2018 FIFA World Cup
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigationJump to search
“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.
Current sports event
This article documents a current sporting event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses. Initial news reports, scores, or statistics may be unreliable. The last updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. Please feel free to improve this article or discuss changes on the talk page. (June 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
2018 FIFA World Cup
Чемпионат мира по футболу FIFA 2018
Chempionat mira po futbolu FIFA 2018
2018 FIFA World Cup.svg
2018 FIFA World Cup official logo
Tournament details
Host country Russia
Dates 14 June – 15 July
Teams 32 (from 5 confederations)
Venue(s) 12 (in 11 host cities)
Final positions
Champions France (2nd title)
Runners-up Croatia
Third place Belgium
Fourth place England
Tournament statistics
Matches played 63
Goals scored 163 (2.59 per match)
Attendance 2,953,757 (46,885 per match)
Top scorer(s) England Harry Kane (6 goals)
← 2014 2022 →
All statistics correct as of 14 July 2018.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup is the 21st FIFA World Cup, an international football tournament contested by the men’s national teams of the member associations of FIFA once every four years. It is currently ongoing in Russia starting from 14 June and will end with the final match on 15 July 2018.[1]

This is the first World Cup to be held in Eastern Europe,[2] and the eleventh time that it has been held in Europe. For the first time the tournament takes place on two continents – Europe and Asia.[3] All but two of the stadium venues are in European Russia. At an estimated cost of over $14.2 billion, it is the most expensive World Cup ever.[4] This is also the first World Cup to use video assistant referees (VARs).[5][6]

The final tournament involves 32 national teams, which include 31 teams determined through qualifying competitions and the automatically qualified host team. Of the 32 teams, 20 made back-to-back appearances following the last tournament in 2014, while both Iceland and Panama made their first appearances at a FIFA World Cup. A total of 64 matches will be played in 12 venues located in 11 cities. The final will take place on 15 July at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.[7]

Contents
1 Host selection
1.1 Criticism
2 Teams
2.1 Qualification
2.2 Draw
2.3 Squads
3 Officiating
3.1 Video assistant referees
4 Venues
4.1 Stadiums
4.2 Team base camps
5 Preparation and costs
5.1 Budget
5.2 Infrastructure spending
5.3 Volunteers
5.4 Transport
6 Schedule
7 Opening ceremony
8 Group stage
8.1 Tiebreakers
8.2 Group A
8.3 Group B
8.4 Group C
8.5 Group D
8.6 Group E
8.7 Group F
8.8 Group G
8.9 Group H
9 Knockout stage
9.1 Bracket
9.2 Round of 16
9.3 Quarter-finals
9.4 Semi-finals
9.5 Third place play-off
9.6 Final
10 Statistics
10.1 Goalscorers
10.2 Discipline
11 Prize money
12 Marketing
12.1 Branding
12.2 Mascot
12.3 Ticketing
12.4 Match ball
12.5 Merchandise
12.6 Official song
13 Controversies
13.1 Host selection
13.2 Response to Skripal poisoning
14 Broadcasting rights
15 Sponsorship
16 See also
17 Notes
18 References
19 External links
Host selection
Main article: Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup bid

Russian bid personnel celebrate the awarding of the 2018 World Cup to Russia on 2 December 2010.

President Vladimir Putin holding the FIFA World Cup Trophy at a pre-tournament ceremony in Moscow on 9 September 2017

The 100-ruble commemorative banknote celebrates the 2018 FIFA World Cup. It features an image of Soviet goalkeeper Lev Yashin.
The bidding procedure to host the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup tournaments began in January 2009, and national associations had until 2 February 2009 to register their interest.[8] Initially, nine countries placed bids for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but Mexico later withdrew from proceedings,[9] and Indonesia’s bid was rejected by FIFA in February 2010 after the Indonesian government failed to submit a letter to support the bid.[10] 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, two of which were joint bids: England, Russia, Netherlands/Belgium, and Portugal/Spain.

The 22-member FIFA Executive Committee convened in Zürich on 2 December 2010 to vote to select the hosts of both tournaments.[11] 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, which was bidding to host its second tournament, was eliminated in the first round.[12]

The voting results were as follows:[13]

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
Criticism
The English Football Association and others raised concerns of bribery on the part of the Russian team and corruption from FIFA members. They claimed that four members of the executive committee had requested bribes to vote for England, and Sepp Blatter had said that it had already been arranged before the vote that Russia would win.[14] The 2014 Garcia Report, an internal investigation led by Michael J. Garcia, was withheld from public release by Hans-Joachim Eckert, FIFA’s head of adjudication on ethical matters. Eckert instead released a shorter revised summary, and his (and therefore FIFA’s) reluctance to publish the full report caused Garcia to resign in protest.[15] Because of the controversy, the FA refused to accept Eckert’s absolving of Russia from blame, with Greg Dyke calling for a re-examination of the affair and David Bernstein calling for a boycott of the World Cup.[16][17]

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 – applied to enter the qualifying process.[18] Zimbabwe and Indonesia were later disqualified before playing their first matches,[19][20] 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.[21] Places in the tournament were allocated to continental confederations, with the allocation unchanged from the 2014 World Cup.[22][23] The first qualification game, between Timor-Leste and Mongolia, began in Dili on 12 March 2015 as part of the AFC’s qualification,[24] and the main qualifying draw took place at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg, on 25 July 2015.[25][26][27][1]

Of the 32 nations qualified to play at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, 20 countries competed at the previous 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.[28] Other teams returning after absences of at least three tournaments include: Egypt, returning to the finals after their last appearance in 1990; Morocco, who last competed in 1998; Peru, returning after 1982; and Senegal, competing for the second time after reaching the quarter-finals in 2002. It is the first time three Nordic countries (Denmark, Iceland and Sweden) and four Arab nations (Egypt, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia) have qualified for the World Cup.[29]

Notable countries that failed to qualify include four-time champions Italy (for the first time since 1958), three-time runners-up and third placed in 2014 the Netherlands (for the first time since 2002), and four reigning continental champions: 2017 Africa Cup of Nations winners Cameroon, two-time Copa América champions and 2017 Confederations Cup runners-up Chile, 2016 OFC Nations Cup winners New Zealand, and 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup champions United States (for the first time since 1986). The other notable qualifying streaks broken were for Ghana and Ivory Coast, who had both made the previous three tournaments.[30]

Note: Numbers in parentheses indicate positions in the FIFA World Rankings at the time of the tournament.[31]

AFC (5)
Australia (36)
Iran (37)
Japan (61)
Saudi Arabia (67)
South Korea (57)
CAF (5)
Egypt (45)
Morocco (41)
Nigeria (48)
Senegal (27)
Tunisia (21)
CONCACAF (3)
Costa Rica (23)
Mexico (15)
Panama (55)
CONMEBOL (5)
Argentina (5)
Brazil (2)
Colombia (16)
Peru (11)
Uruguay (14)
OFC (0)
None qualified
UEFA (14)
Belgium (3)
Croatia (20)
Denmark (=12)
England (=12)
France (7)
Germany (1)
Iceland (22)
Poland (8)
Portugal (4)
Russia (70) (host)
Serbia (34)
Spain (10)
Sweden (24)
Switzerland (6)

Qualified
Did not qualify
Disqualified
Not a FIFA member
Draw
Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup seeding
The draw was held on 1 December 2017 at 18:00 MSK at the State Kremlin Palace in Moscow.[32][33] The 32 teams were drawn into 8 groups of 4, by selecting one team from each of the 4 ranked pots.

For the draw, the teams were allocated to four pots based on the FIFA World Rankings of October 2017. Pot 1 contained the hosts Russia (who were automatically assigned to position A1) and the best seven teams, pot 2 contained the next best eight teams, and so on for pots 3 and 4.[34] This was different from previous draws, when only pot 1 was based on FIFA rankings while the remaining pots were based on geographical considerations. However, teams from the same confederation still were not drawn against each other for the group stage, except that two UEFA teams could be in each group.

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
Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup squads
Initially, each team had to name a preliminary squad of 30 players but, in February 2018, this was increased to 35.[35] From the preliminary squad, the team had to name a final squad of 23 players (three of whom must be goalkeepers) by 4 June. Players in the final squad may be replaced for serious injury up to 24 hours prior to kickoff of the team’s first match and such replacements do not need to have been named in the preliminary squad.[36]

For players named in the 35-player preliminary squad, there was 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.[37]

Officiating
Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup officials
On 29 March 2018, FIFA released the list of 36 referees and 63 assistant referees selected to oversee matches.[38] On 30 April 2018, FIFA released the list of 13 video assistant referees, who will solely act in this capacity in the tournament.[39]

On 30 May 2018, referee Fahad Al-Mirdasi of Saudi Arabia was removed over a match fixing attempt,[40] along with his two assistant referees, compatriots Mohammed Al-Abakry and Abdulah Al-Shalwai. A new referee was not appointed, but two assistant referees, Hasan Al Mahri of the United Arab Emirates and Hiroshi Yamauchi of Japan, were added to the list.[41][42] Assistant referee Marwa Range of Kenya also withdrew after the BBC released an investigation conducted by a Ghanaian journalist which implicated Marwa in a bribery scandal.[43]

List of officials
Video assistant referees

VAR in use in during the Group D match between Nigeria and Iceland, at Volgograd.
Shortly after the International Football Association Board’s decision to incorporate video assistant referees (VARs) into the Laws of the Game, on 16 March 2018, the FIFA Council took the much-anticipated step of approving the use of VAR for the first time in a FIFA World Cup tournament.[44][45]

VAR operations for all games are operating from a single headquarters in Moscow, which receives live video of the games and are in radio contact with the on-field referees.[46] Systems are in place for communicating VAR-related information to broadcasters and visuals on stadiums’ large screens are used for the fans in attendance.[46]

VAR had a significant impact in several games.[47] On 15 June 2018, Diego Costa’s goal against Portugal became the first World Cup goal based on a VAR decision;[48] the first penalty as a result of a VAR decision was awarded to France in their match against Australia on 16 June and resulted in a goal by Antoine Griezmann.[49] A record number of penalties were awarded in the tournament, with this phenomenon being partially attributed to VAR.[50] Overall, the new technology has been both praised and criticised by commentators.[51] FIFA declared the implementation of VAR a success after the first week of competition.[52]

Venues
Further information: 2018 FIFA World Cup 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.[53] Most cities are in European Russia, while Sochi[54] and Yekaterinburg[55] are very close to the Europe-Asia border, 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.”[56]

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.[57]

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. Of the 12 stadiums used for the tournament, 3 (Luzhniki, Yekaterinburg and Sochi) have been extensively renovated and the other 9 stadiums to be used are brand new; $11.8 billion has been spent on hosting the tournament.[58]

Sepp Blatter stated in July 2014 that, given the 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”.[59]

Reconstruction of the Yekaterinburg Central Stadium in January 2017
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.[60]

On 8 October 2015, FIFA and the Local Organising Committee agreed on the official names of the stadiums used during the tournament.[61]

Of the twelve venues used, the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow and the Saint Petersburg Stadium – the two largest stadiums in Russia – will be used most, both hosting seven matches. Sochi, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod and Samara will all host six matches, including one quarter-final match each, while the Otkrytiye Stadium in Moscow and Rostov-on-Don will host five matches, including one round-of-16 match each. Volgograd, Kaliningrad, Yekaterinburg and Saransk will all host four matches, but will not host any knockout stage games.

