June 14 kicks off the World Cup in Russia. The participants of the World Cup will play 62 matches before the world knows the names of the two teams that will decide the fate of the gold set of awards in a face-to-face meeting.

There is a lot of excitement around the date of the final of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. It is on the last day of the World Cup, July 15, that the decisive match of the tournament will take place.

The final match will take place in the same city and at the same stadium as the first match of the championship - Luzhniki (Moscow).

Back in 1956, the opening of this stadium took place. At that time, it was one of the largest sports complexes in Europe, accommodating more than 90 thousand spectators. Over time, due to security reasons, several reconstructions were carried out, as a result, the capacity of the complex decreased. Local fans call this sports complex simply - "Puddle".

After reconstruction, "Puddle" can accommodate 81 thousand spectators and the total cost reaches 350 million euros. This is the central place of the entire championship, where two of the most important matches will take place: the opening match and the final of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. One of the semi-finals will also be held here.

Playoff schedule

On June 28, the last matches of the group stage will be held, after which the participants in the next stage of the World Cup will be known. The teams that managed to get into the 1/8 finals will be given a two-day rest to restore physical and emotional strength.

1/8 stage playoffs

On June 30, the second stage of the world championship begins, where 16 teams will play, divided into eight pairs. Neighbors in the group will play among themselves - teams from group "A" will play with opponents from group "B", and representatives of group "C" will face off against teams from group "D", etc.

The team that took first place in its quartet will play with an opponent who took second place in the neighboring group.

This stage of the championship will last 4 days, every day at the same time (17:00 and 21:00) there will be 2 fights. All eight matches will be held at eight different stadiums.

Below is the schedule for the 1/8 finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

30 June

• Kazan Arena (17:00): C1-D2(the leader of group "C" will play with the team that took second place in group "D");
• Sochi (21:00): A1-B2(the leader of group "A" will play with the opponent who took second place in group "B").

July 1

• Luzhniki (17:00): B1-A2(this duel attracts special attention. According to many Russian fans, it is highly likely that the Russian national football team should play in this pair, but Spain or Portugal could be opponents);
• Nizhny Novgorod Stadium (21:00): D1-C2.

July 2

• Samara Arena (17:00): E1-F2;
• Rostov Arena (21:00): G1-H2.

3 July

• St. Petersburg Stadium (17:00): F1-E2;
• Spartak (Moscow) (21:00): H1-G2.

This stage of the championship ends with a match at the Spartak stadium. The eight teams that managed to get into the quarterfinals have a few days to prepare for the game in the next stage of the World Cup.

Quarterfinals

On the 6th and 7th of July there will be quarter-final confrontations, 2 matches per day. All four matches will take place at different times and at different stadiums.

July 6

• Nizhny Novgorod Stadium (17:00);

At the confluence of the rivers Oka and Ob, this modern sports complex was built in 2017, capable of accommodating up to 45 thousand people. From the stands themselves, by the way, the confluence of the rivers is clearly visible.

• Kazan Arena (21:00).

The capital of the Republic of Tatarstan is the unofficial capital of Russian sports life and the local football arena is its colorful decoration.

This complex was one of the first to be ready for the championship, resembling an elongated lily. Kazan Arena was opened five years before the start of the upcoming tournament - June 14, 2013.

This arena is happy enough for the Russian team that beat New Zealand here in the Confederations Cup. Football exploits were performed here by the local club Rubin.

July 7

• Samara Arena (17:00).

This complex also attracts attention by the fact that here the Russian football players will fight with Uruguay in the third round of the group stage.

After the world championship, it will be called the Cosmos Arena. You can also come here to play football in a frosty winter, as special heating is also provided in the stands.

• Fisht Stadium, Sochi (21:00).

This is a complex already familiar to many foreign sports fans from the Winter Olympic Games held in this city. It has been reconstructed to comply with all FIFA regulations. But in the future, this sports complex will be restored to its original state.

At the end of the quarter-final match in Sochi, the World Cup will be transferred to Moscow and St. Petersburg, and the football festival will end for the regions.

Semi-finals

The semi-finals will take place on different days:

• July 10 (21:00) - St. Petersburg;
• July 11 (21:00) - Moscow.

Third place match

The final match precedes the match for third place, which will be held on July 14 at 17:00 in St. Petersburg at the local stadium.

