The 21st edition of FIFA World Cup was held in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018. 32 countries participated in 2018 FIFA World Cup which was won by France defeating Croatia in the final. Germany was title defending champion in the tournament but they knocked out in the first round. This was the first occasion when a football world cup was hosted at Soviet Union area.
Host Selection
At the initial stage 9 countries bid to host Fifa World Cup 2018. On 2 December, 2010 Federation International de Football Association announced that 21st FIFA world cup will be played in Russia.
Official Mascot
FIFA announced the official mascot for 2018 world cup on 21 October, 2016. The official FIFA world cup 2018 Russia mascot is named as “Zabivaka” which means “the one who scores” as per Russian language. There was race among three mascots a cat, a tiger and a wolf to become mascot for the tournament. But with 53%, wolf was chosen. The wolf signifies the fun, charm and confidence.
2018 world cup official mascot was developed and designed by student designer Ekaterina Bocharova. Tiger and cat received 27% and 20% votes respectively. As per Federation International Football Association, 1,000,000 votes were cast and 537522 votes were given to wolf “Zabivaka”.
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Venues
11 cities and 12 grounds hosted the FIFA world cup 2018. Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow hosted the final of 21st Fifa world cup.
| GROUND | CITY | CAPACITY |
| Luzhniki Stadium | Moscow | 81,000 |
| Otkrytie Arena | Moscow | 44,929 |
| Zenit Arena | Saint Petersburg | 66,881 |
| Kaliningrad Stadium | Kaliningrad | 35,000 |
| Kazan Arena | Kazan | 45,105 |
| Strelka Stadium | Nizhny Novgorod | 44,899 |
| Samara Stadium | Samara | 44,918 |
| Central Stadium | Volgograd | 45,015 |
| Yubileyniy Stadium | Saransk | 45,015 |
| Levberdon Arena | Rostov-on-Don | 43,702 |
| Fisht Olympic Stadium | Sochi | 47,659 |
| Central Stadium | Yekaterinburg | 35,000 |
Qualified Teams
32 teams participated in the 2018 football world cup. Russia qualified for the championship as they were hosting the event. Brazil was the first team to qualify for the world cup from qualifying stage.
- Russia
- Brazil
- Iran
- Japan
- Mexico
- Belgium
- South Korea
- Saudi Arabia
- Germany
- England
- Spain
- Nigeria
- Costa Rica
- Poland
- Egypt
- Iceland
- Serbia
- Portugal
- France
- Uruguay
- Argentina
- Colombia
- Panama
- Senegal
- Morocco
- Tunisia
- Switzerland
- Croatia
- Sweden
- Denmark
- Australia
- Peru
Groups
Host Russia was placed in the Group A as FIFA announced the schedule of 2018 world cup. Rest 31 teams were divided in the 8 groups of competition.
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
| Russia | Portugal | France | Argentina |
| Saudi Arabia | Spain | Australia | Iceland |
| Egypt | Morocco | Peru | Croatia |
| Uruguay | Iran | Denmark | Nigeria |
| Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H |
| Brazil | Germany | Belgium | Poland |
| Switzerland | Mexico | Panama | Senegal |
| Costa Rica | Sweden | Tunisia | Colombia |
| Serbia | Korea Republic | England | Japan |
Schedule
Federation Internationale de Football Association declared the full schedule on 24 July, 2015. Hosts Russia played opening match of world cup on 14 June, 2018 against Saudi Arabia at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow and won it. Luzhniki Stadium hosted second semi-final and final of the tournament on 11 and 15 July 2018 respectively.
Fixtures
Download: FIFA World Cup 2018 Fixtures PDF
| Date | Match | Fixture | Venue |
| 14 June 2018 | Match 1 | Russia vs Saudi Arabia | Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow |
| 15 June 2018 | Match 2 | Egypt vs Uruguay | Central Stadium, Yekaterinburg |
| 15 June 2018 | Match 3 | Portugal vs Spain | Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi |
| 15 June 2018 | Match 4 | Morocco vs Iran | Zenit Arena, Saint Petersburg |
| 16 June 2018 | Match 5 | France vs Australia | Kazan Arena, Kazan |
| 16 June 2018 | Match 6 | Peru vs Denmark | Mordovia-Arena, Saransk |
| 16 June 2018 | Match 7 | Argentina vs Iceland | Spartak Stadium, Moscow |
| 16 June 2018 | Match 8 | Croatia vs Nigeria | Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad |
| 17 June 2018 | Match 9 | Brazil vs Switzerland | Levberdon Arena, Rostov-on-Don |
| 17 June 2018 | Match 10 | Costa Rica vs Serbia | Cosmos Arena, Samara |
| 17 June 2018 | Match 11 | Germany vs Mexico | Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow |
| 18 June 2018 | Match 12 | Sweden vs Korea Republic | Strelka Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod |
| 18 June 2018 | Match 13 | Belgium vs Panama | Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi |
| 18 June 2018 | Match 14 | Tunisia vs England | Central Stadium, Volgograd |
| 19 June 2018 | Match 15 | Poland vs Senegal | Spartak Stadium, Moscow |