Stadiums

Exterior of Otkrytie Arena in Moscow
A total of twelve stadiums in eleven Russian cities have been built and renovated for the FIFA World Cup.[62]

Kaliningrad: Kaliningrad Stadium. The first piles were driven into the ground in September 2015. On 11 April 2018 the new stadium hosted its first match.
Kazan: Kazan Arena. The stadium was built for the 2013 Summer Universiade. It has since hosted the 2015 World Aquatics Championship and the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. The stadium serves as a home arena to FC Rubin Kazan.
Moscow: Luzhniki Stadium. The largest stadium in the country was closed for renovation in 2013. The stadium was commissioned in November 2017.
Moscow: Spartak Stadium. The stadium is a home arena to its namesake FC Spartak Moscow. In accordance with the FIFA requirements, during the 2018 World Cup it is called Spartak Stadium instead of its usual name Otkritie Arena. The stadium hosted its first match on 5 September 2014.
Nizhny Novgorod: Nizhny Novgorod Stadium. The construction of the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium commenced in 2015. The project was completed in December 2017.[63]
Rostov-on-Don: Rostov Arena. The stadium is located on the left bank of the Don River. The stadium construction was completed on 22 December 2017.
Saint Petersburg: Saint Petersburg Stadium. The construction of the stadium commenced in 2007. The project was officially completed on 29 December 2016.[64] The stadium has hosted games of the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and will serve as a venue for UEFA Euro 2020.
Samara: Samara Arena. The construction officially started on 21 July 2014. The project was completed on 21 April 2018.
Saransk: Mordovia Arena. The stadium in Saransk was scheduled to be commissioned in 2012 in time for the opening of the all-Russian Spartakiad, but the plan was revised. The opening was rescheduled to 2017. The arena hosted its first match on 21 April 2018.
Sochi: Fisht Stadium. The stadium hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2014 Winter Olympics. Afterwards, it was renovated in preparation for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and 2018 World Cup.
Volgograd: Volgograd Arena. The main arena of Volgograd was built on the demolished Central Stadium site, at the foot of the Mamayev Kurgan memorial complex. The stadium was commissioned on 3 April 2018.[65]
Yekaterinburg: Ekaterinburg Arena. The Central Stadium of Yekaterinburg has been renovated for the FIFA World Cup. The arena’s stands have a capacity of 35,000 spectators. The renovation project was completed in December 2017.
Moscow Saint Petersburg Sochi
Luzhniki Stadium Otkritie Arena
(Spartak Stadium) Krestovsky Stadium
(Saint Petersburg Stadium) Fisht Olympic Stadium
(Fisht Stadium)
Capacity: 78,011[66] Capacity: 44,190[67] Capacity: 64,468[68] Capacity: 44,287[69]
Moscow-Exterior of Luzhniki Stadium (2).jpg Stadium Otkrytiye Arena1.jpg Krestovsky Stadium.jpg Fisht Stadium in January 2018.jpg
Volgograd
2018 FIFA World Cup is located in European RussiaMoscowMoscowSaint PetersburgSaint PetersburgKaliningradKaliningradNizhny NovgorodNizhny NovgorodKazanKazanSamaraSamaraVolgogradVolgogradSaranskSaranskSochiSochiRostov-on-DonRostov-on-DonYekaterinburgYekaterinburg
Rostov-on-Don
Volgograd Arena Rostov Arena
Capacity: 43,713[70] Capacity: 43,472[71]
Volgograd Arena 2018-06-25 before match Saudi Arabia vs Egypt Outside 01.jpeg Rostov Arena (2).jpg
Nizhny Novgorod Kazan
Nizhny Novgorod Stadium Kazan Arena
Capacity: 43,319[72] Capacity: 42,873[73]
Стадион Нижний Новгород, 23 июня 2018.jpg Общий вид стадиона.jpg
Samara Saransk Kaliningrad Yekaterinburg
Cosmos Arena
(Samara Arena) Mordovia Arena Kaliningrad Stadium Central Stadium
(Ekaterinburg Arena)
Capacity: 41,970[74] Capacity: 41,685[75] Capacity: 33,973[76] Capacity: 33,061[77]
Samara Arena.jpg 29062334998 mordovia-arena-saransk-russia-may-2018.jpg Kaliningrad stadium – 2018-04-07.jpg Japan-Senegal in Yekaterinburg (FIFA World Cup 2018) 06.jpg
Team base camps
Base camps will be used by the 32 national squads to stay and train before and during the World Cup tournament. On 9 February 2018, FIFA announced the base camps for each participating team.[78]

Argentina: Bronnitsy, Moscow Oblast
Australia: Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan
Belgium: Krasnogorsky, Moscow Oblast
Brazil: Sochi, Krasnodar Krai
Colombia: Verkhneuslonsky, Republic of Tatarstan
Costa Rica: Saint Petersburg
Croatia: Roshchino, Leningrad Oblast[79]
Denmark: Anapa, Krasnodar Krai
Egypt: Grozny, Chechen Republic
England: Repino, Saint Petersburg[80]
France: Istra, Moscow Oblast
Germany: Vatutinki, Moscow[81]
Iceland: Gelendzhik, Krasnodar Krai
Iran: Bakovka, Moscow Oblast
Japan: Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan
Mexico: Khimki, Moscow Oblast
Morocco: Voronezh, Voronezh Oblast
Nigeria: Yessentuki, Stavropol Krai
Panama: Saransk, Republic of Mordovia
Peru: Moscow
Poland: Sochi, Krasnodar Krai
Portugal: Ramenskoye, Moscow Oblast
Russia: Khimki, Moscow Oblast
Saudi Arabia: Saint Petersburg
Senegal: Kaluga, Kaluga Oblast
Serbia: Svetlogorsk, Kaliningrad Oblast
South Korea: Saint Petersburg
Spain: Krasnodar, Krasnodar Krai
Sweden: Gelendzhik, Krasnodar Krai
Switzerland: Togliatti, Samara Oblast
Tunisia: Pervomayskoye, Moscow Oblast
Uruguay: Bor, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast
Preparation and costs
Budget

Scale model of the Volgograd Arena. Construction began in 2015.
At an estimated cost of over $14.2 billion as of June 2018,[4] it is the most expensive World Cup in history, surpassing the cost of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.[82]

The Russian government had originally earmarked a budget of around $20 billion[83] which was later slashed to $10 billion for the preparations of the World Cup, of which half is spent on transport infrastructure.[84] As part of the program for preparation to the 2018 FIFA World Cup, a federal sub-program “Construction and Renovation of Transport Infrastructure” was implemented with a total budget of 352.5 billion rubles, with 170.3 billion coming from the federal budget, 35.1 billion from regional budgets, and 147.1 billion from investors.[85] The biggest item of federal spending was the aviation infrastructure (117.8 billion rubles).[86] Construction of new hotels was a crucial area of infrastructure development in the World Cup host cities. Costs continued to balloon as preparations were underway.[82]

Infrastructure spending
Platov International Airport in Rostov-on-Don was upgraded with automated air traffic control systems, modern surveillance, navigation, communication, control, and meteorological support systems.[87] Koltsovo Airport in Yekaterinburg was upgraded with radio-engineering tools for flight operation and received its second runway strip. Saransk Airport received a new navigation system; the city also got two new hotels, Mercure Saransk Centre (Accor Hotels) and Four Points by Sheraton Saransk (Starwood Hotels) as well as few other smaller accommodation facilities.[88] In Samara, new tram lines were laid.[89] Khrabrovo Airport in Kaliningrad was upgraded with radio navigation and weather equipment.[90] Renovation and upgrade of radio-engineering tools for flight operation was completed in the airports of Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Volgograd, Samara, Yekaterinburg, Kazan and Sochi.[87] On 27 March, the Ministry of Construction Industry, Housing and Utilities Sector of Russia reported that all communications within its area of responsibility have been commissioned. The last facility commissioned was a waste treatment station in Volgograd. In Yekaterinburg, where four matches are hosted, hosting costs increased to over 7.4 billion rubles, over-running the 5.6 billion rubles originally allocated from the state and regional budget.[91]

Volunteers

Volunteer flag bearers on the field prior to Belgium’s (flag depicted) group stage match against Tunisia
Volunteer applications to the Russia 2018 Local Organising Committee opened on 1 June 2016. The 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Volunteer Program received about 177,000 applications,[92] and engaged a total of 35,000 volunteers.[93] They received training at 15 Volunteer Centres of the Local Organising Committee based in 15 universities, and in Volunteer Centres in the host cities. Preference, especially in the key areas, was given to those with knowledge of foreign languages and volunteering experience, but not necessarily to Russian nationals.[94]

Transport
Free public transport services are being offered for ticketholders during the World Cup, including additional trains linking between host cities, as well as services such as bus service within them.[95][96][97]

Schedule

Launching of a 1,000 days countdown in Moscow
The full schedule was announced by FIFA on 24 July 2015 (without kick-off times, which were confirmed later).[98][99] On 1 December 2017, following the final draw, six kick-off times were adjusted by FIFA.[100]

Russia was placed in position A1 in the group stage and played in the opening match at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on 14 June against Saudi Arabia, the two lowest ranked teams of the tournament at the time of the final draw.[101] The Luzhniki Stadium also hosted the second semi-final on 11 July and the final on 15 July. The Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg hosted the first semi-final on 10 July and the third place play-off on 14 July.[102][22]

Opening ceremony
Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony

Soprano Aida Garifullina and pop singer Robbie Williams singing “Angels” at the opening ceremony
The opening ceremony took place on Thursday, 14 June 2018, at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, preceding the opening match of the tournament between hosts Russia and Saudi Arabia.[103][104]

Former Brazilian World Cup-winning striker Ronaldo walked out with a child wearing a Russia 2018 shirt. English pop singer Robbie Williams then performed two songs before he and Russian soprano Aida Garifullina performed a duet while other performers emerged, dressed in the flags of all 32 teams and carrying a sign bearing the name of each nation. Dancers were also present.[105] Ronaldo returned with the official match ball of the 2018 World Cup which was sent into space with the International Space Station crew in March and came back to Earth in early June.[105]

Group stage

Champions
Runners-up
Third place
Fourth place
Quarter-finals
Round of 16
Group stage
Competing countries were divided into eight groups of four teams (groups A to H). Teams in each group played one another in a round-robin basis, with the top two teams of each group advancing to the knockout stage. Ten European teams and four South American teams progressed to the knockout stage, together with Japan and Mexico.