The St. Petersburg Stadium is the most expensive and innovative sports complex with a capacity of 68,000 people. Its two main distinguishing features are:

• retractable roof;
• retractable field.

All this makes it possible to hold football matches and other sporting events in all weather conditions.

The cost of this facility is estimated at 42 billion rubles.

In the summer of 2017, this stadium hosted the final of the Confederations Cup, and in 2020 it will host 3 matches of the European Championship.

The final

The final match of the 2018 World Cup will be held in the capital of Russia, in Moscow, at the Luzhniki Stadium at 18:00.

the date of the

Around July 15, 2018, the date of the 2018 FIFA World Cup final, there is a lot of speculation. There is controversy over a couple of finalists. Over the past 5 championships, 7 countries have made their way to the finals:

• Brazil - 2 times;
• Germany - 2;
• France - 2;
• Argentina - 1;
• Italy - 1;
• Spain - 1;
• Netherlands - 1.

5 European countries and 2 representatives of South America. It is these two regions that are the clear favorites for the upcoming Mundial.

What are the bookmakers predicting?

Building hypotheses about which team will be able to pass and to what stage, professional analysts look at the tournament bracket. Already in the 1/8 finals you can meet with one of the alleged finalists. As part of the upcoming tournament, experts came to interesting conclusions.

Many analysts agree that the following teams have a high probability of reaching the quarterfinals:

• Uruguay - France;
• Brazil - Belgium;
• Spain - Argentina;
• Germany - Colombia.

It is worth noting that experts predicted that only European and South American football players would reach the 1/4 finals.

But in the semifinals, according to experts, the French, Brazilians, Argentines and Germans are required to go.

Many predict that the Selesao are simply obliged to beat France, and the current world champion, although with difficulty, will be able to pass Messi and his comrades.

The teams of Brazil and Germany, where more preference is given to South Americans, should reach the most important match of the world championship

Thus, in the final, many experts see a repetition of the semi-final of the last Mundial. Then the Germans ruthlessly defeated the Brazilians. According to many experts, the time has come for Brazilians to get even for the past humiliation.

The chances of the Russian team

Despite the skepticism of many Russian fans, the Russian team has enough chances to reach the quarterfinals. Russian football players are able to leave the group, taking at least second place in it. The main competitor is Egypt, where the sensational attacking midfielder Salah plays.

But even with this world star, the African team can be beaten, or at least not lost. In the event of a draw against Egypt, much depends on the results of the other two matches in the group round. And in this case, the Russian team has a slight advantage, which will meet the main favorite of the group, the national team of Uruguay, in the final 3rd round, and by that time the Uruguayans can already solve the problem of leaving the group and not have a tournament motivation.

It is highly likely that the Russians will take second place, which is why in the 1/8 finals they will have to play with the winner of group B, where Spain and Portugal play. And here it is worth hoping that the first place in the group will be taken by the Portuguese. Russian football players with great difficulty resist the Spaniards, but they manage to play much better with the Portuguese.

The latest results show how difficult it is for both teams to fight each other. Therefore, if Cristiano Ronaldo and his colleagues manage to take first place in their rather difficult group, then in the 1/8 finals the Russian team may well compete for reaching the quarterfinals. And at this stage, almost any opponent from the category of impassable and the semi-finals can be another wonder of the world.

Bookmakers estimate the chances of the Russian team to win the 2018 World Cup with a coefficient of 50.0.

The Russian team also appears in the bets of the “Pair of finalists” category. Here, bookmakers offer combinations of the Russian national team with the teams of Argentina, Brazil, Germany, France, Spain and Belgium.

July 15, 2018 - 2018 World Cup final: Moscow, Luzhniki Stadium

One of the best Russian sports complexes, located in the heart of the country - Moscow, will host the final match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Many analysts predict that football players from Germany and Brazil will play in this final battle.

The expectation, which for many fans has already become unbearable, is almost over. The 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ kicks off tomorrow. One of the traditional symbols of the approaching football championship is the FIFA Congress, which always opens the day before.

Sports officials and specialists from all over the world flew to Moscow. Vladimir Putin spoke, as did the head of the International Football Federation, Gianni Infantino. According to the rules, the Congress announced the venue for the next World Cup, which will be held in 2026. For the first time, it will be held in three countries at once.

