On December 1, 2017, in the Moscow Kremlin, or rather, in the Grand Kremlin Palace, the draw for the group stage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup takes place. Russia hosts the main tournament for the first time in history, and Moscow holds the draw ceremony for the first time. The teams are divided into four pots according to the FIFA rankings.

GROUPS

A: RUSSIA, URUGUAY, EGYPT, SAUDI ARABIA
Matches - 1 round (Moscow): Saudi Arabia, 2nd round (Petersburg): Russia - Egypt, 3rd round (Samara): Russia - Uruguay
B: PORTUGAL, SPAIN, IRAN, MOROCCO
C: FRANCE, PERU, DENMARK, AUSTRALIA
D: ARGENTINA, CROATIA, ICELAND, NIGERIA
E: BRAZIL, SWITZERLAND, COSTA RICA, SERBIA
F: GERMANY, MEXICO, SWEDEN, SOUTH KOREA
G: BELGIUM, ENGLAND, TUNISIA, PANAMA
H: POLAND, COLOMBIA, SENEGAL, JAPAN

Let's say goodbye! Our correspondents are already preparing materials for you on the results of the draw. Thank you for your attention, well, we are waiting for the World Cup! Ticket sales will resume on December 5th.

20:30 - A little humor. There are already a lot of funny captions for this photo of Maradona. We think it's clear why.

20:25 - It is interesting to sum up our and your forecasts. Of the experts, Roman Askhabadze was the closest. He predicted/wanted such a group: Croatia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia. Two hits out of three. Uruguay generally few people expected. Only Anatoly Fedorovich Byshovets.

As for your reader's version of the ideal group, it was: Peru, Tunisia, Panama. At the same time, Egypt and Saudi Arabia from the third and fourth baskets were the third and second most popular in your selection. But Uruguay wanted only 6% to compete.

20:17 - We have already prepared for you a summary of the most important information about our rivals in the group. Read!

The main thing about the rivals of the Russian national team in the group at the 2018 World Cup

Mysterious Arabs, stubborn Africans and hot Latin Americans. World Cup Classic. What else do you need for the show?

20:12 - There are already quotes for our group. Uruguay is considered the favorite of the group, you can bet that it will be the first with a coefficient of 2.0. Russia's entry into the 1/8 finals from the first place is quoted as 2.2. With a coefficient of 7.5, you can bet on the victory of Egypt in Group A, the chances of Saudi Arabia for a similar result are quoted at 34.0.

20:05 - Vitaly Mutko also shared his opinion on the results of the draw:
- It is difficult to predict what will happen in our group. The group is fairly even, giving chances to all teams. Uruguay is a serious team that is included in the list of top teams in the world. Egypt has several world-class players such as Salah. We don't know much about Saudi Arabia, but we will prepare. Such a group, which got caught by the Russian team, is normal. Everything depends on ourselves.
Then Egyptian journalists asked Vitaly Leontyevich in English about Salah.
- Is a very good player – fantastic! Top player, - Mutko was not taken aback. - Will he score a goal? Listen, football is a team game.

19:56 - Let's continue about the layouts. This time there is no "group of death" as such. There is Spain - Portugal in one quartet, there is a strong group F and an interesting D, but otherwise everything is smooth and unremarkable. And group H is frankly weak for a tournament of this level. However, for an outside observer, ours is not a fountain either.

19:41 - Stanislav Cherchesov:
- It is impossible to say after the draw whether I am satisfied or not. What group is, such is. Emotions both before and now are the same. I smiled when they pulled Uruguay, because they asked us to play a test match, but we still did not agree. They chased us and still got us ( smiling).
I’ll get ahead of your questions: I don’t know a single team, since I never met with any of them, I didn’t specifically look after them. I know that Salah plays in the Egyptian national team, I will watch him in the Liverpool-Spartak match. Uruguay has Cavani and Suarez, but those are just names. Now you can talk about anything, but everything shows the field. The only thing that catches your eye is that our games are, one might say, on the rise. Here, perhaps, I emphasize - perhaps there is some kind of bonus. But everything will be decided by the field.