For the first time since 1938, Germany (reigning champions) did not advance past the first round. For the first time since 1982, no African team progressed to the second round. For the first time, the fair play criteria came into use, when Japan qualified over Senegal due to having received fewer yellow cards. Only one match, France v Denmark, was goalless. Until then there were a record 36 straight games in which at least one goal was scored.[106]

All times listed below are local time.[100]

Tiebreakers
The ranking of teams in the group stage is determined as follows:[36][107]

Points obtained in all group matches;
Goal difference in all group matches;
Number of goals scored in all group matches;
Points obtained in the matches played between the teams in question;
Goal difference in the matches played between the teams in question;
Number of goals scored in the matches played between the teams in question;
Fair play points in all group matches (only one deduction can be applied to a player in a single match):
Yellow card: –1 points;
Indirect red card (second yellow card): –3 points;
Direct red card: –4 points;
Yellow card and direct red card: –5 points;
Drawing of lots.
Group A

Pre-match ceremony prior to the opening game, Russia v Saudi Arabia
Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup Group A
Pos Team[ vte ] Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Uruguay 3 3 0 0 5 0 +5 9 Advance to knockout stage
2 Russia (H) 3 2 0 1 8 4 +4 6
3 Saudi Arabia 3 1 0 2 2 7 −5 3
4 Egypt 3 0 0 3 2 6 −4 0
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Host.
14 June 201818:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Russia 5–0 Saudi Arabia
Gazinsky Goal 12′
Cheryshev Goal 43′, 90+1′
Dzyuba Goal 71′
Golovin Goal 90+4′
Report
Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow
Attendance: 78,011[108]
Referee: Néstor Pitana (Argentina)
15 June 201817:00 YEKT (UTC+5)
Egypt 0–1 Uruguay
Report
Giménez Goal 89′
Central Stadium, Yekaterinburg
Attendance: 27,015[109]
Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)
19 June 201821:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Russia 3–1 Egypt
Fathy Goal 47′ (o.g.)
Cheryshev Goal 59′
Dzyuba Goal 62′
Report
Salah Goal 73′ (pen.)
Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg
Attendance: 64,468[110]
Referee: Enrique Cáceres (Paraguay)
20 June 201818:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Uruguay 1–0 Saudi Arabia
Suárez Goal 23′
Report
Rostov Arena, Rostov-on-Don
Attendance: 42,678[111]
Referee: Clément Turpin (France)
25 June 201818:00 SAMT (UTC+4)
Uruguay 3–0 Russia
Suárez Goal 10′
Cheryshev Goal 23′ (o.g.)
Cavani Goal 90′
Report
Cosmos Arena, Samara
Attendance: 41,970[112]
Referee: Malang Diedhiou (Senegal)
25 June 201817:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Saudi Arabia 2–1 Egypt
Al-Faraj Goal 45+6′ (pen.)
Al-Dawsari Goal 90+5′
Report
Salah Goal 22′
Volgograd Arena, Volgograd
Attendance: 36,823[113]
Referee: Wilmar Roldán (Colombia)
Group B

The first match of the group, Iran’s squad against Morocco in St. Petersburg
Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup Group B
Pos Team[ vte ] Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Spain 3 1 2 0 6 5 +1 5 Advance to knockout stage
2 Portugal 3 1 2 0 5 4 +1 5
3 Iran 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 4
4 Morocco 3 0 1 2 2 4 −2 1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
15 June 201818:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Morocco 0–1 Iran
Report
Bouhaddouz Goal 90+5′ (o.g.)
Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg
Attendance: 62,548[114]
Referee: Cüneyt Çakır (Turkey)
15 June 201821:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Portugal 3–3 Spain
Ronaldo Goal 4′ (pen.), 44′, 88′
Report
Costa Goal 24′, 55′
Nacho Goal 58′
Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi
Attendance: 43,866[115]
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (Italy)
20 June 201815:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Portugal 1–0 Morocco
Ronaldo Goal 4′
Report
Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow
Attendance: 78,011[116]
Referee: Mark Geiger (United States)
20 June 201821:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Iran 0–1 Spain
Report
Costa Goal 54′
Kazan Arena, Kazan
Attendance: 42,718[117]
Referee: Andrés Cunha (Uruguay)
25 June 201821:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Iran 1–1 Portugal
Ansarifard Goal 90+3′ (pen.)
Report
Quaresma Goal 45′
Mordovia Arena, Saransk
Attendance: 41,685[118]
Referee: Enrique Cáceres (Paraguay)
25 June 201820:00 KALT (UTC+2)
Spain 2–2 Morocco
Isco Goal 19′
Aspas Goal 90+1′
Report
Boutaïb Goal 14′
En-Nesyri Goal 81′
Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad
Attendance: 33,973[119]
Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)
Group C

Australia v Peru
Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup Group C
Pos Team[ vte ] Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 France 3 2 1 0 3 1 +2 7 Advance to knockout stage
2 Denmark 3 1 2 0 2 1 +1 5
3 Peru 3 1 0 2 2 2 0 3
4 Australia 3 0 1 2 2 5 −3 1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
16 June 201813:00 MSK (UTC+3)
France 2–1 Australia
Griezmann Goal 58′ (pen.)
Behich Goal 81′ (o.g.)
Report
Jedinak Goal 62′ (pen.)
Kazan Arena, Kazan
Attendance: 41,279[120]
Referee: Andrés Cunha (Uruguay)
16 June 201819:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Peru 0–1 Denmark
Report
Poulsen Goal 59′
Mordovia Arena, Saransk
Attendance: 40,502[121]
Referee: Bakary Gassama (Gambia)
21 June 201816:00 SAMT (UTC+4)
Denmark 1–1 Australia
Eriksen Goal 7′
Report
Jedinak Goal 38′ (pen.)
Cosmos Arena, Samara
Attendance: 40,727[122]
Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (Spain)
21 June 201820:00 YEKT (UTC+5)
France 1–0 Peru
Mbappé Goal 34′
Report
Central Stadium, Yekaterinburg
Attendance: 32,789[123]
Referee: Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed (United Arab Emirates)
26 June 201817:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Denmark 0–0 France
Report
Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow
Attendance: 78,011[124]
Referee: Sandro Ricci (Brazil)
26 June 201817:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Australia 0–2 Peru
Report
Carrillo Goal 18′
Guerrero Goal 50′
Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi
Attendance: 44,073[125]
Referee: Sergei Karasev (Russia)
Group D

Iceland v Croatia
Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup Group D
Pos Team[ vte ] Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Croatia 3 3 0 0 7 1 +6 9 Advance to knockout stage
2 Argentina 3 1 1 1 3 5 −2 4
3 Nigeria 3 1 0 2 3 4 −1 3
4 Iceland 3 0 1 2 2 5 −3 1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
16 June 201816:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Argentina 1–1 Iceland
Agüero Goal 19′
Report
Finnbogason Goal 23′
Otkritie Arena, Moscow
Attendance: 44,190[126]
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)
16 June 201821:00 KALT (UTC+2)
Croatia 2–0 Nigeria
Etebo Goal 32′ (o.g.)
Modrić Goal 71′ (pen.)
Report
Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad
Attendance: 31,136[127]
Referee: Sandro Ricci (Brazil)
21 June 201821:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Argentina 0–3 Croatia
Report
Rebić Goal 53′
Modrić Goal 80′
Rakitić Goal 90+1′
Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod
Attendance: 43,319[128]
Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)
22 June 201818:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Nigeria 2–0 Iceland
Musa Goal 49′, 75′
Report
Volgograd Arena, Volgograd
Attendance: 40,904[129]
Referee: Matthew Conger (New Zealand)
26 June 201821:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Nigeria 1–2 Argentina
Moses Goal 51′ (pen.)
Report
Messi Goal 14′
Rojo Goal 86′
Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg
Attendance: 64,468[130]
Referee: Cüneyt Çakır (Turkey)
26 June 201821:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Iceland 1–2 Croatia
G. Sigurðsson Goal 76′ (pen.)
Report
Badelj Goal 53′
Perišić Goal 90′
Rostov Arena, Rostov-on-Don
Attendance: 43,472[131]
Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (Spain)
Group E

Brazil v Costa Rica
Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup Group E
Pos Team[ vte ] Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Brazil 3 2 1 0 5 1 +4 7 Advance to knockout stage
2 Switzerland 3 1 2 0 5 4 +1 5
3 Serbia 3 1 0 2 2 4 −2 3
4 Costa Rica 3 0 1 2 2 5 −3 1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
17 June 201816:00 SAMT (UTC+4)
Costa Rica 0–1 Serbia
Report
Kolarov Goal 56′
Cosmos Arena, Samara
Attendance: 41,432[132]
Referee: Malang Diedhiou (Senegal)
17 June 201821:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Brazil 1–1 Switzerland
Coutinho Goal 20′
Report
Zuber Goal 50′
Rostov Arena, Rostov-on-Don
Attendance: 43,109[133]
Referee: César Arturo Ramos (Mexico)
22 June 201815:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Brazil 2–0 Costa Rica
Coutinho Goal 90+1′
Neymar Goal 90+7′
Report
Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg
Attendance: 64,468[134]
Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)
22 June 201820:00 KALT (UTC+2)
Serbia 1–2 Switzerland
Mitrović Goal 5′
Report
Xhaka Goal 52′
Shaqiri Goal 90′
Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad
Attendance: 33,167[135]
Referee: Felix Brych (Germany)
27 June 201821:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Serbia 0–2 Brazil
Report
Paulinho Goal 36′
Thiago Silva Goal 68′
Otkritie Arena, Moscow
Attendance: 44,190[136]
Referee: Alireza Faghani (Iran)
27 June 201821:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Switzerland 2–2 Costa Rica
Džemaili Goal 31′
Drmić Goal 88′
Report
Waston Goal 56′
Sommer Goal 90+3′ (o.g.)
Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod
Attendance: 43,319[137]
Referee: Clément Turpin (France)
Group F