Gianni Infantino literally glows - according to the mood of the head of FIFA, it is easy to understand that there are no doubts about the success of the world championship in Russia. Delegates from all over the world share this confidence.

“Basically, why are we here? Enjoy the great game. Politics is not important, we are here for football. As soon as the first whistle blows and the match starts, nothing else matters,” said the delegate from South Africa.

The Congress opens with the official video of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™. In these minutes - seven years of painstaking work of our organizers. And all the time the FIFA leadership was there. Vladimir Putin from the podium expresses gratitude to the members of the international federation.

“The FIFA World Cup is very important for our country. Many generations of our fans dreamed that we would have the best teams in the world, and tomorrow this dream will become a reality. It has been embodied in the form of 12 first-class stadiums and modern infrastructure, but the main thing is the huge number of devoted football fans from all over the world who will come to Russia. Our country is ready to host the FIFA World Cup. To provide everyone who comes to Russia with maximum comfort and the most positive emotions. Our goal is for all our guests, from football stars to ordinary fans, to feel the cordiality and goodwill of our people,” Vladimir Putin said.

Especially kind words - from Gianni Infantino. He took the helm at a difficult moment, and in fact defended the independence of FIFA. Infantino thanked the organizers twice. Emphasizing - this is not a curtsey on duty. The work done is really impressive.

“Tomorrow, starting with the beautiful stadium at Luzhniki, football will conquer the whole world. And today I would like to express my gratitude to Russia, President Vladimir Putin, the Russian government, the local organizing committee, the Russian Football Union, all the volunteers, and there are more than 50 thousand of them, and, of course, 150 million Russians who will host us and enjoy this together with us holiday, this most beautiful event. Which has ever been held in the world at all. I am absolutely convinced of this,” he said.

The FIFA Congress traditionally takes place on the eve of the championship in the city where the opening will take place. For many delegates, this is the first look at Russia. The president of the Icelandic Football Federation, which is a debutant at the tournament, called up the players. Our guys - that's how Icelandic fans call the team - train in Gelendzhik.

“On June 16, Iceland plays with Argentina, we are really looking forward to this match, almost all of Iceland will come to Moscow to cheer for the team. Then the game in Volgograd and Rostov. We will see interesting cities and places in Russia, it's a wonderful experience. A chance to see the country, and, of course, to take part in the World Cup, ”- President of the Icelandic Football Federation.

The most influential football officials in the world discussed preparations for future championships. Another important item on the agenda is the choice of the country that will host the tournament in 2026. Morocco and the joint bid of Canada, Mexico and the United States qualified for the final. At the same time, FIFA stated that when nominating candidates, they were guided by the principle of rotation of the continents. Europe and Asia are out of the game, because tomorrow the tournament starts in Russia, and in 2022 the World Cup will be hosted by Qatar.

Opponents - in different weight categories. The Americas bid wins by almost thirty percent of the vote. True, the presence of Mexico on the list looks strange, given the election promises of Donald Trump to tighten the border regime with Mexico. And the championship is a holiday with open borders. How Washington will resolve the dilemma is unknown. In the meantime, ordinary Americans rushed to Russia to enjoy the football marathon.

“If someone says that we don't support football, then you will see a lot of fans from the USA. The Americans bought 190,000 tickets,” said US Football Federation President Carlos Cordeiro.

Only Ukrainian officials did not participate in the discussions. As expected, they staged a demarche, refused to come to Moscow. But Kyiv risked running into sanctions from FIFA, so Charge d'Affaires for Ukraine in Russia Ruslan Nimchinsky nevertheless came to the meeting. And the whole congress sat alone. The rest of the delegates made it clear that we do not need such football. The championship unites, the President of Russia emphasized.

“I would like to highlight the commitment of the international football union to the principle of sport outside politics. Russia has always adhered to such approaches, and strives for the closest cooperation with all those who are committed to the development and strengthening of the creative principle of sports. His boundless humanistic potential. Such large mass international forums as the World Cup are not only a spectacle and excitement, but also a great opportunity for millions of people to gain new knowledge about different peoples and their traditions. Find new friends, understand that in other countries, as well as in your own, live the same kind, enthusiastic open people. And they all want to live in peace, communicate with each other, visit each other, watch and play football together,” Putin said.

