2018 FIFA World Cup

2018 FIFA World Cup
The 2018 FIFA World Cup was 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 took place in Russia from
14 June to 15 July 2018.[2] It was the first
World Cup to be held in Eastern Europe,[3] and the 11th

time that it had been held in Europe. At an estimated
cost of over $14.2 billion, it was the most expensive
World Cup.[4] It was also the first World Cup to use the
video assistant referee (VAR) system.[5][6]
The finals involved 32 teams, of which
31 came through qualifying competitions, while the host
nation qualified automatically. Of the 32 teams, 20 had
also appeared in the previous tournament in 2014, while
both Iceland and Panama made their first appearances
at a FIFA World Cup. A total of 64 matches were played
in 12 venues across 11 cities.[7]
The final took place on 15 July at the

Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, between France and
Croatia. France won the match 4–2 to claim their second
World Cup title, marking the fourth consecutive title
won by a European team.
Host selection
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)

Votes
Bidders
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
reexamination of the affair and David Bernstein calling
for a boycott of the
World Cup.[16][17]
Teams
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][2]
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
Italian World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro in
Moscow at the 2018 World Cup draw
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) Spain (8) Denmark (19) Serbia (38)

(hosts) Peru (10) Iceland (21) Nigeria (41)
Germany (1) Switzerland (11) Costa Rica (22) Australia (43) Japan (44)
Brazil (2) England (12) Sweden (25) Morocco (48)
Portugal (3) Colombia (13) Tunisia (28) Panama (49)
Argentina (4) Mexico (16) Egypt (30) South Korea
Belgium (5) Uruguay (17) Senegal (32) (62)
Poland (6) Croatia (18) Iran (34) Saudi Arabia
France (7) (63)
Squads
Croatia players after the 2018 World Cup Final against France
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
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 solely acted in this capacity in
the tournament.[39]
Referee Fahad Al-Mirdasi of Saudi

Arabia was removed in 30 May 2018 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
Confederation Referee Assistant referees Video assistant referees

Reza Sokhandan (Iran)
Alireza Faghani (Iran) Mohammadreza
Mansouri (Iran)
Abdukhamidullo
Rasulov (Uzbekistan)
Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)
Jakhongir Saidov
(Uzbekistan)
Abdulrahman
AFC Mohamed Al Hammadi Al-Jassim
Mohammed Abdulla Hassan
(United Arab Emirates) (Qatar)
Mohamed (United Arab
Hasan Al Mahri (United
Emirates)
Arab Emirates)
Toru Sagara (Japan)

Ryuji Sato (Japan) Hiroshi Yamauchi
(Japan)
Yaser Tulefat (Bahrain)

Nawaf Shukralla (Bahrain)
Taleb Al Maari (Qatar)
Mehdi Abid Charef (Algeria) Anouar Hmila (Tunisia)
Djibril Camara
(Senegal)
Malang Diedhiou (Senegal)
El Hadji Samba
(Senegal)
Jean Claude
Birumushahu (Burundi)
Bakary Gassama (Gambia)
Abdelhak Etchiali
(Algeria)
CAF
Redouane Achik
(Morocco)
Gehad Grisha (Egypt)
Waleed Ahmed
(Sudan)
Jerson Dos Santos

(Angola)
Janny Sikazwe (Zambia)
Zakhele Siwela (South
Africa)
Bamlak Tessema Weyesa

(Ethiopia)
Juan Zumba (El

Salvador)
Juan Carlos Mora
Joel Aguilar (El Salvador)
CONCACAF (Costa Rica)
Frank Anderson
Mark Geiger (United States) (United States)
Joe Fletcher (Canada)
Corey Rockwell (United
Jair Marrufo (United States)
States)
Ricardo Montero (Costa Rica)
Gabriel Victoria
John Pitti (Panama)
(Panama)
Marvin Torrentera
(Mexico)
César Arturo Ramos (Mexico)
Miguel Hernández
(Mexico)
Carlos Astroza (Chile)

Julio Bascuñán (Chile) Christian Schiemann
(Chile)
Eduardo Cardozo
(Paraguay)
Enrique Cáceres (Paraguay)
Juan Zorrilla
(Paraguay)
Nicolás Tarán
(Uruguay)
Andrés Cunha (Uruguay)
Mauricio Espinosa
Wilton Sampaio
(Uruguay)
(Brazil)
Gery Vargas
CONMEBOL
Hernán Maidana (Bolivia)
(Argentina) Mauro Vigliano
Néstor Pitana (Argentina)
Juan Pablo Belatti (Argentina)
(Argentina)
Emerson de Carvalho
(Brazil)
Sandro Ricci (Brazil)
Marcelo Van Gasse
(Brazil)
Alexander Guzmán
(Colombia)
Wilmar Roldán (Colombia)
Cristian de la Cruz
(Colombia)
Simon Lount (New