| 19 June 2018 | Match 16 | Colombia vs Japan | Mordovia-Arena, Saransk |
| 19 June 2018 | Match 17 | Russia vs Egypt | Zenit Arena, Saint Petersburg |
| 20 June 2018 | Match 18 | Uruguay vs Saudi Arabia | Levberdon Arena, Rostov-on-Don |
| 20 June 2018 | Match 19 | Portugal vs Morocco | Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow |
| 20 June 2018 | Match 20 | Iran vs Spain | Kazan Arena, Kazan |
| 21 June 2018 | Match 21 | France vs Peru | Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad |
| 21 June 2018 | Match 22 | Denmark vs Australia | Cosmos Arena, Samara |
| 21 June 2018 | Match 23 | Argentina vs Croatia | Strelka Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod |
| 22 June 2018 | Match 24 | Nigeria vs Iceland | Central Stadium, Volgograd |
| 22 June 2018 | Match 25 | Brazil vs Costa Rica | Zenit Arena, Saint Petersburg |
| 22 June 2018 | Match 26 | Serbia vs Switzerland | Central Stadium, Yekaterinburg |
| 23 June 2018 | Match 27 | Germany vs Sweden | Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi |
| 23 June 2018 | Match 28 | Korea Republic vs Mexico | Levberdon Arena, Rostov-on-Don |
| 23 June 2018 | Match 29 | Belgium vs Tunisia | Spartak Stadium, Moscow |
| 24 June 2018 | Match 30 | England vs Panama | Strelka Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod |
| 24 June 2018 | Match 31 | Poland vs Colombia | Kazan Arena, Kazan |
| 24 June 2018 | Match 32 | Japan vs Senegal | Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad |
| 25 June 2018 | Match 33 | Uruguay vs Russia | Cosmos Arena, Samara |
| 25 June 2018 | Match 34 | Saudi Arabia vs Egypt | Central Stadium, Volgograd |
| 25 June 2018 | Match 35 | Iran vs Portugal | Mordovia-Arena, Saransk |
| 25 June 2018 | Match 36 | Spain vs Morocco | Central Stadium, Yekaterinburg |
| 26 June 2018 | Match 37 | Denmark vs France | Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow |
| 26 June 2018 | Match 38 | Australia vs Peru | Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi |
| 26 June 2018 | Match 39 | Nigeria vs Argentina | Zenit Arena, Saint Petersburg |
| 26 June 2018 | Match 40 | Iceland vs Croatia | Levberdon Arena, Rostov-on-Don |
| 27 June 2018 | Match 41 | Serbia vs Brazil | Spartak Stadium, Moscow |
| 27 June 2018 | Match 42 | Switzerland vs Costa Rica | Strelka Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod |
| 27 June 2018 | Match 43 | Korea Republic vs Germany | Kazan Arena, Kazan |
| 27 June 2018 | Match 44 | Mexico vs Sweden | Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad |
| 28 June 2018 | Match 45 | England vs Belgium | Central Stadium, Yekaterinburg |
| 28 June 2018 | Match 46 | Panama vs Tunisia | Mordovia-Arena, Saransk |
| 28 June 2018 | Match 47 | Japan vs Poland | Central Stadium, Volgograd |
| 28 June 2018 | Match 48 | Senegal vs Colombia | Cosmos Arena, Samara |
Round of 16 |
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| 30 June 2018 | Match 49 | Uruguay vs Portugal | Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi |
| 30 June 2018 | Match 50 | France vs Argentina | Kazan Arena, Kazan |
| 1 July 2018 | Match 51 | Spain vs Russia | Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow |
| 1 July 2018 | Match 52 | Croatia vs Denmark | Strelka Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod |
| 2 July 2018 | Match 53 | Brazil vs Mexico | Cosmos Arena, Samara |
| 2 July 2018 | Match 54 | Belgium vs Japan | Levberdon Arena, Rostov-on-Don |
| 3 July 2018 | Match 55 | Sweden vs Switzerland | Zenit Arena, Saint Petersburg |
| 3 July 2018 | Match 56 | Colombia vs England | Spartak Stadium, Moscow |
Quarter-Finals |
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| 6 July 2018 | Match 57 | Quarter-Final 1: Uruguay vs France | Strelka Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod |
| 6 July 2018 | Match 58 | Quarter-Final 2: Brazil vs Belgium | Kazan Arena, Kazan |
| 7 July 2018 | Match 59 | Quarter-Final 3: Sweden vs England | Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi |
| 7 July 2018 | Match 60 | Quarter-Final 4: Russia vs Croatia | Cosmos Arena, Samara |
Semi-Finals |
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| 10 July 2018 | Match 61 | Semi-Final 1: France vs Belgium | Zenit Arena, Saint Petersburg |
| 11 July 2018 | Match 62 | Semi-Final 2: Croatia vs England | Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow |
Third Place |
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| 14 July 2018 | Match 63 | Third Place Match: Belgium vs England | Zenit Arena, Saint Petersburg |
Final |
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| 15 July 2018 | Match 64 | Final: France vs Croatia | Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow |
Download: FIFA World Cup 2018 Fixtures PDF
Broadcasting Rights
SBS, DirecTV, beIN Sports and EBU were the major broadcasting networks for 2018 Football world cup. The full list of broadcasters and TV channels network was published here.