Vladimir Putin invited everyone to the opening match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, which is counting down not days, but hours.

Football is the most popular and massive game sport in the world, the interest of fans in which is sometimes simply overwhelming. According to statistics, almost 3 billion inhabitants of the planet are fond of football to one degree or another, and the mundial (from the Spanish Copa Mundial de Fútbol - football world cup) has long become the most important sporting event of the four years. The World Championship of the year for the first time in history was entrusted to Russia. Read on to find out which cities hosted the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Initially, the list of cities that will host matches of the football tournament included 13 host cities. Subsequently, their number was reduced to 11 - Krasnodar and Yaroslavl were excluded from the list of host cities for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

In the final version, the following Russian cities received the right to host the World Cup:

• Moscow
• Saint Petersburg
• Kazan
• Ekaterinburg
• Samara
• Saransk
• Rostov-on-Don
• Kaliningrad
• Nizhny Novgorod
• Volgograd

The issue of preparing stadiums for the World Cup turned out to be difficult and financially costly, since most Russian arenas were obsolete by the beginning of the 21st century and did not meet FIFA requirements.

Ultimately, it was decided to build nine new stadiums in Russia and reconstruct three old ones. It is worth noting that all these stadiums fully comply with all the necessary criteria after the completion of work. Here they are:

• • Luzhniki (Moscow city) for 81 thousand — reconstruction completed
  • Spartak Stadium (Moscow) for 45,000 — construction completed in 2014
  • St. Petersburg Arena for 67,000 — construction completed in 2017
  • Kazan Arena for 45,000 — construction completed in 2013
  • Ekaterinburg Arena for 35,000 — construction completed in 2018
  • Samara Arena for 45 thousand — construction completed
  • Mordovia Arena (city of Saransk) for 45 thousand — construction completed
  • "Fisht" (city of Sochi) for 44 thousand - reconstruction completed in 2017
  • Rostov Arena for 45 thousand — construction completed
  • Baltika Arena (Kaliningrad) for 35,000 — construction completed

• Nizhny Novgorod Stadium for 45,000 — construction completed
• Volgograd Arena for 45,000 — construction completed.

The process of reconstruction of stadiums for the World Cup and the progress of construction is of great interest from experts and ordinary fans. Therefore, we present to your attention a brief overview of each city and stadium where the 2018 FIFA World Cup was held.

Moscow

The capital of Russia received the unofficial status of the main city of the World Cup. The superiority of the city on this issue among other Russian cities is beyond doubt.

Moscow is the city where on June 14, 2018 the ceremony and the opening match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup with the participation of the Russian team took place. The semifinals and finals will also take place here.

In total, two sports arenas in Moscow - the reconstructed Luzhniki and the built Spartak (better known to the general public as the Otkritie Arena) - hosted 12 championship games.

Matches of teams from all groups of the preliminary stage of the tournament were held at the stadiums of the city, in connection with which, Moscow experienced a large influx of fans from all over the world.

The Spartak Stadium is completely ready - since 2014, the club of the same name has been holding its home matches here.

"Opening Arena" (Spartacus)

The reconstruction of Luzhniki was completed on time. After the reconstruction, the Luzhniki stadium became one of the best in the world. It was at this stadium that the final game between France and Croatia took place.

"Luzhniki"

Stadiums are really made for the fans.

World Cup schedule

12 Championship matches took place in Moscow, more than in other cities.

Date Time	Stadium	Match
Group stage
June 14, 18:00	Luzhniki	Russia - Saudi Arabia
June 16, 16:00	Luzhniki	Argentina — Iceland
June 17, 18:00	Luzhniki	Germany - Mexico
June 19, 18:00	Luzhniki	Poland - Senegal
June 20, 15:00	Luzhniki	Portugal Morocco
June 23, 15:00	Spartacus	Belgium - Tunisia
June 26, 17:00	Luzhniki	Denmark - France
June 27, 21:00	Spartacus	Serbia — Brazil
1/8
July 1, 17:00	Luzhniki	Spain — Russia
July 3, 21:00	Spartacus	Columbia - England
1/2
July 11, 21:00	Luzhniki	Croatia - England
The final
July 15, 18:00	Luzhniki	France — Croatia

Volgograd

In a historical place, at the foot of Mamayev Kurgan, a stadium for 45 thousand spectators was built.