Germany v Mexico
Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup Group F
Pos Team[ vte ] Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Sweden 3 2 0 1 5 2 +3 6 Advance to knockout stage
2 Mexico 3 2 0 1 3 4 −1 6
3 South Korea 3 1 0 2 3 3 0 3
4 Germany 3 1 0 2 2 4 −2 3
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
17 June 201818:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Germany 0–1 Mexico
Report
Lozano Goal 35′
Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow
Attendance: 78,011[138]
Referee: Alireza Faghani (Iran)
18 June 201815:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Sweden 1–0 South Korea
Granqvist Goal 65′ (pen.)
Report
Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod
Attendance: 42,300[139]
Referee: Joel Aguilar (El Salvador)
23 June 201818:00 MSK (UTC+3)
South Korea 1–2 Mexico
Son Heung-min Goal 90+3′
Report
Vela Goal 26′ (pen.)
Hernández Goal 66′
Rostov Arena, Rostov-on-Don
Attendance: 43,472[140]
Referee: Milorad Mažić (Serbia)
23 June 201821:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Germany 2–1 Sweden
Reus Goal 48′
Kroos Goal 90+5′
Report
Toivonen Goal 32′
Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi
Attendance: 44,287[141]
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)
27 June 201817:00 MSK (UTC+3)
South Korea 2–0 Germany
Kim Young-gwon Goal 90+3′
Son Heung-min Goal 90+6′
Report
Kazan Arena, Kazan
Attendance: 41,835[142]
Referee: Mark Geiger (United States)
27 June 201819:00 YEKT (UTC+5)
Mexico 0–3 Sweden
Report
Augustinsson Goal 50′
Granqvist Goal 62′ (pen.)
Álvarez Goal 74′ (o.g.)
Central Stadium, Yekaterinburg
Attendance: 33,061[143]
Referee: Néstor Pitana (Argentina)
Group G

Belgium v Tunisia
Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup Group G
Pos Team[ vte ] Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Belgium 3 3 0 0 9 2 +7 9 Advance to knockout stage
2 England 3 2 0 1 8 3 +5 6
3 Tunisia 3 1 0 2 5 8 −3 3
4 Panama 3 0 0 3 2 11 −9 0
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
18 June 201818:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Belgium 3–0 Panama
Mertens Goal 47′
Lukaku Goal 69′, 75′
Report
Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi
Attendance: 43,257[144]
Referee: Janny Sikazwe (Zambia)
18 June 201821:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Tunisia 1–2 England
Sassi Goal 35′ (pen.)
Report
Kane Goal 11′, 90+1′
Volgograd Arena, Volgograd
Attendance: 41,064[145]
Referee: Wilmar Roldán (Colombia)
23 June 201815:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Belgium 5–2 Tunisia
E. Hazard Goal 6′ (pen.), 51′
Lukaku Goal 16′, 45+3′
Batshuayi Goal 90′
Report
Bronn Goal 18′
Khazri Goal 90+3′
Otkritie Arena, Moscow
Attendance: 44,190[146]
Referee: Jair Marrufo (United States)
24 June 201815:00 MSK (UTC+3)
England 6–1 Panama
Stones Goal 8′, 40′
Kane Goal 22′ (pen.), 45+1′ (pen.), 62′
Lingard Goal 36′
Report
Baloy Goal 78′
Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod
Attendance: 43,319[147]
Referee: Gehad Grisha (Egypt)
28 June 201820:00 KALT (UTC+2)
England 0–1 Belgium
Report
Januzaj Goal 51′
Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad
Attendance: 33,973[148]
Referee: Damir Skomina (Slovenia)
28 June 201821:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Panama 1–2 Tunisia
Meriah Goal 33′ (o.g.)
Report
F. Ben Youssef Goal 51′
Khazri Goal 66′
Mordovia Arena, Saransk
Attendance: 37,168[149]
Referee: Nawaf Shukralla (Bahrain)
Group H

Japan v Poland
Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup Group H
Pos Team[ vte ] Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Colombia 3 2 0 1 5 2 +3 6 Advance to knockout stage
2 Japan 3 1 1 1 4 4 0 4[a]
3 Senegal 3 1 1 1 4 4 0 4[a]
4 Poland 3 1 0 2 2 5 −3 3
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Notes:
Fair play points: Japan −4, Senegal −6.
19 June 201815:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Colombia 1–2 Japan
Quintero Goal 39′
Report
Kagawa Goal 6′ (pen.)
Osako Goal 73′
Mordovia Arena, Saransk
Attendance: 40,842[150]
Referee: Damir Skomina (Slovenia)
19 June 201818:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Poland 1–2 Senegal
Krychowiak Goal 86′
Report
Cionek Goal 37′ (o.g.)
Niang Goal 60′
Otkritie Arena, Moscow
Attendance: 44,190[151]
Referee: Nawaf Shukralla (Bahrain)
24 June 201820:00 YEKT (UTC+5)
Japan 2–2 Senegal
Inui Goal 34′
Honda Goal 78′
Report
Mané Goal 11′
Wagué Goal 71′
Central Stadium, Yekaterinburg
Attendance: 32,572[152]
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (Italy)
24 June 201821:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Poland 0–3 Colombia
Report
Mina Goal 40′
Falcao Goal 70′
Ju. Cuadrado Goal 75′
Kazan Arena, Kazan
Attendance: 42,873[153]
Referee: César Arturo Ramos (Mexico)
28 June 201817:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Japan 0–1 Poland
Report
Bednarek Goal 59′
Volgograd Arena, Volgograd
Attendance: 42,189[154]
Referee: Janny Sikazwe (Zambia)
28 June 201818:00 SAMT (UTC+4)
Senegal 0–1 Colombia
Report
Mina Goal 74′
Cosmos Arena, Samara
Attendance: 41,970[155]
Referee: Milorad Mažić (Serbia)
Knockout stage

Russia v Croatia
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 winners.[36]

If a match goes into extra time, each team will be allowed to make a fourth substitution, the first time this has been allowed in a FIFA World Cup tournament.[44]

Bracket

Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final

30 June – Sochi

Uruguay 2

6 July – Nizhny Novgorod

Portugal 1

Uruguay 0

30 June – Kazan

France 2

France 4

10 July – Saint Petersburg

Argentina 3

France 1

2 July – Samara

Belgium 0

Brazil 2

6 July – Kazan

Mexico 0

Brazil 1

2 July – Rostov-on-Don

Belgium 2

Belgium 3

15 July – Moscow (Luzhniki)

Japan 2

France

1 July – Moscow (Luzhniki)

Croatia

Spain 1 (3)

7 July – Sochi

Russia (p) 1 (4)

Russia 2 (3)

1 July – Nizhny Novgorod

Croatia (p) 2 (4)

Croatia (p) 1 (3)

11 July – Moscow (Luzhniki)

Denmark 1 (2)

Croatia (a.e.t.) 2

3 July – Saint Petersburg

England 1 Third place play-off

Sweden 1

7 July – Samara 14 July – Saint Petersburg

Switzerland 0

Sweden 0 Belgium 2

3 July – Moscow (Otkritie)

England 2 England 0

Colombia 1 (3)

England (p) 1 (4)

Round of 16
30 June 201817:00 MSK (UTC+3)
France 4–3 Argentina
Griezmann Goal 13′ (pen.)
Pavard Goal 57′
Mbappé Goal 64′, 68′
Report
Di María Goal 41′
Mercado Goal 48′
Agüero Goal 90+3′
Kazan Arena, Kazan
Attendance: 42,873[156]
Referee: Alireza Faghani (Iran)
30 June 201821:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Uruguay 2–1 Portugal
Cavani Goal 7′, 62′
Report
Pepe Goal 55′
Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi
Attendance: 44,287[157]
Referee: César Arturo Ramos (Mexico)
1 July 201817:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Spain 1–1 (a.e.t.) Russia
Ignashevich Goal 12′ (o.g.)
Report
Dzyuba Goal 41′ (pen.)
Penalties
Iniesta Penalty scored
Piqué Penalty scored
Koke Penalty missed
Ramos Penalty scored
Aspas Penalty missed
3–4
Penalty scored Smolov
Penalty scored Ignashevich
Penalty scored Golovin
Penalty scored Cheryshev
Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow
Attendance: 78,011[158]
Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)
1 July 201821:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Croatia 1–1 (a.e.t.) Denmark
Mandžukić Goal 4′
Report
M. Jørgensen Goal 1′
Penalties
Badelj Penalty missed
Kramarić Penalty scored
Modrić Penalty scored
Pivarić Penalty missed
Rakitić Penalty scored
3–2
Penalty missed Eriksen
Penalty scored Kjær
Penalty scored Krohn-Dehli
Penalty missed Schöne
Penalty missed N. Jørgensen
Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod
Attendance: 40,851[159]
Referee: Néstor Pitana (Argentina)
2 July 201818:00 SAMT (UTC+4)
Brazil 2–0 Mexico
Neymar Goal 51′
Firmino Goal 88′
Report
Cosmos Arena, Samara
Attendance: 41,970[160]
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (Italy)
2 July 201821:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Belgium 3–2 Japan
Vertonghen Goal 69′
Fellaini Goal 74′
Chadli Goal 90+4′
Report
Haraguchi Goal 48′
Inui Goal 52′
Rostov Arena, Rostov-on-Don
Attendance: 41,466[161]
Referee: Malang Diedhiou (Senegal)
3 July 201817:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Sweden 1–0 Switzerland
Forsberg Goal 66′
Report
Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg
Attendance: 64,042[162]
Referee: Damir Skomina (Slovenia)
3 July 201821:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Colombia 1–1 (a.e.t.) England
Mina Goal 90+3′
Report
Kane Goal 57′ (pen.)
Penalties
Falcao Penalty scored
Ju. Cuadrado Penalty scored
Muriel Penalty scored
Uribe Penalty missed
Bacca Penalty missed
3–4
Penalty scored Kane
Penalty scored Rashford
Penalty missed Henderson
Penalty scored Trippier
Penalty scored Dier
Otkritie Arena, Moscow
Attendance: 44,190[163]
Referee: Mark Geiger (United States)
Quarter-finals
6 July 201817:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Uruguay 0–2 France
Report
Varane Goal 40′
Griezmann Goal 61′
Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod
Attendance: 43,319[164]
Referee: Néstor Pitana (Argentina)
6 July 201821:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Brazil 1–2 Belgium
Renato Augusto Goal 76′
Report
Fernandinho Goal 13′ (o.g.)
De Bruyne Goal 31′
Kazan Arena, Kazan
Attendance: 42,873[165]
Referee: Milorad Mažić (Serbia)
7 July 201818:00 SAMT (UTC+4)
Sweden 0–2 England
Report
Maguire Goal 30′
Alli Goal 59′
Cosmos Arena, Samara
Attendance: 39,991[166]
Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)
7 July 201821:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Russia 2–2 (a.e.t.) Croatia
Cheryshev Goal 31′
Fernandes Goal 115′
Report
Kramarić Goal 39′
Vida Goal 101′
Penalties
Smolov Penalty missed
Dzagoev Penalty scored
Fernandes Penalty missed
Ignashevich Penalty scored
Kuzyayev Penalty scored
3–4
Penalty scored Brozović
Penalty missed Kovačić
Penalty scored Modrić
Penalty scored Vida
Penalty scored Rakitić
Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi
Attendance: 44,287[167]
Referee: Sandro Ricci (Brazil)
Semi-finals
10 July 201821:00 MSK (UTC+3)
France 1–0 Belgium
Umtiti Goal 51′
Report
Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg
Attendance: 64,286[168]
Referee: Andrés Cunha (Uruguay)
11 July 201821:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Croatia 2–1 (a.e.t.) England
Perišić Goal 68′
Mandžukić Goal 109′
Report
Trippier Goal 5′
Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow
Attendance: 78,011[169]
Referee: Cüneyt Çakır (Turkey)
Third place play-off
14 July 201817:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Belgium 2–0 England
Meunier Goal 4′
E. Hazard Goal 82′
Report
Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg
Attendance: 64,406[170]
Referee: Alireza Faghani (Iran)
Final
Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup Final
15 July 201818:00 MSK (UTC+3)
France Match 64 Croatia
Report
Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow
Referee: Néstor Pitana (Argentina)
Statistics
Further information: 2018 FIFA World Cup statistics
Goalscorers
There have been 163 goals scored in 63 matches, for an average of 2.59 goals per match. Players highlighted in bold are still active in the competition.