Matthew Conger (New Zealand)
Zealand) Tevita Makasini
(Tonga)
Bertrand Brial (New

OFC
Norbert Hauata (Tahiti) Caledonia)
Mark Borsch Bastian Dankert
UEFA Felix Brych (Germany) (Germany) (Germany)
Stefan Lupp (Germany) Artur Soares

Bahattin Duran
Cüneyt Çakır (Turkey) (Turkey)
Tarık Ongun (Turkey)
Anton Averianov
(Russia)
Sergei Karasev (Russia)
Tikhon Kalugin
(Russia)
Sander van Roekel
Björn Kuipers (Netherlands) (Netherlands) Erwin Zeinstra
(Netherlands)
Dias (Portugal)
Paweł Gil
Paweł Sokolnicki
(Poland)
(Poland)
Szymon Marciniak (Poland) Massimiliano
Tomasz Listkiewicz
Irrati (Italy)
(Poland)
Tiago Martins
(Portugal)
Pau Cebrián Devís Danny Makkelie
(Spain) (Netherlands)
Antonio Mateu Lahoz (Spain)
Roberto Díaz Pérez Daniele Orsato
(Spain) (Italy)
Paolo Valeri
Milovan Ristić (Serbia) (Italy)
Milorad Mažić (Serbia) Dalibor Đurđević Felix Zwayer
(Serbia) (Germany)
Elenito Di Liberatore
Gianluca Rocchi (Italy) (Italy)
Mauro Tonolini (Italy)
Jure Praprotnik
(Slovenia)
Damir Skomina (Slovenia)
Robert Vukan
(Slovenia)
Cyril Gringore (France)

Clément Turpin (France) Nicolas Danos
(France)
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
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 – were used most, both
hosting seven matches. Sochi, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod
and Samara all hosted six matches, including one
quarter-final match each, while the Otkrytiye Stadium in
Moscow and Rostov-on-Don hosted five matches,
including one round-of-16 match each. Volgograd,
Kaliningrad, Yekaterinburg and Saransk all hosted four
matches, but did not host any knockout stage games.
Stadiums
Exterior of Otkrytie Arena in Moscow
A total of twelve stadiums in eleven Russian cities were

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 Fisht Olympic Stadium

Otkritie Arena (Spartak Stadium) Krestovsky Stadium (Saint Petersburg
Stadium Stadium)
(Fisht Stadium)
Capacity: 78,011[66] Capacity: 44,190 [67] Capacity: 64,468[68] Capacity: 44,287 [69]
Saint
Rostov-on-
Volgograd Petersbur
Don
Kaliningrad
Moscow
Volgograd
Rostov Arena
Arena
Capacity: 43,713[70] Capacity: 43,472[71]
Nizhny Novgorod Kazan

g
N
Nizhny
Novgorod Kazan Arena
Stadium Nizhny
ovgorod Yekaterinbur
Kazan g
Capacity: 43,319[72] Capacity: 42,873[73]
Saransk Samara
R
o
D Volgograd
o
stov-onn
S
o chi
Samara Saransk Kaliningrad Yekaterinburg
Central
Stadium
Samara Arena Mordovia Arena Kaliningrad Stadium
(Ekaterinburg
Arena)
Capacity: 41,970[74] Capacity: 41,685 [75] Capacity: 33,973[76] Capacity: 33,061 [77]
Team base camps
Base camps were 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 subprogram "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 Rostovon-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
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 were 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
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
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 was

determined as
follows:[36][107]
1. Points obtained in all group matches;
2. Goal difference in all group matches;
3. Number of goals scored in all group matches;
4. Points obtained in the matches played between the

teams in question;
5. Goal difference in the matches played between the

teams in question;
6. Number of goals scored in the matches played

between the teams in question;
7. Fair play points in all group matches (only one

deduction could 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;
8. Drawing of lots.
Group A
Pre-match ceremony prior to the opening game,

Russia v Saudi Arabia
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers (H)
Host.
14 June 2018
18:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Russia 5–0 Saudi Arabia

Gazinsky 12' Report
Cheryshev
43', 90+1'
Dzyuba 71'
Golovin 90+4'
Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow

Attendance: 78,011[108]
Referee: Néstor Pitana (Argentina)
15 June 2018
17:00 YEKT (UTC+5)
Egypt 0–1 Uruguay

Report Giménez
89'
Central Stadium, Yekaterinburg

Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)
19 June 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Russia 3–1 Egypt

Fathy 47' (o.g.) Report Salah
Cheryshev 59' 73' (pen.)
Dzyuba 62'
Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg

Referee: Enrique Cáceres (Paraguay)
20 June 2018
18:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Uruguay 1–0 Saudi Arabia