19:39 - Pele is now unable to walk. And here's a touching photo...

19:35. And now there will be comments from the coaches.

19:30. On the stage, the celebration and summing up continue.

19:25. It is worth noting that after the terrorist attack over Sinai on October 31, 2015, in which Russian tourists were killed, air traffic between Egypt and Russia was stopped. Now this issue will have to be resolved, since we will play with the Egyptians in the same group.

19:15 - It's time ... forecasts!

19:12 - All the stars of the draw ceremony in the photo gallery of our correspondent Alexander Safonov.

19:10 - We are not going anywhere, now the comments of the coaches from the mixed zone will go.

19:07 - There will be no fiery matches and an influx of fans in Saransk. Maybe it's for the best. Although one cool guest will still come to them - Ronaldo and his Portugal will play here with Iran.

19:03 - Here's another pattern - Argentina and Nigeria always go in pairs. 5 group meetings in 24 years!
1994 - Argentina and Nigeria in the same group
2002 - Argentina and Nigeria in the same group
2010 - Argentina and Nigeria in the same group
2014 - Argentina and Nigeria in the same group
2018 - Argentina and Nigeria in the same group

19:02 - While Larisa Dolina sings, concluding the ceremony, let's look at other interesting matches and groups.
England will play in Volgograd, Nizhny and Kaliningrad. And on the coast of the Baltic - with Belgium. The fans have almost a European exit.

18:59 - So. Our group is quite digestible. But here's more ... Spain or Portugal - it is unlikely that there will be surprises.

18:57 - That's all! Time to analyze the results!

18:53 - Thanks to two teams from Europe in Group B, Serbia will pass us in 1/8 (if both come out). Brazil - Serbia - and again a cool match at the "Opening" in the 3rd round!

18:51 - Everything! There is a group! Opening match at Luzhniki - Russia - Saudi Arabia. The hall meets the ball with applause from the Arabians.

18:48 - Argentina - Iceland - a very cool match at the "Opening" in the first round. Do not miss!

18:45 - Russia - Egypt! Second round! Peter!

18:43 - England goes to the group to Belgium and will play the first match in Volgograd. With whom, we don't know yet.

18:41 - Cavani and Suarez in Samara! Against Jikia and Vasin! We continue to be aware. After two fiery groups, it is quieter further.

18:40 - And Spain and Portugal will play in the first round in Sochi!

18:39 - Russia and Uruguay will play in last round group tournament in Samara. Playing for first place, perhaps.

18:38 - Now let's find out the first opponent... Anticipation! URUGUAY!

18:36 - But Argentina and Brazil will not meet in the 1/8 finals. But Brazil and Germany - can ...

18:33 - To begin with, we are interested in our group, and then group B, with the teams of which we can meet in the playoffs. Portugal is number one.

18:30 - Let's go to drag the balls! Nikita Pavlovich starts from Russia in group A. Simonyan is greeted with applause.

18:28 - Gary Lineker and Maria Command on the stage. "Are you ready Maria? Because if not, it's not too late ... "- jokes Ivan Urgant. Look, by the way, who led the draw before our Masha.

Sophia Loren and our Masha. Who was trusted to conduct the draws for the world championships

Journalist Maria Komandnaya will lead the draw for the 2018 World Cup. Before her, actresses and professional models were honored with such an honor.

18:25 - And now the draw assistants appear on the stage, who will drag the balls - Laurent Blanc, Gordon Banks, Fabio Cannavaro, Cafu, Diego Maradona, Carles Puyol, Diego Forlan and Nikita Simonyan.

18:22 - The show program is in full swing. Now the folk dance ensemble named after Igor Moiseev danced right against the backdrop of the World Cup.

18:15 - Alsu sang. Not just the same as leading her called. But the singer quickly adjusted herself and is already asking questions to Miroslav Klose, who brought the World Cup trophy to the stage. And recently, the trophy visited the office of the "Championship" ...

18:10 - Astronauts give a countdown! A cool video shows the path that has passed from the victory of Russia in the elections of the host country of the World Cup to the present.