Eleven own goals have been scored during the tournament, breaking the record of six set in 1998.[171]

6 goals

England Harry Kane
4 goals

Belgium Romelu Lukaku
Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo
Russia Denis Cheryshev
3 goals

Belgium Eden Hazard
Colombia Yerry Mina
France Antoine Griezmann
France Kylian Mbappé
Russia Artem Dzyuba
Spain Diego Costa
Uruguay Edinson Cavani
2 goals

Argentina Sergio Agüero
Australia Mile Jedinak
Brazil Philippe Coutinho
Brazil Neymar
Croatia Mario Mandžukić
Croatia Luka Modrić
Croatia Ivan Perišić
Egypt Mohamed Salah
England John Stones
Japan Takashi Inui
Nigeria Ahmed Musa
South Korea Son Heung-min
Sweden Andreas Granqvist
Tunisia Wahbi Khazri
Uruguay Luis Suárez
1 goal

Argentina Ángel Di María
Argentina Gabriel Mercado
Argentina Lionel Messi
Argentina Marcos Rojo
Belgium Michy Batshuayi
Belgium Nacer Chadli
Belgium Kevin De Bruyne
Belgium Marouane Fellaini
Belgium Adnan Januzaj
Belgium Dries Mertens
Belgium Thomas Meunier
Belgium Jan Vertonghen
Brazil Roberto Firmino
Brazil Paulinho
Brazil Renato Augusto
Brazil Thiago Silva
Colombia Juan Cuadrado
Colombia Radamel Falcao
Colombia Juan Fernando Quintero
Costa Rica Kendall Waston
Croatia Milan Badelj
Croatia Andrej Kramarić
Croatia Ivan Rakitić
Croatia Ante Rebić
Croatia Domagoj Vida
Denmark Christian Eriksen
Denmark Mathias Jørgensen
Denmark Yussuf Poulsen
England Dele Alli
England Jesse Lingard
England Harry Maguire
England Kieran Trippier
France Benjamin Pavard
France Samuel Umtiti
France Raphaël Varane
Germany Toni Kroos
Germany Marco Reus
Iceland Alfreð Finnbogason
Iceland Gylfi Sigurðsson
Iran Karim Ansarifard
Japan Genki Haraguchi
Japan Keisuke Honda
Japan Shinji Kagawa
Japan Yuya Osako
Mexico Javier Hernández
Mexico Hirving Lozano
Mexico Carlos Vela
Morocco Khalid Boutaïb
Morocco Youssef En-Nesyri
Nigeria Victor Moses
Panama Felipe Baloy
Peru André Carrillo
Peru Paolo Guerrero
Poland Jan Bednarek
Poland Grzegorz Krychowiak
Portugal Pepe
Portugal Ricardo Quaresma
Russia Mário Fernandes
Russia Yury Gazinsky
Russia Aleksandr Golovin
Saudi Arabia Salem Al-Dawsari
Saudi Arabia Salman Al-Faraj
Senegal Sadio Mané
Senegal M’Baye Niang
Senegal Moussa Wagué
Serbia Aleksandar Kolarov
Serbia Aleksandar Mitrović
South Korea Kim Young-gwon
Spain Iago Aspas
Spain Isco
Spain Nacho
Sweden Ludwig Augustinsson
Sweden Emil Forsberg
Sweden Ola Toivonen
Switzerland Josip Drmić
Switzerland Blerim Džemaili
Switzerland Xherdan Shaqiri
Switzerland Granit Xhaka
Switzerland Steven Zuber
Tunisia Dylan Bronn
Tunisia Ferjani Sassi
Tunisia Fakhreddine Ben Youssef
Uruguay José Giménez
1 own goal

Australia Aziz Behich (against France)
Brazil Fernandinho (against Belgium)
Egypt Ahmed Fathy (against Russia)
Mexico Edson Álvarez (against Sweden)
Morocco Aziz Bouhaddouz (against Iran)
Nigeria Oghenekaro Etebo (against Croatia)
Poland Thiago Cionek (against Senegal)
Russia Denis Cheryshev (against Uruguay)
Russia Sergei Ignashevich (against Spain)
Switzerland Yann Sommer (against Costa Rica)
Tunisia Yassine Meriah (against Panama)
Source: FIFA[172]

Discipline
Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup disciplinary record
A player is automatically suspended for the next match for the following offences:[36]

Receiving a red card (red card suspensions may be extended for serious offences)
Receiving two yellow cards in two matches; yellow cards expire after the completion of the quarter-finals (yellow card suspensions are not carried forward to any other future international matches)
The following suspensions were served during the tournament:

Player Offence(s) Suspension(s)
Colombia Carlos Sánchez Red card in Group H vs Japan (matchday 1; 19 June) Group H vs Poland (matchday 2; 24 June)
Denmark Yussuf Poulsen YC in Group C vs Peru (matchday 1; 16 June)
YC in Group C vs Australia (matchday 2; 21 June) Group C vs France (matchday 3; 26 June)
Germany Jérôme Boateng Yellow cardYellow cardRed card in Group F vs Sweden (matchday 2; 23 June) Group F vs South Korea (matchday 3; 27 June)
Panama Armando Cooper YC in Group G vs Belgium (matchday 1; 18 June)
YC in Group G vs England (matchday 2; 24 June) Group G vs Tunisia (matchday 3; 28 June)
Panama Michael Amir Murillo YC in Group G vs Belgium (matchday 1; 18 June)
YC in Group G vs England (matchday 2; 24 June) Group G vs Tunisia (matchday 3; 28 June)
Russia Igor Smolnikov Yellow cardYellow cardRed card in Group A vs Uruguay (matchday 3; 25 June) Round of 16 vs Spain (1 July)
Sweden Sebastian Larsson YC in Group F vs Germany (matchday 2; 23 June)
YC in Group F vs Mexico (matchday 3; 27 June) Round of 16 vs Switzerland (3 July)
Mexico Héctor Moreno YC in Group F vs Germany (matchday 1; 17 June)
YC in Group F vs Sweden (matchday 3; 27 June) Round of 16 vs Brazil (2 July)
Switzerland Stephan Lichtsteiner YC in Group E vs Brazil (matchday 1; 17 June)
YC in Group E vs Costa Rica (matchday 3; 27 June) Round of 16 vs Sweden (3 July)
Switzerland Fabian Schär YC in Group E vs Brazil (matchday 1; 17 June)
YC in Group E vs Costa Rica (matchday 3; 27 June) Round of 16 vs Sweden (3 July)
France Blaise Matuidi YC in Group C vs Peru (matchday 2; 21 June)
YC in Round of 16 vs Argentina (30 June) Quarter-finals vs Uruguay (6 July)
Brazil Casemiro YC in Group E vs Switzerland (matchday 1; 17 June)
YC in Round of 16 vs Mexico (2 July) Quarter-finals vs Belgium (6 July)
Sweden Mikael Lustig YC in Group F vs Mexico (matchday 3; 27 June)
YC in Round of 16 vs Switzerland (3 July) Quarter-finals vs England (7 July)
Belgium Thomas Meunier YC in Group G vs Panama (matchday 1; 18 June)
YC in Quarter-finals vs Brazil (6 July) Semi-finals vs France (10 July)
Prize money
Prize money amounts were announced in October 2017.[173]

Position Amount (million US$)
Per team Total
Champions 38 38
Runner-up 28 28
Third place 24 24
Fourth place 22 22
5th–8th place (quarter-finals) 16 64
9th–16th place (round of 16) 12 96
17th–32nd place (group stage) 8 128
Total 400
Marketing

The typeface “Dusha” used for branding
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.[174] For the branding, a typeface called Dusha (from душа, Russian for soul) was created by Portuguese design agency Brandia Central in 2014.