Suárez 23' Report
Rostov Arena, Rostov-on-Don

Referee: Clément Turpin (France)
25 June 2018
18:00 SAMT (UTC+4)
Uruguay 3–0 Russia

Suárez 10' Report
Cheryshev
23' (o.g.)
Cavani 90'
Cosmos Arena, Samara

Referee: Malang Diedhiou (Senegal)
25 June 2018
17:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Saudi Arabia 2–1 Egypt

Salah 22'
Al-Faraj Report 45+6' (pen.)
Al-Dawsari
90+5'
Volgograd Arena, Volgograd
Referee: Wilmar Roldán (Colombia)
Group B
The first match of the group, Iran's squad against

Morocco in St. Petersburg
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
15 June 2018
18:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Morocco 0–1 Iran

Report Bouhaddouz
90+5' (o.g.)

Referee: Cüneyt Çakır (Turkey)
15 June 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Portugal 3–3 Spain
Ronaldo Report Costa 24', 55'
4' (pen.), 44', 88' Nacho 58'
Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi

Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (Italy)
20 June 2018
15:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Portugal 1–0 Morocco

Ronaldo 4'Report

Referee: Mark Geiger (United States)
20 June 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Iran 0–1 Spain
Report Costa 54'
Kazan Arena, Kazan
Referee: Andrés Cunha (Uruguay)
25 June 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Iran 1–1 Portugal

Ansarifard Report Quaresma 45'
90+3' (pen.)
Mordovia Arena, Saransk

Referee: Enrique Cáceres (Paraguay)
25 June 2018
20:00 KALT (UTC+2)
Spain 2–2 Morocco

Isco 19' Report Boutaïb 14'
Aspas 90+1' En-Nesyri

81'
Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad
Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)
Group C
Australia v Peru
Source: FIFA
16 June 2018
13:00 MSK (UTC+3)
France 2–1 Australia
Griezmann Report Jedinak
58' (pen.) 62' (pen.)
Behich 81' (o.g.)
Kazan Arena, Kazan

16 June 2018
19:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Peru 0–1 Denmark
Report Poulsen 59'

Referee: Bakary Gassama (Gambia)
21 June 2018
:00 SAMT (UTC+4)
Denmark 1–1 Australia
Eriksen 7' Report Jedinak
38' (pen.)

Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (Spain)
21 June 2018
20:00 YEKT (UTC+5)
France 1–0 Peru

Mbappé 34'Report

Referee: Mohammed Abdulla Hassan
Mohamed (United Arab Emirates)
26 June 2018
:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Denmark 0–0 France
Report

Referee: Sandro Ricci (Brazil)
26 June 2018
17:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Australia 0–2 Peru

Report Carrillo 18'
Guerrero
50'

Referee: Sergei Karasev (Russia)
Group D
Iceland v Croatia
Source: FIFA
16 June 2018
16:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Argentina 1–1 Iceland

Agüero 19' Report Finnbogason
23'
Otkritie Arena, Moscow

Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)
16 June 2018
21:00 KALT (UTC+2)
Croatia 2–0 Nigeria

Etebo 32' (o.g.) Report
Modrić
71' (pen.)

21 June 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Argentina 0–3 Croatia

Report Rebić 53'
Modrić 80'
Rakitić
90+1'
Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod Attendance: 43,319[128]

Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)
22 June 2018
18:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Nigeria 2–0 Iceland

Musa 49', 75' Report

Referee: Matthew Conger (New Zealand)
26 June 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Nigeria 1–2 Argentina
Moses Report Messi 14'
51' (pen.) Rojo 86'

Referee: Cüneyt Çakır (Turkey)
26 June 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Iceland 1–2 Croatia

G. Sigurðsson Report Badelj 53'
76' (pen.) Perišić 90'

Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (Spain)
Group E
Brazil v Costa Rica

Source: FIFA
17 June 2018
16:00 SAMT (UTC+4)
Costa Rica 0–1 Serbia

Report Kolarov 56'

17 June 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Brazil 1–1 Switzerland

Coutinho 20' Report Zuber 50'
Referee: César Arturo Ramos (Mexico)
22 June 2018
15:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Brazil 2–0 Costa Rica
Coutinho 90+1' Report Neymar 90+7'

22 June 2018
20:00 KALT (UTC+2)
Serbia 1–2 Switzerland

Mitrović 5' Report Xhaka 52'
Shaqiri 90'
Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad Attendance: 33,167[135]

Referee: Felix Brych (Germany)
27 June 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Serbia 0–2 Brazil

Report Paulinho 36'
Thiago Silva
68'

Referee: Alireza Faghani (Iran)
27 June 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Switzerland 2–2 Costa Rica

Džemaili 31' Report Waston 56'
Drmić 88' Sommer
90+3' (o.g.)
Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod
Referee: Clément Turpin (France)
Group F
Germany v Mexico
Source: FIFA
17 June 2018
18:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Germany 0–1 Mexico
Report Lozano 35'

18 June 2018
15:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Sweden 1–0 South Korea

Granqvist Report
65' (pen.)

