vəsʲɪmˈnatsətʲ]
^ a b "Ethics: Executive Committee unanimously supports recommendation to publish report on 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup™ bidding process" (Press release). FIFA.com. 19 December 2014.
^ "Russia united for 2018 FIFA World Cup Host Cities announcement". FIFA.com. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
^ "FIFA Picks Cities for World Cup 2018". En.rsport.ru. 29 September 2012. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
^ "Russia budget for 2018 Fifa World Cup nearly doubles". BBC News. 30 September 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
^ Goff, Steve (16 January 2009). "Future World Cups". The Washington Post. Retrieved 16 January 2009.
^ "Mexico withdraws FIFA World Cup bid". FIFA. 29 September 2009. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
^ "Indonesia's bid to host the 2022 World Cup bid ends". BBC Sport. 19 March 2010. Archived from the original on 20 March 2010. Retrieved 19 March 2010.
^ "Combined bidding confirmed". FIFA. 20 December 2008. Archived from the original on 22 January 2009. Retrieved 20 December 2008.
^ "England miss out to Russia in 2018 World Cup Vote". BBC News. 2 December 2010. Archived from the original on 3 December 2010. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
^ Doyle, Paul; Busfield, Steve (2 December 2010). "World Cup 2018 and 2022 decision day – live!". The Guardian. London.
^ "Road to Russia with new milestone". FIFA.com. 15 January 2015.
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^ a b "2022 FIFA World Cup to be played in November/December". FIFA.com. 20 March 2015.
^ "Current allocation of FIFA World Cup™ confederation slots maintained". FIFA.com. 30 May 2015.
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^ a b c "Regulations – 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia" (PDF). FIFA.com.
^ "Rest periods tor the players on the provisional list tor the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™" (PDF). FIFA.com. 30 March 2017.
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^ Marikar, Hafiz. "Russia to host next FIFA World Cup". Dailynews.lk. The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd. Archived from the original on 9 August 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
^ "Почему у России осталось только 14 стадионов к ЧМ-2018 – Известия (Why are there only 14 stadiums for the Russia 2018 World Cup)" (in Russian). Izvestia.ru. 7 October 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
^ "2018 FIFA World Cup™ to be played in 11 Host Cities". fifa.com. 29 September 2012. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
^ Saakov, Rafael (22 July 2014). "Russia 2018: Major challenges for next World Cup hosts". BBC News. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
^ Rogovitskiy, Dmitriy (21 October 2014). "Russia on track for World Cup 2018, say FIFA inspectors". Reuters. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
^ "Stadium names for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ confirmed". FIFA.com. 8 October 2015.
^ a b "Capacity at 2 of Russia's stadiums to be reduced". The Oklahoman (via Associated Press). 26 September 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
^ "Match schedules for FIFA Confederations Cup 2017 and 2018 FIFA World Cup™ unveiled". FIFA.com. 24 July 2015.
^ "FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 - Match Schedule" (PDF). FIFA.com.
^ Syal, Rajeev (3 December 2010). "World Cup 2018 win raises Russian racism fears". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
^ "Yaya Toure: Black players may boycott 2018 Russia World Cup". BBC Sport. 25 October 2013.
^ J.P. McCormick (25 March 2014). "Campaigns demand FIFA bans Russia from hosting 2018 World Cup due to anti-gay law". Pink News.
^ J. Lavin (28 February 2014). "Why FIFA Needs to Move the World Cup". advocate.com.
^ "Fifa urged to rethink staging 2018 World Cup in Russia". Bbc.com. 21 March 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
^ Winter, Stuart (23 March 2014). "US calls for Fifa to drop Russia from hosting World Cup in 2018". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
^ "Sepp Blatter: Russia will host 2018 World Cup despite Crimea". BBC Sport. 21 March 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
^ Ornstein, David (17 November 2014). "World Cup: Former FA chief David Bernstein calls for boycott". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
^ Dunbar, Graham. "FIFA under fire after report on Qatar, Russia". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 16 November 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
^ Roan, Dan (17 November 2014). "Greg Dyke: FA demands full report findings into World Cup corruption". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
^ Conway, Richard. "FIFA corruption report: Who is to blame and what happens now?". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
^ "Michael Garcia: FIFA investigator resigns in World Cup report row". BBC. 17 December 2014.
^ "Ben Rumsby, "Fifa in crisis: FBI extends investigation to Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 World Cup bids", The Telegraph". 4 June 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
^ "James Riach "FBI investigating Fifa's awarding of 2018 and 2022 World Cups – report", The Guardian". 3 June 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
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^ Draper, Kevin (11 October 2017). "Fox and Others Will Feel Pain of U.S. Absence at World Cup". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
^ "USMNT elimination is a disaster for Fox Sports". SI.com. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
^ "Fox Projects Up to $20 Million in Lost World Cup Ad Sales". Bloomberg.com. 11 October 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
^ Henley, Brendon (27 October 2017). "FIFA World Cup Prize Money" (pdf). FIFA.com. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
^ "Wolf chosen as 2018 FIFA World Cup Official Mascot and named Zabivaka" (Press release). FIFA. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
^ "Ticket sales for 2018 FIFA World Cup™ to start on 14 September 2017". FIFA.com. 12 September 2017.
^ "FIFA and adidas extend partnership until 2030". FIFA.com. FIFA. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
^ "Coca-Cola renews Fifa football sponsorship until 2022". Campaignlive.co.uk. Campaign. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
^ "Gazprom agrees Fifa sponsorship deal". SportsProMedia.com. SportsPro. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
^ "Hyundai-Kia drives on as FIFA Partner until 2022". FIFA.com. FIFA. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
^ "Qatar Airways announced as Official Partner and Official Airline of FIFA until 2022". FIFA.com. FIFA. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
^ "Visa extending World Cup deal for eight years". SportsBusinessDaily.com. Sports Business Daily. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
^ "Wanda Group becomes new FIFA Partner". FIFA.com. FIFA. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
^ "FIFA and Anheuser-Busch InBev announce FIFA World Cup™ sponsorship for 2018 / 2022". FIFA.com. FIFA. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
^ "Hisense becomes Official Sponsor of 2018 FIFA World Cup™". FIFA.com. FIFA. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
^ "McDonald's looking ahead to 2018". FIFA.com. FIFA. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
^ "Fifa agrees massive World Cup deal with Vivo". SportsProMedia.com. SportsPro. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
^ "Alfa-Bank unveiled as first-ever Regional Supporter for the FIFA World Cup™". FIFA.com. FIFA. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2018 FIFA World Cup.

FIFA.com 2018 website
Welcome2018.com
2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ - Match Schedule , PDF
Taznur Anam.....coneected.