Mascot
Main article: Zabivaka

Tournament mascot, wolf Zabivaka
The official mascot for the tournament was unveiled 21 October 2016, and selected through a design competition among university students. A public vote was used to select from three finalists—a cat, a tiger, and a wolf. The winner, with 53% of approximately 1 million votes, was Zabivaka—an anthropomorphic wolf dressed in the colours of the Russian national team. Zabivaka’s name is derived from the Russian word забивать, “to score”, and his official backstory states that he is an aspiring football player who is “charming, confident and social”.[175]

Ticketing
The first phase of ticket sales started on 14 September 2017, 12:00 Moscow Time, and lasted until 12 October 2017.[176]

The general visa policy of Russia will not apply to participants and spectators, who will be able to visit Russia without a visa right before and during the competition regardless of their citizenship.[177] Spectators are nonetheless required to register for a “Fan-ID”, a special photo identification pass. A Fan-ID is required to enter the country visa-free, while a ticket, Fan-ID and a valid passport are required to enter stadiums for matches. Fan-IDs also grant World Cup attendees free access to public transport services, including buses, and train service between host cities. Fan-ID is administered by the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media, who may revoke these accreditations at any time to “ensure the defence capability or security of the state or public order”.[95][96][97]

Match ball
Main article: Adidas Telstar 18

Match ball “Telstar 18”
The official match ball of the 2018 World Cup group stage was “Telstar 18”, based on the name and design of the first Adidas World Cup ball from 1970. It was introduced on 9 November 2017.[178]

Since the group stage, “Telstar Mechta” has been used for the knockout stage. The word mechta (Russian: мечта) means dream or ambition. The difference between Telstar 18 and Mechta is the red details on the design.[179]

Merchandise
See also: FIFA World Cup video games
On 30 April 2018, EA announced a free expansion for FIFA 18 based on the 2018 FIFA World Cup, featuring all 32 participating teams and all 12 stadiums used at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[180]

Official song
Main article: Live It Up (Nicky Jam song)
The official song of the tournament is “Live It Up”, with vocals from Will Smith, Nicky Jam and Era Istrefi, released on 25 May. The FIFA World Cup Official Music Video was released on 8 June.[181]

Controversies
Main article: List of 2018 FIFA World Cup controversies
Thirty-three footballers who are alleged to be part of the steroid program are listed in the McLaren Report.[182] On 22 December 2017, it was reported that FIFA fired a doctor who had been investigating doping in Russian football.[183] On 22 May 2018 FIFA confirmed that the investigations concerning all Russian players named for the provisional squad of the FIFA World Cup in Russia had been completed, with the result that insufficient evidence was found to assert an anti-doping rule violation.[184] FIFA’s medical committee also decided that Russian personnel would not be involved in performing drug testing procedures at the tournament; the action was taken to reassure teams that the samples would remain untampered.[185]

Host selection
The choice of Russia as host has been challenged. Controversial issues have included the level of racism in Russian football,[186][187][188] and discrimination against LGBT people in wider Russian society.[189][190] 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.[191][192] In 2014, FIFA President Sepp Blatter stated that “the World Cup has been given and voted to Russia and we are going forward with our work”.[193]

Allegations of corruption in the bidding processes for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups caused threats from England’s FA to boycott the tournament.[194] FIFA appointed Michael J. Garcia, a US attorney, to investigate and produce a 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.[195] Garcia criticised the summary as being “materially incomplete” with “erroneous representations of the facts and conclusions”, and appealed to FIFA’s Appeal Committee.[196][197] 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.[198]

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.[199][200] 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”.[201][202] Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and former British Prime Minister David Cameron attended a meeting with FIFA vice-president Chung Mong-joon in which a vote-trading deal for the right to host the 2018 World Cup in England was discussed.[203][204]

Response to Skripal poisoning
In response to the March 2018 poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal, British Prime Minister Theresa May announced that no British ministers or members of the royal family would attend the World Cup, and issued a warning to any travelling England fans.[205] Iceland is diplomatically boycotting the World Cup.[206] Russia responded to the comments from the UK Parliament claiming that “the west are trying to deny Russia the World Cup”.[207] The Russian Foreign Ministry denounced Boris Johnson’s statements that compared the event to the 1936 Olympics held in Nazi Germany as “poisoned with venom of hate, unprofessionalism and boorishness” and “unacceptable and unworthy” parallel towards Russia, a “nation that lost millions of lives in fighting Nazism”.[208]

The British Foreign Office and MPs had repeatedly warned English football fans and “people of Asian or Afro-Caribbean descent” travelling to Russia of “racist or homophobic intimidation, hooligan violence and anti-British hostility”.[209][210] English football fans who have travelled have said they have received a warm welcome from ordinary citizens after arriving in Russia.[211][212]

Broadcasting rights
Main article: 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 is the first men’s World Cup whose English rights will be held by Fox Sports, and Spanish rights held by Telemundo. The elimination of the US national team in qualifying led to concerns that US interest and viewership of this World Cup would be reduced (especially among “casual” viewers interested in the US team), especially noting how much Fox paid for the rights, and that US 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 among US viewers (factoring Hispanic and Latino Americans). Fox stated that it was still committed to broadcasting a significant amount of coverage for the tournament.[213][214][215]

In February 2018, Ukrainian rightsholder UA:PBC stated that it would not broadcast the World Cup. This came in the wake of growing boycotts of the tournament among the Football Federation of Ukraine and sports minister Ihor Zhdanov.[216][217] However, the Ukrainian state TV still broadcasts the World Cup, and more than 4 million Ukrainians watched the opening match.[218] Additionally, the Football Federation of Ukraine refused to accredit journalists for the World Cup and waived their quota of tickets.[219]