Referee: Joel Aguilar (El Salvador)
23 June 2018
:00 MSK (UTC+3)
South Korea 1–2 Mexico
Son Heung-min Report Vela 26' (pen.)
90+3' Hernández 66'

Referee: Milorad Mažić (Serbia)
23 June 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Germany 2–1 Sweden

Reus 48'Report Toivonen
Kroos 90+5' 32'

Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)
27 June 2018
:00 MSK (UTC+3)
South Korea 2–0 Germany
Kim Young-gwon Report
90+3'
Son Heung-min
90+6'
Kazan Arena, Kazan

27 June 2018
19:00 YEKT (UTC+5)
Mexico 0–3 Sweden
Report Augustinsson
50'
Granqvist
62' (pen.)
Álvarez
74' (o.g.)

Group G
Belgium v Tunisia
Source: FIFA
18 June 2018
18:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Belgium 3–0 Panama
Mertens 47' Report Lukaku 69', 75'

Referee: Janny Sikazwe (Zambia)
18 June 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Tunisia 1–2 England

Sassi 35' (pen.) Report Kane 11', 90+1'

Referee: Wilmar Roldán (Colombia)
23 June 2018
:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Belgium 5–2 Tunisia
E. Hazard Report Bronn 18'
6' (pen.), 51' Khazri 90+3'
Lukaku
16', 45+3'
Batshuayi 90'
Referee: Jair Marrufo (United States)
24 June 2018
15:00 MSK (UTC+3)
England 6–1 Panama

Stones 8', 40'Report Baloy 78'
Kane
22' (pen.), 45+1' (pen.), 62'
Lingard 36'

Referee: Gehad Grisha (Egypt)
28 June 2018
20:00 KALT (UTC+2)
England 0–1 Belgium

Report Januzaj 51'

Referee: Damir Skomina (Slovenia)
28 June 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Panama 1–2 Tunisia
Meriah 33' (o.g.) Report F. Ben Youssef
51'
Khazri 66'

Referee: Nawaf Shukralla (Bahrain)
Group H
Japan v Poland
Source: FIFA
Notes:
a. Fair play points: Japan −4, Senegal −6.
19 June 2018
15:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Colombia 1–2 Japan
Quintero 39' Report Kagawa
6' (pen.)
Osako 73'

19 June 2018
18:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Poland 1–2 Senegal

Krychowiak 86' Report Cionek
37' (o.g.)
Niang 60'

Referee: Nawaf Shukralla (Bahrain)
24 June 2018
:00 YEKT (UTC+5)
Japan 2–2 Senegal
Inui 34'Report Mané 11'
Honda 78' Wagué 71'

24 June 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Poland 0–3 Colombia

Report Mina 40'
Falcao 70'
Ju. Cuadrado
75'
Kazan Arena, Kazan

28 June 2018
:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Japan 0–1 Poland
Report Bednarek
59'

Referee: Janny Sikazwe (Zambia)
28 June 2018
18:00 SAMT (UTC+4)
Senegal 0–1 Colombia

Report Mina 74'

Attendance: 41,970[155] Referee: Milorad
Mažić (Serbia)
Knockout stage
Russia v Croatia
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 went into extra time, each team was

allowed to make a fourth substitution, the first time
this had been allowed in a FIFA World Cup
tournament.[44]
Bracket
Round of 16 Quarter-fi
Spain
Russia (p) 1 (3)
7 July – Sochi
1 (4)
Russia
1 July – Nizhny Novgorod Croatia (p)
Croatia (p) 1 (3)
Denmark 1 (2)
3 July – Saint Petersburg
Sweden 1
7 July – Samara
Switzerland 0
Sweden
3 July – Moscow (Otkritie)
England
Colombia 1 (3)
England (p) 1 (4)
Round of 16
30 June 2018
17:00 MSK (UTC+3)
France 4–3 Argentina

Griezmann Report Di María 41'
13' (pen.) Pavard 57' Mercado 48'
Agüero 90+3'
Mbappé 64', 68'
Kazan Arena, Kazan

30 June 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Uruguay 2–1 Portugal

Cavani 7', 62' Report Pepe 55'
1 July 2018
:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Spain 1–1 Russia
(a.e.t.)
Ignashevich Report Dzyuba
12' (o.g.) 41' (pen.) Penalties
Iniesta 3–4 Smolov
Piqué Ignashevich
Koke Ramos Golovin
Cheryshev
Aspas