Match Schedule

Only group matches of the 2018 World Cup were held in Volgograd:

Ekaterinburg

After the announcement of Yekaterinburg as the city for the World Cup matches, the most heated debate flared up here. The fact is that, according to many experts, the construction of a new stadium in the capital of the Urals would cost the authorities less than the reconstruction of the old stadium "Central". However, the decision was still made in favor of reconstruction.

Match Schedule

Only four matches of the 2018 World Cup group stage were held in Yekaterinburg.

Kazan

The championship of the city in terms of the delivery of the object belongs to the capital of Tatarstan. Kazan, which hosted 6 matches at the World Cup, was the first to put into operation a football stadium for 45,000 spectators back in 2013.

The readiness of the arena for the competition is beyond doubt, which was once again confirmed during the four matches of the 2017 Confederations Cup, held at the highest level of organization.

Match Schedule

Kaliningrad

The stadium is being built by analogy with the famous Munich "Alliance Arena". The capacity has been reduced from the originally planned 45,000 to 35,000 spectators. The construction was accompanied by a number of scandals related to the work of contractors.

The stadium is being built on Oktyabrsky Island, which had not been used for construction at all for a long time. The stadium was completely built on time, the first match took place on April 12, 2018.

Match Schedule

The following group stage matches were held in Kaliningrad:

Nizhny Novgorod

In a picturesque place, near the confluence of the Oka and the Volga, the construction of a stadium for 45 thousand in Nizhny Novgorod is being completed. Previously, this place was a wasteland. In parallel with the construction of the stadium, the necessary infrastructure is being prepared.

The opening of the stadium and the first match took place on April 15, 2018. Work on the arrangement of the territory around the stadium was carried out almost before the start of the championship.

Match Schedule

Rostov-on-Don

For the 2018 World Cup in Rostov, an ultra-modern stadium with 25,000 seats is being built. The stadium is located on the left bank of the Don near the rowing canal.

Match Schedule

Samara

But the construction of the stadium in Samara for the World Cup does not fit into the originally scheduled time - December 2017. The arena has already been rescheduled for 2018.

The Samara stadium built for the 2018 World Cup is located in the highest point of Samara - near the village of Radiocenter. Outwardly, it looks like a spaceship and is designed for 45,000 seats.

Samara Arena became the latest stadium prepared for the tournament. Commissioning approval was received on 27 April and the first test match took place the following day, 28 April.

Match Schedule

Saint Petersburg

Especially for the 2018 World Cup in the cultural capital of Russia on the site of the old stadium named after S.M. Kirov built an ultra-modern sports complex for 68 thousand spectators. Now the football club "Zenith" holds its matches here. The arena is complete.

In total, 7 matches of the 2018 football championship took place in St. Petersburg, including the match of the Russian team in the group stage on June 19.

Match Schedule

Saransk

When announcing which cities will host matches of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, it was a big surprise for many that this right was granted to Saransk.

Indeed, the capital of Mordovia, with a population of just over 300,000 people, was not initially a favorite in the fight to host World Cup matches. Nevertheless, unlike many Russian cities, Saransk managed to get the status of a city participating in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Match Schedule

Only four games of the group stage of the 2018 World Cup were held in Saransk.

Sochi

Sochi has long acquired the status of a city where there is everything for holding the largest international competitions.

The construction of the Fisht Arena was originally carried out not for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but for the XXII Winter Olympic Games. This arena, with a capacity of 44 thousand spectators, is known throughout the world - it was here that the most spectacular, in the opinion of many, the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics took place.

After the Olympics, Fisht was reconstructed and reopened on March 10, 2017. In June 2017, the stadium hosted matches of the Confederation Cup and once again confirmed its readiness to host competitions of the highest level.

Before the start of the championship, millions of people around the globe take special vacations so as not to miss any of the 64 matches. The world championship, which takes place every four years, attracts the increased attention of almost half of the world's population, this is an event of world significance. Given such interest in the World Cup, the organizers of the World Cup are carefully preparing for its holding, thinking through all the accompanying events to the smallest detail: ensuring the safety of all its participants and spectators, living conditions for teams, accommodation for all foreign fans who have arrived and much more.