Sponsorship
FIFA partners FIFA World Cup sponsors African supporters Asian supporters European supporters
Adidas[220]
Coca-Cola[221]
Gazprom[222]
Hyundai–Kia[223]
Qatar Airways[224]
Visa[225]
Wanda Group[226]
Anheuser-Busch InBev[227]
Hisense[228]
McDonald’s[229]
Mengniu Dairy[230]
Vivo[231]
Egypt – Experience & Invest[232]
Diking[233]
Luci[233]
Yadea[234]
Alfa-Bank[235]
Alrosa[236]
Rostelecom[237]
Russian Railways[238]
See also
icon Association football portal
flag Russia portal
icon 2010s portal
FIFA World Cup hosts
2017 FIFA Confederations Cup
2021 FIFA Confederations Cup[A]
Notes
The winning nation will qualify if that tournament takes place as FIFA has discussed abolishing the competition.[239]
References
“Ethics: Executive Committee unanimously supports recommendation to publish report on 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup bidding process” (Press release). FIFA. 19 December 2014. Archived from the original on 29 March 2015.
Morrin, Siobhan (13 June 2018). “Your Ultimate Guide to Watching the 2018 World Cup”. Time. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
Vyatchanin, Nikita (14 June 2018). “В России стартовал чемпионат мира по футболу”. pnp.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 15 June 2018.
“Непредвиденные расходы: как менялась смета ЧМ-2018”. rbc.ru (in Russian). 8 June 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
“What is VAR, what are the rules, and how is it being used by FIFA for World Cup 2018 in Russia?”. The Telegraph. 11 July 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
Campbell, Paul (22 May 2018). “Will VAR improve the World Cup?”. The Guardian. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
“Russia united for 2018 FIFA World Cup Host Cities announcement”. FIFA. 29 September 2012. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
Goff, Steve (16 January 2009). “Future World Cups”. The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 30 April 2011. Retrieved 16 January 2009.
“Mexico withdraws FIFA World Cup bid”. FIFA. 29 September 2009. Archived from the original on 30 April 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
“Indonesia’s bid to host the 2022 World Cup bid ends”. BBC. 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. Archived from the original on 26 December 2016.
Gordon, Aaron (27 June 2017). “What We Know About Corruption in the 2018 And 2022 World Cup Bids”. vice.com. Archived from the original on 15 January 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
“Michael Garcia: FIFA investigator resigns in World Cup report row”. BBC. 17 December 2014. Archived from the original on 15 January 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
“Former FA chairman David Bernstein calls for 2018 World Cup boycott”. The Guardian. 17 November 2014. Archived from the original on 26 April 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
“Qatar World Cup organizers ready to fight for 2022”. Reuters. 3 June 2015. Archived from the original on 26 April 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
“Road to Russia with new milestone”. FIFA. 15 January 2015. Archived from the original on 21 March 2015.
“Zimbabwe expelled from the preliminary competition of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia”. FIFA. 12 March 2015. Archived from the original on 16 November 2017.
“Indonesia excluded from 2018 World Cup qualifiers”. Reuters. 3 June 2015. Archived from the original on 1 March 2016.
“Kosovo & Gibraltar become eligible for 2018 World Cup Qualifying”. Russia: RT. Archived from the original on 9 June 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
“2022 FIFA World Cup to be played in November/December”. FIFA. 20 March 2015. Archived from the original on 12 November 2017.
“Current allocation of FIFA World Cup confederation slots maintained”. FIFA. 30 May 2015. Archived from the original on 16 November 2017.
“Long road to Russia begins in Dili”. FIFA. 11 March 2015. Archived from the original on 16 November 2017.
“FIFA World Cup Preliminary Draw: 1 week to go”. FIFA. 18 July 2015. Archived from the original on 16 November 2017.
“Organising Committee for the FIFA World Cup extends its responsibilities to cover 2018 and 2022”. FIFA. 19 March 2013. Archived from the original on 18 October 2014.
“Konstantinovsky Palace to stage Preliminary Draw of the 2018 FIFA World Cup”. FIFA. 10 October 2014. Archived from the original on 31 December 2014.
T.A.W. (12 November 2017). “How Iceland (population: 330,000) qualified for the World Cup”. The Economist. Archived from the original on 13 November 2017. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
“In first, 4 Arab countries qualify for FIFA World Cup Finals”. The Times of Israel. 12 November 2017. Archived from the original on 13 November 2017. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
Reineking, Jim (12 June 2018). “FIFA World Cup 2018: Notable teams that failed to qualify”. USA Today. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
“FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking”. FIFA. 7 June 2018. Archived from the original on 8 June 2018.
“Final Draw to take place in State Kremlin Palace”. FIFA. 24 January 2017. Archived from the original on 16 November 2017.
“Final Draw to take place at 18:00”. The Daily Telegraph. 24 November 2017. Archived from the original on 25 November 2017.
“OC for FIFA Competitions approves procedures for the Final Draw of the 2018 FIFA World Cup”. FIFA. 14 September 2017. Archived from the original on 10 November 2017.
“Organising Committee for FIFA Competitions: Updates on the FIFA World Cup and women’s tournaments”. FIFA. 8 February 2018. Archived from the original on 9 February 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
“Regulations – 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia” (PDF). FIFA. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 July 2017.
“Rest periods for the players on the provisional list for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia” (PDF). FIFA. 30 March 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 April 2017.
“2018 FIFA World Cup – Statistical Kit – Referees” (PDF). FIFA. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
“World Cup 2018 List of video match officials” (PDF). FIFA. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 April 2018.
“World Cup 2018: Referee Fahad Al Mirdasi ‘banned over match-fixing attempt in Saudi Arabia'”. BBC. 16 May 2018. Archived from the original on 25 May 2018.
“FIFA statement on the situation of the Saudi Arabian referee Fahad AL MIRDASI”. FIFA. 30 May 2018. Archived from the original on 1 June 2018.
“Updated: List of FIFA match officials for the 2018 FIFA World Cup” (PDF). FIFA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 June 2018.
“Betraying the Game: African officials filmed taking cash”. BBC. 7 June 2018.
“FIFA Council decides on key steps for the future of international competitions”. FIFA. 16 March 2018. Archived from the original on 31 March 2018.
“VAR: Video assistant referees set to be used at 2018 World Cup in Russia”. BBC Sport. 3 March 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
MacInnes, Paul (12 June 2018). “How will VAR work at the World Cup and how much is riding on it?”. The Guardian. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
Belam, Martin (22 June 2018). “VAR at the World Cup: the big decisions, game by game”. the Guardian. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
Austin, Jack (15 June 2018). “Why Diego Costa’s goal against Portugal made World Cup history”. The Independent. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
“World Cup 2018: History made with first penalty awarded by VAR during France vs Australia”. The Independent. 16 June 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
“Ronaldo penalty sets new World Cup record”. ESPN.com. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
McLean, Max (16 June 2018). “12 very different opinions on VAR at the World Cup to help you make your mind up”. independent.ie. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
“FIFA ‘satisfied’ with World Cup refereeing, VAR”. ESPN. 20 June 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
“2018 FIFA World Cup Bid Evaluation Report: Russia” (PDF). FIFA. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 December 2010. Retrieved 10 December 2002.
National Geographic Atlas. National Geographic Society. 2011. p. 59.
“The border between Europe and Asia”. welcome2018.com. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
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)”. Izvestia (in Russian). 7 October 2011. Archived from the original on 8 October 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
“2018 FIFA World Cup to be played in 11 Host Cities”. FIFA. 29 September 2012. Archived from the original on 8 July 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
Saakov, Rafael (22 July 2014). “Russia 2018: Major challenges for next World Cup hosts”. BBC. Archived from the original on 28 July 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
Rogovitskiy, Dmitriy (21 October 2014). “Russia on track for World Cup 2018, say FIFA inspectors”. Reuters. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
“Stadium names for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia confirmed”. FIFA. 8 October 2015. Archived from the original on 11 November 2017.
“World Cup 2018 stadiums: A guide to the venues of this summer’s tournament”. The Telegraph. 30 May 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
“Стадион на 45000 зрительских мест к Чемпионату мира по футболу в Нижнем Новгороде” [Stadium for 45,000 spectators for the World Cup in Nizhny Novgorod]. stroytransgaz.ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 30 September 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
“Стадион на Крестовском ввели в эксплуатацию”. fontanka.ru (in Russian). 29 December 2016. Archived from the original on 20 February 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
“Стадион ЧМ-2018 по футболу в Волгограде введен в эксплуатацию” [The 2018 World Cup in Volgograd was put into operation] (in Russian). RIA Novosti. 3 April 2018. Archived from the original on 3 April 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
“Luzhniki Stadium”. FIFA. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
“Spartak Stadium”. FIFA. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
“Saint Petersburg Stadium”. FIFA. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
“Fisht Stadium”. FIFA. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
“Volgograd Arena”. FIFA. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
“Rostov Arena”. FIFA. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
“Nizhny Novgorod Stadium”. FIFA. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
“Kazan Arena”. FIFA. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
“Samara Arena”. FIFA. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
“Mordovia Arena”. FIFA. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
“Kaliningrad Stadium”. FIFA. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
“Ekaterinburg Arena”. FIFA. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
“Team Base Camps for 2018 FIFA World Cup confirmed”. FIFA.com (Fédération Internationale de Football Association). 9 February 2018. Archived from the original on 10 February 2018.
“Croatia defender Pivaric says he has ‘excellent’ 1st impression of training base”. fourfourtwo.com.au. 12 June 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
McNulty, Phil (12 June 2018). “World Cup 2018: Life inside the England bubble – what they can expect in Repino”. BBC. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
Grohmann, Karolos (14 June 2018). “Soccer: No tropical paradise? No problem for Germany, says midfielder Kroos”. Reuters. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
“Russia’s 2018 World Cup costs grow by $600 million”. USA Today. 24 October 2017. Archived from the original on 1 May 2018.
“Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev says 2018 FIFA World Cup to cost 20 billion dollars”. NDTV. 13 June 2013. Archived from the original on 2 March 2018.
“2018 World Cup: Russia to spend $5 billion on transport, despite cuts”. Russia Beyond. 7 January 2016. Archived from the original on 2 March 2018.
“Бюджет чемпионата мира 2018 года – около €1 млрд” [The budget for the 2018 World Cup is about €1 billion]. Чемпионат (in Russian). 18 September 2015. Archived from the original on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
“На подготовку транспортной инфраструктуры ЧМ-2018 в России потрачено 228 млрд” [228 billion spent on preparation of the transport infrastructure of the World Cup 2018]. sport24.ru (in Russian). 3 May 2018. Archived from the original on 1 June 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
“Алмазная радиосвязь”. Газета.Ru (in Russian). 30 March 2018. Archived from the original on 1 June 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
“В Мордовии к ЧМ-2018 прошли классификацию два хостела и мотель”. info-rm.com. 16 January 2018. Archived from the original on 14 March 2018.
“Трамвайная линия до стадиона для ЧМ в Самаре готова на 89%”. samru.ru. 22 February 2018. Archived from the original on 2 March 2018.
“Kaliningrad airport’s new terminal put in operation”. Russian Aviation Insider. 26 July 2017. Archived from the original on 22 May 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
“В Екатеринбурге увеличились расходы на подготовку к проведению ЧМ-2018”. regnum.ru (in Russian). 14 June 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
“Новый рекорд волонтерской программы ЧМ-2018” [New record of the Volunteer program of the World Cup 2018]. welcome2018.com (in Russian). 17 January 2017. Archived from the original on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
“Набор волонтеров на ЧМ-2018 установил новый рекорд Чемпионатов мира” [A set of volunteers at the World Cup 2018 set a new World Cup record] (in Russian). FIFA. 17 January 2017. Archived from the original on 1 June 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
“Чемпионат мира по футболу FIFA 2018 в России – Волонтерская программа: F.A.Q.” [FIFA 2018 World Cup in Russia – Volunteer program: F.A.Q.] (in Russian). FIFA. Archived from the original on 10 October 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
Ames, Nick (27 March 2018). “World Cup 2018: what is a Fan ID and do I need one to watch games in Russia?”. The Guardian. Archived from the original on 31 March 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
Wildie, Tom (8 June 2018). “Aussie soccer fan’s World Cup dream crushed by new Russian visa rejection”. ABC News. Archived from the original on 9 June 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
“What World Cup fans going to Russia should know”. BBC. 6 June 2018. Archived from the original on 10 June 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
“Match schedules for FIFA Confederations Cup 2017 and 2018 FIFA World Cup unveiled”. FIFA. 24 July 2015. Archived from the original on 5 October 2017.
“FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 – Match Schedule” (PDF). FIFA. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 September 2017.
“FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 – Match Schedule” (PDF). FIFA. 20 December 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 June 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
“The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking – October 2017”. FIFA. Archived from the original on 16 October 2017. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
“World Cup 2018 fixtures: full schedule, results and match dates”. The Telegraph. 14 June 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
“World Cup 2018 Opening Ceremony: What time will it start and when will Robbie Williams feature?”. The Telegraph. 13 June 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
“Robbie Williams show at World Cup opening ceremony is too short to ever be dull”. The Guardian. 14 June 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
“World Cup 2018: Ronaldo and Robbie Williams star in opening ceremony”. BBC. 14 June 2018.
White, Adam (27 June 2018). “What does Didier Deschamps want from his France team? If only he knew”. The Guardian. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
“Tie-breakers for Russia 2018 groups”. FIFA. 20 June 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
“Match report – Group A – Russia v Saudi Arabia” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 14 June 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
“Match report – Group A – Egypt v Uruguay” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 15 June 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
“Match report – Group A – Russia v Egypt” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 19 June 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
“Match report – Group A – Uruguay v Saudi Arabia” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 20 June 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
“Match report – Group A – Uruguay v Russia” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 25 June 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
“Match report – Group A – Saudi Arabia v Egypt” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 25 June 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
“Match report – Group B – Morocco v IR Iran” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 15 June 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
“Match report – Group B – Portugal v Spain” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 15 June 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
“Match report – Group B – Portugal v Morocco” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 20 June 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
“Match report – Group B – IR Iran v Spain” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 20 June 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
“Match report – Group B – IR Iran v Portugal” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 25 June 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
“Match report – Group B – Spain v Morocco” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 25 June 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
“Match report – Group C – France v Australia” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 16 June 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
“Match report – Group C – Peru v Denmark” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 16 June 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
“Match report – Group C – Denmark v Australia” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 21 June 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
“Match report – Group C – France v Peru” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 21 June 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
“Match report – Group C – Denmark v France” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
“Match report – Group C – Australia v Peru” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
“Match report – Group D – Argentina v Iceland” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 16 June 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
“Match report – Group D – Croatia v Nigeria” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 16 June 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
“Match report – Group D – Argentina v Croatia” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 21 June 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