1 July 2018
:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Croatia 1–1 Denmark
(a.e.t.)
Mandžukić 4' Report M. Jørgensen 1'
Penalties
Badelj 3–2 Eriksen
Kramarić Kjær
Modrić Krohn-Dehli
Pivarić Schöne
Rakitić N. Jørgensen

2 July 2018
18:00 SAMT (UTC+4)
Brazil 2–0 Mexico

Neymar 51'Report
Firmino 88'
2 July 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Belgium 3–2 Japan

Vertonghen 69' Report Haraguchi 48'
Fellaini 74' Inui 52'

Chadli 90+4'

3 July 2018
:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Sweden 1–0 Switzerland

Forsberg 66' Report
3 July 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Colombia 1–1 England

(a.e.t.)
Mina 90+3' Report Kane 57' (pen.)
Penalties
Falcao 3–4 Kane
Ju. Cuadrado Rashford
Muriel Henderson
Uribe Trippier
Bacca Dier

Quarter-finals
6 July 2018
17:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Uruguay 0–2 France
Report Varane 40'

Griezmann
61'

6 July 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Brazil 1–2 Belgium

Renato Augusto Report Fernandinho
76' 13' (o.g.)
De Bruyne 31'
Kazan Arena, Kazan

Referee: Milorad Mažić (Serbia)
7 July 2018
18:00 SAMT (UTC+4)
Sweden 0–2 England

Report Maguire 30'
Alli 59'

7 July 2018
:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Russia 2–2 Croatia
(a.e.t.)
Cheryshev 31' Report Kramarić 39'
Fernandes 115' Vida 101'
Penalties
Smolov 3–4 Brozović
Dzagoev Kovačić
Fernandes Modrić
Ignashevich Vida
Kuzyayev Rakitić
Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi Attendance: 44,287[167]
Semi-finals
10 July 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
France 1–0 Belgium

Umtiti 51'Report
11 July 2018
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Croatia 2–1 England

(a.e.t.)
Perišić 68' Report Trippier 5'

Mandžukić 109'
Attendance: 78,011[169] Referee: Cüneyt Çakır
(Turkey) Third place play-off
14 July 2018
17:00 MSK (UTC+3)
Belgium 2–0 England
Meunier 4' Report
E. Hazard 82'

Referee: Alireza Faghani (Iran) Final
15 July 2018
18:00 MSK (UTC+3)
France 4–2 Croatia
Mandžukić Report Perišić 28'

18' (o.g.)
Mandžukić 69'
Griezmann
38' (pen.)
Pogba 59'
Mbappé 65'

Statistics
Goalscorers
There were 169 goals scored in 64 matches, for an

average of 2.64 goals per match.
Twelve own goals were scored during the tournament,

doubling the record of six set in 1998.[172]
6 goals
Harry Kane
4 goals
Romelu Lukaku
Antoine Griezmann
Kylian Mbappé
Cristiano Ronaldo Denis Cheryshev
3 goals
Eden Hazard
Yerry Mina
Mario Mandžukić
Ivan Perišić
Artem Dzyuba
Diego Costa
Edinson Cavani
2 goals
Sergio Agüero
Mile Jedinak
Philippe Coutinho
Neymar
Luka Modrić Mohamed Salah
John Stones
Takashi Inui
Ahmed Musa
Son Heung-min
Andreas Granqvist
Wahbi Khazri Luis Suárez
1 goal
Ángel Di María
Gabriel Mercado
Lionel Messi Marcos Rojo
Michy Batshuayi
Nacer Chadli
Kevin De Bruyne Marouane Fellaini
Adnan Januzaj
Dries Mertens
Thomas Meunier
Jan Vertonghen
Roberto Firmino Paulinho

Renato Augusto
Thiago Silva
Juan Cuadrado
Radamel Falcao
Juan Fernando Quintero
Kendall Waston
Milan Badelj
Andrej Kramarić
Ivan Rakitić
Ante Rebić
Domagoj Vida
Christian Eriksen
Mathias Jørgensen
Yussuf Poulsen
Dele Alli
Jesse Lingard
Harry Maguire
Kieran Trippier
Benjamin Pavard
Paul Pogba
Samuel Umtiti
Raphaël Varane
Toni Kroos
Marco Reus
Alfreð Finnbogason
Gylfi Sigurðsson
Karim Ansarifard Genki

Haraguchi
Keisuke Honda
Shinji Kagawa
Yuya Osako
Javier Hernández
Hirving Lozano
Carlos Vela
Khalid Boutaïb
Youssef En-Nesyri
Victor Moses
Felipe Baloy
André Carrillo
Paolo Guerrero
Jan Bednarek
Grzegorz Krychowiak
Pepe
Ricardo Quaresma Mário