18:07 - Gianni Infantino speaks Russian! “Vladimir Putin, other friends, good evening, welcome to Moscow. Thank you, Russia.” Not only Vitaly Mutko has been learning a foreign language all these years.

18:06 - Vladimir Putin: “Friendship, sport, fair fight - these values ​​are not subject to any conjuncture. But the winner will be determined not by chance, but by skill, the will to win. Good luck and all the best to everyone! We look forward to seeing you in Russia in 2018!”.

18:05 - Vladimir Putin: “We expect that the guests of our country will not only enjoy the football holiday, but also get to know our country. Championship peace will pass in 11 cities, and fans will be able to look at different regions of our vast and diverse country. Anyone who has ever visited Russia knows how good we are at receiving guests.”

18:02 - Two presidents are invited to the stage - Vladimir Putin and Gianni Infantino.

18:00 - Go! Leading on stage Ivan Urgant and Alsou.

17:55 - Before the TV broadcast starts, some more exclusive angles. For example, from a commentary position. Well, read again everything you need to know about the draw.

17:51 - Stanislav Cherchesov and Victoria Lopyreva are practically hospitable hosts today. Not the Kremlin, of course, but our football. Photo from the red carpet.

16:50 - We have coaches coming. For guests of honor there is a red carpet.

16:37 - The theory of probability in action, or the calculation of the chances that one or another opponent will fall out to us.

16:31 - Since the draw is tense with permission to shoot video, foreigners are actively filming Russian journalists. Here is our Dmitry Egorov talked with the Dutch, for example.

16:20 - Foreigners are lucky with the weather (well, if they are ready for the cold). Near zero, a pleasant snowball - in such conditions the Kremlin and Red Square are especially beautiful. And there is already a Christmas market. There, many spent time during the day.

16:14 - Choose your dream band for Russia. Simple, complex - whatever.

16:06 - The draw assistants are very cool today. could be stellar football team succeed.

16:01 - We start our online. In the Kremlin, everything or almost everything is ready for the draw.

The balls will be taken out of the baskets in order - starting with the first one. According to the standard procedure, first the ball with the name of the team is drawn, and then the ball with the designation of the group and a number that indicates the serial number of the team in the corresponding group.

This is how bookmakers assess the chances of the Russian team to get one or another team as rivals.

Start of the draw ceremony - 18:00.
Live Stream- First channel.
Hosts of the ceremony- Gary Lineker and Maria Komandnaya.
Show host- Ivan Urgant.

Our correspondents Dmitry Egorov, Ivan Karpov and Mikhail Tyapkov, as well as photojournalist Alexander Safonov are working at the scene and will tell and show everything that television will ignore.

The first ever FIFA World Cup on the territory Russia will pass from June 14 to July 15, 2018. Tournament matches will be hosted by Moscow, St. Petersburg, Rostov-on-Don, Sochi, Yekaterinburg, Saransk, Kaliningrad, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Volgograd and Samara.

"Aim sorry, Gianni"

"Aim sorry," said the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, smiling at the FIFA President, a little over five hours before the start of the draw ceremony. With an English apology, the official press conference of the chairman of the organizing committee "Russia-2018" and the head of the International Football Federation began.

Mutko was uncomfortable that the topic of world football was constantly strayed into doping scandals raging before the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. But neither journalists nor Mutko himself could fall out of the current sports information background. Therefore, in the future, the vice-premier's apology became a real chorus of a press conference at the State Kremlin Palace.

“We have an athlete, Gianni, I’m sorry again,” Mutko spoke about the life suspended from Olympic Games skeletonist Alexander Tretyakov, then about WADA, about the ex-head of the Moscow anti-doping laboratory Grigory Rodchenkov, who once dreamed of "blow up everything - both WADA and the IOC", about therapeutic exceptions, "rogue Fredericks", meldonium, for which before Russian athletes nobody apologized...

It seemed that the Deputy Prime Minister would now take off his shoe and begin to knock on it. But instead of a convenient UN tribune on right hand Mutko was too low a bedside table with a glass without water. "Gianni, ekskyuzmi", - once again noted the English Mutko. When the conversation with journalists ended, the Swiss Infantino joked in English, turning to a colleague: "Maybe we can talk about the skeleton? Bobsleigh? Oh, yeah!"