But most attention is paid to one date - the opening of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. It is this event that we will now tell.

June 14, 2018 marked a red date in the calendar of all sports fans. It is on this day that the next mundial starts, in which 32 teams from all regions of the world will compete for the golden set of awards.

Tournament participants are divided into eight groups of 4 teams. Teams that take first or second place in the group will take part in the next round. The championship begins with group stage meetings (48 matches in total), which lasts until June 28.

• From June 30 to July 3, eight games of the 1/8 finals will be held.
• The 1/4 finals will take place on July 6 and 7, again two meetings a day.
• One semi-final match will take place on 10 and 11 July.

On July 14, the two teams eliminated in the semi-finals will compete for third place, a bronze set of awards. And on July 15, the whole world will join their screens to enjoy the final match of the World Cup, on the same day the closing ceremony of the world tournament will take place.

When and where will the 2018 World Cup opening ceremony take place?

The upcoming World Cup has its own special calendar, where the start of the 2018 FIFA World Cup falls on June 14th. The championship will start at 18:00 at the Luzhniki stadium, when Russian football players will face off against Asian guys in a face-to-face meeting.

And the opening ceremony itself will begin two hours before this first confrontation of the beginning world tournament.

The details of this event are kept very secret by the organizers themselves, but some information sources say that this will be one of the most grandiose shows that can outshine all the previous ones. It is known that the anthem of the 2018 World Cup will be sung by an actor, musician and singer from America and another performer from Albania. Naturally, the President of Russia, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, will make a welcoming speech at this event.

The Luzhniki stadium itself has long been preparing for the upcoming magnificent event and, judging by the rumors that are spreading, it will be incredibly beautiful and impressive.

Recently, it has been said that the opening ceremony could start half an hour before the opening match. It will be short but great. In general, the intrigue is heated crazy.

Start of the championship

June 14 is the start of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. On this day, the only match will be played - "Russia - Saudi Arabia". It is curious that the World Cup starts a few days later every year:

• World Cup 2014: June 12 - "Brazil-Croatia";
• World Cup 2010: June 11 - "South Africa - Mexico";
• World Cup 2006: June 9 - "Germany - Costa Rica";
• World Cup 2002: May 31 - "France - Senegal".

The first match

As mentioned above, the opening match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup is the duel "Russia - Saudi Arabia". The team representing the hostess of the tournament is the first to start the fight. Traditionally, the teams of group "A" begin to play, on the second day two more teams from this group will play and representatives of group "B" will start to fight.

The opening and final match is hosted by Luzhniki (Moscow). Tickets for the World Cup match have been on sale for a long time, they are all divided into 4 categories:

• 4th - from 30,000 rubles;
• 2nd - from 24,000 rubles;
• 3rd - from 13,000 rubles;
• 1st - from 1,260 rubles (opening match from 3,200).

We can immediately say that the cost of tickets is not the highest. For example, at the last World Cup in Brazil, a fan had to spend at least 5,000 rubles to purchase a ticket.

Curious information: although the US team does not take part in the upcoming tournament, the second in terms of the number of tickets purchased after Russia is the star-striped country. Colombia and Germany are in 3rd place in terms of buying tickets, followed by Mexico, Argentina, Peru, etc. South American fans are very active.

There are some restrictions when buying tickets:

• you cannot purchase tickets for different matches taking place on the same day;
• no more than four tickets are given per hand, all of them will be of only one category.

Championship cities

The upcoming world championship will be held in 11 policies, where a tremendous amount of work has been done to organize and hold the world championship. Naturally, both capitals of the country, Moscow and St. Petersburg, were included in this list. It also included:

• Volgograd;
• Kazan;
• Sochi;
• Kaliningrad (it will be easier for many European fans to get to this city);
• Nizhny Novgorod;
• Samara;
• Rostov-on-Don.

The eleventh city where the games of the upcoming tournament will take place is Saransk.

Initially, it was proposed to hold the 21st World Cup on the football fields of 13 cities, but the FIFA commission rejected this proposal and reduced the list to eleven.

Unfortunately, the World Cup flew past such cities as Yaroslavl and Krasnodar.