Fernandes
Yury Gazinsky
Aleksandr Golovin
Salem Al-Dawsari
Salman Al-Faraj
Sadio Mané
M'Baye Niang
Moussa Wagué
Aleksandar Kolarov
Aleksandar Mitrović
Kim Young-gwon
Iago Aspas
Isco
Nacho
Ludwig Augustinsson
Emil Forsberg
Ola Toivonen
Josip Drmić
Blerim Džemaili
Xherdan Shaqiri
Granit Xhaka
Steven Zuber
Dylan Bronn
Ferjani Sassi
Fakhreddine Ben Youssef José Giménez
1 own goal
Aziz Behich (against France)
Fernandinho (against Belgium)
Mario Mandžukić (against France)
Ahmed Fathy (against Russia)
Edson Álvarez (against Sweden)
Aziz Bouhaddouz (against Iran) Oghenekaro Etebo

(against
Croatia)
Thiago Cionek (against Senegal)
Denis Cheryshev (against Uruguay)

Sergei Ignashevich (against Spain)
Yann Sommer (against Costa Rica) Yassine Meriah

(against Panama)
Source: FIFA[173]
Discipline
In total, only four players were sent off in the entire

tournament, the fewest since 1978.[174] International
Football Association Board technical director David
Elleray stated a belief that this was due to the
introduction of VAR, since players would know that they
would not be able to get away with anything under the
new system.[175]
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)
Carlos in Group H vs Japan (matchday Group H vs Poland (matchday 2;

Sánchez 1; 19 June) 24 June)
in Group C vs Peru (matchday 1;

Yussuf Group C vs France (matchday 3;
16 June) in Group C vs Australia
Poulsen 26 June)
(matchday 2; 21 June)
Jérôme in Group F vs Sweden Group F vs South Korea

Boateng (matchday 2; 23 June) (matchday 3; 27 June)
in Group G vs Belgium (matchday

Armando Group G vs Tunisia (matchday 3;
1; 18 June) in Group G vs England (matchday
Cooper 28 June)
2; 24 June)
in Group G vs Belgium (matchday

Michael Group G vs Tunisia (matchday 3;
1; 18 June) in Group G vs England (matchday
Amir Murillo 28 June)
2; 24 June)
Igor in Group A vs Uruguay

Round of 16 vs Spain (1 July)
Smolnikov (matchday 3; 25 June)
in Group F vs Germany
Sebastian (matchday 2; 23 June) in Group F vs Mexico Round of 16 vs Switzerland (3
Larsson (matchday July)
3; 27 June)
in Group F vs Germany
Héctor (matchday 1; 17 June) in Group F vs Sweden
Round of 16 vs Brazil (2 July)
Moreno (matchday
3; 27 June)
in Group E vs Brazil (matchday 1;

Stephan
17 June) in Group E vs Costa Rica Round of 16 vs Sweden (3 July)
Lichtsteiner
in Group E vs Brazil (matchday 1;
Fabian Schär 17 June) in Group E vs Costa Rica Round of 16 vs Sweden (3 July)
in Group C vs Peru (matchday 2;

Blaise Quarter-finals vs Uruguay (6
21 June) in Round of 16 vs Argentina (30
Matuidi July)
June)
in Group E vs Switzerland
Quarter-finals vs Belgium (6
Casemiro
in Round of 16 vs Mexico (2 July) July)
in Group F vs Mexico (matchday

Mikael Quarter-finals vs England (7
3; 27 June) in Round of 16 vs Switzerland (3
Lustig July)
July)
Michael in Round of 16 vs Sweden (3

Suspension served outside tournament
Lang July)
Thomas in Group G vs Panama (matchday

Semi-finals vs France (10 July)
Meunier 1; 18 June) in Quarter-finals vs Brazil (6 July)
Awards
Luka Modrić accepting the Golden Ball award from Vladimir Putin
Kylian Mbappé receiving the World Cup best young player award from
Emmanuel Macron France lifting the World Cup trophy
The following awards were given at the conclusion of the

tournament. The Golden Boot (top scorer), Golden Ball
(best overall player) and Golden Glove (best goalkeeper)

awards were all sponsored by Adidas.[1]
Golden Ball Silver Ball Bronze Ball
Luka Modrić Eden Hazard Antoine Griezmann
Golden Boot Silver Boot Bronze Boot
Harry Kane (6 Antoine Griezmann Romelu Lukaku

goals, 0 assists) (4 goals, 2 assists) (4 goals, 1 assist)
Golden Glove
Thibaut Courtoi s
Best Young Player
Kylian Mbappé
FIFA Fair Play Awar d
Spain
Additionally, FIFA.com shortlisted 18 goals for users to

vote on as the tournaments' best.[176] The poll closed on
23 July. The award was sponsored by Hyundai.[177]
Goal of the Tournament
Goalscorer Opponent Score Round
Benjamin Pavard Argentina 2–2 Round of 16
Dream Team
As was the case during the 2010 and 2014 editions, FIFA
did not release an official All-Star Team, but instead
invited users of FIFA.com to elect their
Fan Dream Team.[178][179]
Goalkeeper Defenders Midfielders Forwards
Thibaut Courtois
Marcelo Kevin De Bruyne Harry Kane
Thiago Silva Philippe Kylian Mbappé
Raphaël Varane Coutinho Cristiano
Diego Godín Luka Modrić Ronaldo
FIFA also published an alternate team of the tournament

based on player performances evaluated through
statistical data.[180]
Goalkeeper Defenders Midfielders Forwards
Thibaut Courtois Denis Cheryshev Harry Kane