“Match report – Group D – Nigeria v Iceland” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 22 June 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
“Match report – Group D – Nigeria v Argentina” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
“Match report – Group D – Iceland v Croatia” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
“Match report – Group E – Costa Rica v Serbia” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 17 June 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
“Match report – Group E – Brazil v Switzerland” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 17 June 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
“Match report – Group E – Brazil v Costa Rica” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 22 June 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
“Match report – Group E – Serbia v Switzerland” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 22 June 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
“Match report – Group E – Serbia v Brazil” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 27 June 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
“Match report – Group E – Switzerland v Costa Rica” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 27 June 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
“Match report – Group F – Germany v Mexico” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 17 June 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
“Match report – Group F – Sweden v Korea Republic” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 18 June 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
“Match report – Group F – Korea Republic v Mexico” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 23 June 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
“Match report – Group F – Germany v Sweden” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 23 June 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
“Match report – Group F – Korea Republic v Germany” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 27 June 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
“Match report – Group F – Mexico v Sweden” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 27 June 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
“Match report – Group G – Belgium v Panama” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 18 June 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 June 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
“Match report – Group G – Tunisia v England” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 18 June 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 June 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
“Match report – Group G – Belgium v Tunisia” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 23 June 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 June 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
“Match report – Group G – England v Panama” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 24 June 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 June 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
“Match report – Group G – England v Belgium” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 28 June 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
“Match report – Group G – Panama v Tunisia” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 28 June 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
“Match report – Group H – Colombia v Japan” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 19 June 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
“Match report – Group H – Poland v Senegal” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 19 June 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
“Match report – Group H – Japan v Senegal” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 24 June 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
“Match report – Group H – Poland v Colombia” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 24 June 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
“Match report – Group H – Japan v Poland” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 28 June 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
“Match report – Group H – Senegal v Colombia” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 28 June 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
“Match report – Round of 16 – France v Argentina” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 30 June 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 July 2018. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
“Match report – Round of 16 – Uruguay v Portugal” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 30 June 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 June 2018. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
“Match report – Round of 16 – Spain v Russia” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 1 July 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 July 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
“Match report – Round of 16 – Croatia v Denmark” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 1 July 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 July 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
“Match report – Round of 16 – Brazil v Mexico” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 2 July 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 July 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
“Match report – Round of 16 – Belgium v Japan” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 2 July 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 July 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
“Match report – Round of 16 – Sweden v Switzerland” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 3 July 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 July 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
“Match report – Round of 16 – Colombia v England” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 3 July 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 July 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
“Match report – Quarter-final – Uruguay v France” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 6 July 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 July 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
“Match report – Quarter-final – Brazil v Belgium” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 6 July 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 July 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
“Match report – Quarter-final – Sweden v England” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 7 July 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
“Match report – Quarter-final – Russia v Croatia” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 7 July 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
“Match report – Semi-final – France v Belgium” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 10 July 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
“Match report – Semi-final – Croatia v England” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 11 July 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
“Match report – Play-off for third place – Belgium v England” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 14 July 2018. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
Sen, Debayan (6 July 2018). “By the Numbers – All-European last four, 11 own goals”. ESPN. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
“Players: Goals scored”. FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
“FIFA World Cup Prize Money” (PDF). FIFA. 27 October 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
“‘Russia’s heart & soul’: World Cup 2018 logo unveiled in Moscow (PHOTOS, VIDEO)”. RT. 28 October 2014. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
“Russia 2018: World Cup mascot Zabivaka the wolf unveiled in Moscow”. The Guardian. 21 October 2016. Archived from the original on 25 March 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
“Ticket sales for 2018 FIFA World Cup to start on 14 September 2017”. FIFA. 12 September 2017. Archived from the original on 13 November 2017.
“Russia to ease visa regime for World Cup fans in 2018”. Voice of Russia. 11 July 2014. Archived from the original on 21 October 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
“2018 FIFA World Cup official match ball unveiled: an exciting re-imagining”. FIFA. 9 November 2017. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017.
“adidas Football Reveals Official Match Ball for the Knockout Stage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia”. FIFA. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
Yin-Poole, Wesley. “FIFA 18 gets free World Cup mode in May”. Archived from the original on 1 May 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
“2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Official Song ‘Live It Up’ to be performed by all-star line-up”. FIFA. 23 May 2018. Archived from the original on 29 May 2018.
“Fifa contacts McLaren over doping claims in football”. BBC. 21 November 2017. Archived from the original on 16 December 2017.
Conn, David (20 December 2017). “Doctor sacked by Fifa was investigating alleged Russian football doping”. The Guardian. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
“Update on the investigations following the McLaren reports”. FIFA. 22 May 2018. Archived from the original on 22 May 2018.
“Russians to take no part in World Cup drug testing: FIFA”. Reuters. 24 May 2018. Archived from the original on 28 May 2018.
Syal, Rajeev (3 December 2010). “World Cup 2018 win raises Russian racism fears”. The Guardian. Archived from the original on 20 September 2013. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
“Yaya Toure: Black players may boycott 2018 Russia World Cup”. BBC Sport. 25 October 2013. Archived from the original on 18 January 2016.
Munro, Kelsey (11 June 2018). “Racism in Russia and FIFA’s 3-step plan to tackle it”. Sbs.com.au. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018.
McCormick, Joseph Patrick (25 March 2014). “Campaigns demand FIFA bans Russia from hosting 2018 World Cup due to anti-gay law”. Pink News. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014.
Lavin, James (28 February 2014). “Why FIFA Needs to Move the World Cup”. advocate.com. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014.
“Fifa urged to rethink staging 2018 World Cup in Russia”. BBC. 21 March 2014. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
Winter, Stuart (23 March 2014). “US calls for Fifa to drop Russia from hosting World Cup in 2018”. Daily Express. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
“Sepp Blatter: Russia will host 2018 World Cup despite Crimea”. BBC Sport. 21 March 2014. Archived from the original on 28 April 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
Ornstein, David (17 November 2014). “World Cup: Former FA chief David Bernstein calls for boycott”. BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 17 November 2014. 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. Archived from the original on 17 November 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
Conway, Richard. “FIFA corruption report: Who is to blame and what happens now?”. BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
“Michael Garcia: FIFA investigator resigns in World Cup report row”. BBC. 17 December 2014. Archived from the original on 15 January 2016.
Rumsby, Ben (4 June 2015). “Fifa in crisis: FBI extends investigation to Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 World Cup bids”. The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 4 June 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
Riach, James (3 June 2015). “FBI investigating Fifa’s awarding of 2018 and 2022 World Cups – report”. The Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 June 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
“‘Russia & Qatar may lose World Cups’ – Fifa official”. BBC News. 7 June 2015. Archived from the original on 2 August 2015.
Gibson, Owen (7 June 2015). “Russia and Qatar may lose World Cups if evidence of bribery is found”. The Guardian. Archived from the original on 26 December 2016.
Mendick, Robert; Rumsby, Ben (27 June 2017). “Prince William and David Cameron caught up in Fifa corruption scandal”. The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 20 January 2018.
“Video: David Cameron and Prince William implicated in FIFA corruption probe”. The Belfast Telegraph. 28 June 2017.
Osborne, Samuel (14 March 2018). “Theresa May’s statement in full as she expels 23 Russian spies from Britain”. The Independent. Archived from the original on 14 March 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
“Iceland to diplomatically boycott 2018 World Cup in Russia”. Russia: RT. Archived from the original on 26 March 2018. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
“Moscow official says West is trying to deny Russia World Cup”. BBC News. 1 April 2018. Archived from the original on 1 April 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
Osborne, Samuel (21 March 2018). “Sergei Skripal: Chemical weapons inspectors arrive in Salisbury to investigate nerve agent attack”. The Independent.
Calder, Simon (15 March 2018). “World Cup 2018: England football fans warned of potential ‘anti-British harassment’ when travelling to Russia”. The Independent.
“World Cup 2018: New report highlights MPs’ concern for England fans in Russia”. BBC News. 8 June 2018.
Mendick, Robert; Luhn, Alec (18 June 2018). “England fans welcomed with open arms in Volgograd ahead of opening 2018 World Cup match against Tunisia”. The Daily Telegraph.
Carroll, Oliver (19 June 2018). “World Cup 2018: England fans praise welcome by Russian hosts as they celebrate first win”. The Independent.
Draper, Kevin (11 October 2017). “Fox and Others Will Feel Pain of U.S. Absence at World Cup”. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 24 October 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
Deitsch, Richard (11 October 2017). “With USMNT eliminated from World Cup, Fox must refocus coverage plan”. Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
Shaw, Lucas; Novy-Williams, Eben; Broudway, Ira (11 October 2017). “Fox projects up to $20 million in lost World Cup ad sales”. Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
“Ukrainian public broadcaster decides not to show World Cup matches”. Kyiv Post. 12 February 2018. Archived from the original on 14 March 2018. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
Carp, Sam. “Ukraine’s public broadcaster refuses to show Fifa World Cup”. SportsPro. Archived from the original on 14 March 2018. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
Bershidsky, Leonid (18 June 2018). “You Can Hate Putin But Love the World Cup”. Bloomberg.
“Inter Media Group secures World Cup rights in Ukraine”. TV Sports Markets. 31 May 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
“FIFA and adidas extend partnership until 2030”. FIFA. 21 November 2013. Archived from the original on 28 June 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
Matthews, Sam (22 November 2005). “Coca-Cola renews Fifa football sponsorship until 2022”. Campaign. Archived from the original on 27 August 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
Millerchip, Oliver (16 September 2013). “Gazprom agrees Fifa sponsorship deal”. SportsPro. Archived from the original on 7 July 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
“Hyundai-Kia drives on as FIFA Partner until 2022”. FIFA. 24 November 2010. Archived from the original on 18 June 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
“Qatar Airways announced as Official Partner and Official Airline of FIFA until 2022”. FIFA. 7 May 2017. Archived from the original on 11 May 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
Mickle, Tripp (1 April 2013). “Visa extending World Cup deal for eight years”. Sports Business Daily. Archived from the original on 27 August 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
“Wanda Group becomes new FIFA Partner”. FIFA. 18 March 2016. Archived from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
“FIFA and Anheuser-Busch InBev announce FIFA World Cup sponsorship for 2018 / 2022”. FIFA. 25 October 2011. Archived from the original on 27 August 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
“Hisense becomes Official Sponsor of 2018 FIFA World Cup”. FIFA. 6 April 2017. Archived from the original on 20 May 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
“McDonald’s looking ahead to 2018”. FIFA. 24 October 2014. Archived from the original on 29 May 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
Carp, Sam (20 December 2017). “Mengniu Group added to Fifa World Cup sponsor line-up”. SportsPro. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
Carp, Sam (31 May 2017). “Fifa agrees massive World Cup deal with Vivo”. SportsPro. Archived from the original on 2 June 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
“Egypt government selected as regional sponsor for 2018 FIFA World Cup”. Egypt Independent. 13 June 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
Long, Danielle (11 June 2018). “More Chinese sponsors sign up for Fifa World Cup”. The Drum. Archived from the original on 13 June 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
Carp, Sam (8 February 2018). “Fifa adds latest Chinese sponsor for World Cup”. SportsPro. Archived from the original on 14 March 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
“Alfa-Bank unveiled as first-ever Regional Supporter for the FIFA World Cup”. FIFA. 18 July 2016. Archived from the original on 21 May 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
“Alrosa completes line-up of European Regional Supporters of the 2018 FIFA World Cup”. FIFA. 23 April 2018. Archived from the original on 25 April 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
Carp, Sam (21 March 2018). “Fifa World Cup adds Rostelecom as regional partner”. SportsPro. Archived from the original on 1 June 2018. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
“Russian Railways announced as an Official European Supporter of the 2018 FIFA World Cup”. FIFA. 5 April 2018. Archived from the original on 16 April 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
“FIFA’s Confederations Cup has uncertain future after Russia”. FOX Sports. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for World Cup 2018.
FIFA.com 2018 website
Welcome2018.com
vte
2018 FIFA World Cup
vte
2018 FIFA World Cup finalists
vte
2018 FIFA World Cup stadiums
vte
FIFA World Cup
vte
World championships in 2018
Categories: 2018 FIFA World Cup2018 in association football2017–18 in Russian footballCurrent sports eventsFIFA World Cup tournamentsInternational association football competitions hosted by RussiaJune 2018 events in RussiaJune 2018 sports events in EuropeJuly 2018 events in RussiaJuly 2018 sports events in Europe
Navigation menu
Not logged inTalkContributionsCreate accountLog inArticleTalkReadView sourceView historySearch

Search Wikipedia
Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikipedia store
Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page
Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page
Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version
In other projects
Wikimedia Commons
Wikinews
Wikivoyage

Languages
বাংলা
भोजपुरी
हिन्दी
മലയാളം
मराठी
ਪੰਜਾਬੀ
தமிழ்
తెలుగు
اردو
99 more
Edit links
This page was last edited on 15 July 2018, at 16:53 (UTC).
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policyAbout WikipediaDisclaimersContact WikipediaDevelopersCookie statementMobile view