In each city, an existing stadium was reconstructed or built anew, meeting all the necessary international standards. One of the main requirements for stadiums is its capacity, which should not be less than 40,000 people. True, two stadiums fall short of this indicator: (Yekaterinburg Arena and Kaliningrad).

A lot of work has been done in the cities themselves:

• new hotels were being built to accommodate large numbers of foreign fans;
• capital repairs of city communications were carried out;
• modernization of motor transport networks, repair of local hospitals and polyclinics was carried out.

A big surprise for many domestic fans was the fact that the presented list of cities hosting the championship includes Saransk, but Krasnodar did not make it here. What caused this is hard to understand. Maybe the government wished to improve the infrastructure of the city in view of such a grand event

• within a radius of two kilometers from the stadium where the matches of the championship will be held, the sale of alcoholic beverages and ordinary drinks in glass containers is prohibited;
• shooting galleries and shops selling firearms and ammunition for them cease to operate;
• it is forbidden to bring objects larger than 25 centimeters into the stadium itself (goodbye selfie sticks);
• It is forbidden to kindle fires in nature.

Remember that several million fans from all over the world will come to the upcoming world tournament, and in addition to football, they will obviously look closely at the way of life of Russians, their culture, decency, friendliness. Therefore, everyone should remember that in front of foreign sports fans, local guys should show only the best qualities: courtesy, responsiveness and mutual understanding.

At the end of 2010, all Russian football fans rejoiced - a vote was held in Zurich, as a result of which Russia was chosen as the host country of the 21st FIFA World Cup. From our article, you will find out: what day the start of the World Cup is scheduled, in which cities and stadiums football matches will be held, in a word, find out everything Latest news about 2018 World Cup from Russian and foreign media.

Where will the 2018 FIFA World Cup be held

We note right away that the final part of the 2018 FIFA World Cup will be held on the territory. This honor falls to our country for the first time in history. In addition, the championship will be held simultaneously for the first time on the European and Asian parts of the globe, as well as on the territory of the former Soviet Union. Of course, such news caused a huge response among both ordinary citizens and the Government of the Russian Federation.

In addition to Russia, such countries as Great Britain, Spain, as well as Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands, etc. fought for the championship and holding the championship on their territory.

Cities and stadiums of the World Cup 2018

As a result of the decision of the commission of the International Football Federation, active preparations for the championship began in Russia. At the first stage, it was determined in which cities the competitions could take place. The list includes 11 Russian cities with corresponding sports complexes and stadiums where football matches will take place:

Moscow: Spartak, Luzhniki;
St. Petersburg: Zenit Arena;
Kazan: Kazan Arena;
Sochi: "Fisht";
Volgograd: "Victory";
Rostov-on-Don: "Victory";
Samara: "Cosmos Arena";
Saransk: "Mordovia-Arena";
Nizhny Novgorod: "Nizhny Novgorod";
Yekaterinburg: "Central";
Kaliningrad: "Kaliningrad".

The most spacious stadiums listed are: Luzhniki, Zenit Arena, Kazan Arena and Spartak. Some stadiums are already ready for the championships, but most of them are planned to be put into operation in 2017. Some of them are replanned and reconstructed, some are built from scratch and exclusively for the championship. FIFA puts forward strict requirements that all facilities must meet.

Dates of the 2018 World Cup

The final stage of the games will be held on the territory of the Russian Federation from June 14 to July 15, 2018. The opening of the world championship will be held in Moscow, the final game will also be held in the capital of the Russian Federation.

1/8 finals:
June 30 - Sochi;
June 30 - Kazan;
July 1 - Moscow;
July 1 - Nizhny Novgorod;
2.07 - Samara;
2.07 - Rostov-on-Don;
03.07 - St. Petersburg;
July 3 - Moscow.

1/4 finals:
July 6 - Nizhny Novgorod;
July 6 - Kazan;
July 7 - Sochi;
7.08 - Samara;

The final:
For the third place: July 14 - St. Petersburg;
For the first and second place: July 15 - Moscow.

Mascot and emblem of the World Cup

According to the popular vote, the mascot of the 2018 FIFA World Cup will be the wolf Zabivaka.

The emblem is a complex combination of the traditional FIFA Cup, the starry sky, personifying the cosmos, iconography and love for football.

See also: what else will be celebrated in Russia in 2018.