Andreas Philippe Antoine
Granqvist Coutinho Griezmann
Thiago Silva Luka Modrić Eden Hazard
Raphaël Varane
Yerry Mina
Prize money
Prize money amounts were announced in October 2017.

[181]
Amount (million USD)

Position
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.[182] For the branding,
Portuguese design agency Brandia Central created

materials in 2014, with a typeface called Dusha (from
душа, Russian for soul) designed by Brandia
Central and edited by Adotbelow of

DSType Foundry in Portugal.[183]
Mascot
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 a portmanteau of the Russian words забияка
("hothead") and забивать ("to score"), and his official
backstory states that he is an aspiring football player
who is
"charming, confident and social".[184]
Ticketing
The first phase of ticket sales started on 14 September

2017, 12:00 Moscow
Time, and lasted until 12 October

2017.[185]
The general visa policy of Russia did not apply to
participants and spectators, who were able to visit
Russia without a visa right before and during the
competition regardless of their citizenship.[186]
Spectators were nonetheless required to register for a
"Fan-ID", a special photo identification pass. A Fan-ID
was required to enter the country visa-free, while a
ticket, Fan-ID and a valid passport were required to
enter stadiums for matches. Fan-IDs also granted World
Cup attendees free access to public transport services,
including buses, and train service between host cities.
FanID was administered by the Ministry of Digital
Development, Communications and Mass Media, who
could revoke these accreditations at any time to
"ensure the defence capability or security of the state
or public
order".[95][96][97]
Match ball
Match ball "Telstar 18"

Match ball for the knockout stage, "Telstar Mechta".
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.[187]
After the group stage, "Telstar Mechta" was 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. [188]
Merchandise
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.[189]
Official song
The official song of the tournament was "Live It Up",

with vocals from Will Smith, Nicky Jam and Era Istrefi,
released on 25 May 2018. Its music video was released
on 8 June 2018.[190]
Controversies
Thirty-three footballers who are alleged to be part of the
steroid program are listed in the McLaren Report.[191] On
22
December 2017, it was reported that FIFA fired a doctor

who had been investigating doping in Russian football.
[192]
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.[193] 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.[194]
Host selection
The choice of Russia as host has been challenged.

Controversial issues have included the level of racism in
Russian football,[195][196][197] and discrimination against
LGBT people in wider Russian society.[198][199] 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.[200][201] 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".[202]
Allegations of corruption in the bidding processes for the

2018 and 2022 World Cups caused threats from
England's FA to boycott the tournament.[203] 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.[204] Garcia criticised the summary as being
"materially incomplete" with "erroneous
representations of the facts and conclusions", and
appealed to FIFA's Appeal Committee.[205][206] 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.[207]
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.[208][209] 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".[210][211] 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 votetrading deal for the
right to host the 2018 World Cup in England was
discussed.[212][213]
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.[214] Iceland
diplomatically boycotted the World Cup.[215] Russia
responded to the comments from the UK Parliament
claiming that "the west are trying to deny Russia the
World Cup".[216] 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".[217]
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".[218][219] English football fans who have
travelled have said they have received a warm welcome
from
ordinary citizens after arriving in

Russia.[220][221]
Critical reception
Russia received widespread praise as World Cup hosts. Facilities—such as the

refurbished Luzhniki Stadium (pictured)—were one aspect of Russia's success.
success.
At the close of the World Cup Russia was widely praised

for its success in hosting the tournament, with Steve
Rosenberg of the BBC deeming it "a resounding public
relations success" for Putin, adding, "The stunning new
stadiums, free train travel to venues and the absence of
crowd violence has impressed visiting supporters.
Russia has come across as friendly and hospitable: a
stark contrast with the country's authoritarian image.
All the foreign fans I have spoken to are pleasantly
surprised."[222]
FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated, "Everyone

discovered a beautiful country, a welcoming country,
that is keen to show the world that everything that has
been said before might not be true. A lot of
preconceived ideas have been changed because people
have seen the true nature of Russia."[223] Infantino has
proclaimed Russia 2018 to be "the best World Cup ever",
as 98% of the stadiums were sold out, there were three
billion viewers on TV all around the world and 7 million
fans visited the fan fests.[224]
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 was the first
men's World Cup whose English rights were 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.[225][226][227]
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.[228][229] Additionally, the Football
Federation of Ukraine refused to accredit journalists for
the World Cup and waived their quota of tickets. [230]
However, the Ukrainian state TV still broadcast the
World Cup, and more than 4 million Ukrainians watched