At 18:00 Moscow time, the black cloud of Olympic problems was dispelled until Saturday morning, especially since Infantino warned from the threshold that "the IOC decision will not affect football." And for the slow-witted, he clarified: "We are talking about the World Cup, and the Olympics do not concern us."

"Thank you, Russia"

The atmosphere of football in the evening in the Kremlin was overwhelmed by a steep wave, either the Baltic one from Kaliningrad, the Black Sea from Sochi, or the insidious Urals from Yekaterinburg. Singer Alsu tried to translate into English the humor of TV presenter Ivan Urgant, who recommended that guests from the stalls take a selfie for Instagram and turn off the sound of mobile devices.

On the first day of winter, the Igor Moiseev Folk Dance Ensemble sent everyone six months ahead with the Russian composition "Summer", into which the assistants of the draw, they are the legendary world champions of the past, powdered with frisky Russian snow, were immersed. In addition to them, other greats wandered along the red carpet - Pele, Ronaldinho, Nwankwo Kanu, Peter Schmeichel, Clarence Seedorf, Marcel Desailly, Rinat Dasaev and many others - some surrounded by friends, some with a friend of life at hand. And Diego Maradona - and with a girlfriend, and with a yellow butterfly.

But before the dances and songs, the president of Russia and appeared on the stage. "Gianni," the head of the Russian state called out to the guest from Switzerland and advised him to use a headset for translation. Infantino accepted the advice, but greeted the audience in Russian, and then invited everyone to Russia. "Welcome to Moscow," said the President international federation, and in the middle of his speech he again turned to the great and mighty: "

And the President of Russia took the first word. "I am sure that the upcoming World Cup will become a powerful factor in the development of this sport both in the Russian regions and around the world, especially among young people. And we will do our best to make it a grandiose one." sports holiday", Putin said.

Fifteen minutes later, the famous striker of the German national team modestly appeared in the spotlight with the World Cup in his arms, who thanked his team for winning the World Cup in Brazil, put the bowl on a pedestal and went down to the hall without undue pathos.

A team of assistants and hosts of the ceremonies appeared on the stage - ex-midfielder of the England national team Gary Lineker and TV presenter Maria Komandnaya. "For me it's better to score a penalty in the World Cup final than to lead the toss" - where he feels better - on the field or in the role of leader of the toss.

The World Cup will open with the match Russia - Saudi Arabia

The first vice-president of the Russian Football Union (RFU) symbolically took out the first ball - red, the owner's, inside which was written: "Russia". After the world champion in 1966, England goalkeeper Gordon Banks just as symbolically opened the first starting place in Group A for the hosts of the championship.

The first opponent for the Russians was pulled out by Maradona. They became the national team of Uruguay, with which the team will play on June 25 at the stadium in Samara. Mutko, by the way, promised that the stadium in this Volga city should be put into operation by April 1. The remaining arenas will be ready by the end of this year.

The opening match will take place on June 14 at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow between the national teams of Russia and. The ball with the Middle East team got the legend of the defense of the Italian national team. Main coach the Russian national team Cherchesov at that moment shone, but he tried to hide his emotions. Sitting next to him is the President of the Russian football premier league Sergey Pryadkin smiled brightly, looked pleased and CEO RFU Alexander Alaev.

"Diego always worked well with his hands," Lineker recalled the "hand of God" when the ball from the Croatian national team got Maradona. And he chose the Balkans for native Argentines, who again, as in the recent friendly match in Krasnodar, will meet with the Nigerian team. But the Argentines will start the tournament at the Spartak stadium in the Russian capital on June 16 with the debutants of the World Cup, the Icelanders. "I think it's a feasible challenge, but Argentina will have to speed up their game," Maradona said.

As part of group B on June 15 at the Fisht stadium in Sochi, a fundamental confrontation between neighbors and Portugal will take place. "It will be a very difficult match," - said the world champion in the Spaniards.