the opening match.[231]
Broadcast rights to the tournament in the Middle East
were hampered by an ongoing diplomatic crisis in Qatar
over alleged support of extremist groups. Qatar is the
home country of the region's rightsholder, beIN Sports.
Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab
Emirates cut diplomatic ties with Qatar over the matter.
On 2 June 2018, beIN pulled its channels from Du and
Etisalat, but with service to the latter restored later that
day. Etisalat subsequently announced that it would air
the World Cup in the UAE, and continue to offer beIN
normally and without interruptions.[232][233][234] In Saudi
Arabia, beIN's channels have been widely and illegally
repackaged by a broadcaster identifying itself as
beoutQ; while FIFA attempted to indirectly negotiate
the sale of a package consisting of Saudi matches, as
well as the opening and final games, they were unable
to do so. On 12 July 2018, FIFA stated that it "has
engaged counsel to take legal action in Saudi Arabia and
is working alongside other sports rights owners that
have also been affected to protect its interests." [235][236]
Sponsorship
FIFA partners FIFA World Cup sponsors African supporters

s
[249]
Egypt – Experience & Invest

[237] [244]
Adidas Anheuser-Busch InBev
Coca-Cola[238] Hisense[245]
Gazprom[239] McDonald's[246]
Hyundai–Kia[240] Mengniu Dairy[247]
Qatar Airways[241] Vivo[248]
Visa[242]
Wanda Group[243]
See also
FIFA World Cup hosts
2017 FIFA Confederations Cup

2021 FIFA Confederations Cup[A]
Notes
A. France will qualify for this tournament as World Cup
winners if it takes place. However FIFA has discussed
abolishing the competition.[256]
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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
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title=2018_FIFA_World_Cup&oldid=860151703"
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World Cup to be held in Eastern Europe,[3] and the 11th

The final took place on 15 July at the

The 100-ruble commemorative banknote celebrates the 2018 FIFA World

States) gradually withdrew from the 2018 bids, and the

The 22-member FIFA Executive Committee convened in

The voting results were as follows:[13]

2018 FIFA bidding (majority 12 votes)

The English Football Association and others raised

Mongolia, began in Dili on 12 March

Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg, on

Of the 32 nations qualified to play at the 2018 FIFA

Notable countries that failed to qualify include four-time

Confederations Cup runners-up Chile,

Note: Numbers in parentheses indicate positions in the

Saudi Arabia (67)

South Korea (57)

Iceland (22) Poland (8)

Portugal (4) Russia (70) (host)

Moscow at the 2018 World Cup draw

The draw was held on 1 December

For the draw, the teams were allocated to four pots

Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4

Russia (65) Spain (8) Denmark (19) Serbia (38)

Initially, each team had to name a preliminary squad of

Referee Fahad Al-Mirdasi of Saudi

Japan, were added to the list.[41][42]

Marwa in a bribery scandal.[43]

Confederation Referee Assistant referees Video assistant referees

Toru Sagara (Japan)

Yaser Tulefat (Bahrain)

Mehdi Abid Charef (Algeria) Anouar Hmila (Tunisia)

Jerson Dos Santos

Bamlak Tessema Weyesa

Juan Zumba (El

Ricardo Montero (Costa Rica)

Carlos Astroza (Chile)

Simon Lount (New

Bertrand Brial (New

Mark Borsch Bastian Dankert

UEFA Felix Brych (Germany) (Germany) (Germany)

Stefan Lupp (Germany) Artur Soares

Sander van Roekel

Björn Kuipers (Netherlands) (Netherlands) Erwin Zeinstra

Cyril Gringore (France)

Video assistant referees

Shortly after the International Football Association

VAR operations for all games are operating from a single

VAR had a significant impact in several games. [47] On 15

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stadiums of

Russia proposed the following host cities: Kaliningrad,

Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov-on-

Yekaterinburg[55] are very close to the Europe-Asia

In October 2011, Russia decreased the number of

The final choice of host cities was announced on 29

Sepp Blatter stated in July 2014 that, given the concerns

In October 2014, on their first official visit to Russia,

On 8 October 2015, FIFA and the Local Organising

Of the twelve venues used, the Luzhniki Stadium in

A total of twelve stadiums in eleven Russian cities were

Kaliningrad: Kaliningrad Stadium. The first piles were

Moscow: Spartak Stadium. The stadium is a home

requirements, during the 2018 World Cup it is called

Nizhny Novgorod: Nizhny Novgorod