For Kazan, the championship will begin with a match between France and Australia (June 16), Nizhny Novgorod will host South Korea and Sweden (June 18), Brazil and Switzerland will play in the first match in Rostov-on-Don (June 17), in St. Petersburg - Morocco and Iran (June 15), in Saransk - Denmark and Peru (June 16), in Volgograd - England and Tunisia (June 18), in Yekaterinburg - Uruguay and Egypt (June 15). The German world champions will start the tournament with a meeting with the Mexicans in Luzhniki on June 17th.

Yesterday, all 32 participants of the Russian world championship recognized their rivals in groups.

Results of the draw for the final part of the 2018 FIFA World Cup

In one article it is difficult to give a detailed assessment of the chances of all the teams, I will do it later for each of the groups, but for now the general results and preliminary forecasts.

Group A

• Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Uruguay.

“If you don’t leave such a group, then which one to leave at all!” - Approximately such moods reign now among the majority of Russian fans. I would be glad to succumb to them, but memory does not allow.

After all, we already went through all this in 2002, when we got to compete with the relatively weak Belgian team at that time, the weakest of the African teams (Tunisia) and the weakest team from the first basket (Japan). How it all ended, we remember.

Therefore, we will consider this a working option, giving us a good chance of qualifying from the group. The only thing that can be said more or less confidently is that, most likely, will take one of the first places in the group.

Group B

• Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Iran.

Here, not everything is as clear as it seems at first glance. Both Spain and Portugal are currently experiencing better times, despite the fact that the latter are the reigning European champions.

If, for example, in starting match Spain will beat Portugal, then I do not rule out the possibility that it could be in second place in the group. And with Iran it will not be easy for anyone.

Although, of course, both European teams must solve the problem of getting out of this group.

Group C

• France, Australia, Peru, Denmark.

Here, the French are seen as clear favorites, although this team is not without problems and each of the remaining teams can take points in a match with them. But at a distance, even at such a short distance, it is unlikely that he will stumble more than once.

I see the Danes as the favorites in the fight for second place in the playoffs - a strong organized team with leaders in each line.

Group D

• Argentina, Iceland, Croatia, Nigeria.

The most mysterious quartet for me, a kind of variant of the “group of death”. None of these teams can be considered a clear outsider of the group, and none of them can be said to definitely reach the playoffs. I understand that I am inviting the wrath of fans and Leo Messi personally on my head, but this also applies to “albicelesta”.

Slushko too big bias in the direction of attack in Argentina and it looked too unconvincing in the selection. After all, the option that the Argentina national team in the first match will share points with Iceland, and then lose to Croatia is not as fantastic as it seems at first glance.

Short summary - Argentina and Croatia are the favorites of the group, but it will be incredibly difficult to prove it on the field, and it's not a sure thing that it will work out.

Group E

• Brazil, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Serbia.

But Brazil is clearly lucky, I personally do not see anyone who can put them in first place in the group. They must do it confidently (my prediction: 7 or 9 points).

The favorites in the fight for second place for me are the Swiss. Costa Rica is unlikely to repeat their success of four years ago, as for which I sincerely worry about, they show football that clearly does not correspond to the sum of the individual abilities of the players. Too much of the Serbs depends on the mood. Remember 2010 when they beat Germany but lost to Australia and Ghana?

So I think that Switzerland will take its place with organization and order.

Group F

• Germany, Mexico, Sweden, South Korea.

Another "group of death". True, unlike the D quartet, here you can name the team that will definitely go further. I can’t imagine that the current world champions, the Germans, in their current state, will not reach the 1/8 finals.

All three teams will compete for second place. Maybe the South Koreans have fewer opportunities than the Swedes and Mexicans, but this is no reason to discount them.

Group H

• Belgium, Panama, Tunisia, England.

The most predictable group in my opinion. - this is an obvious "passenger", which will be content with the well-known Olympic principle of the priority of participation over victory. And the current Tunisia team is not in a position to compete with the teams of England and Belgium.

So two European teams should go through to the playoffs without any problems, and in the last round in a head-to-head match, decide who will do it from the first place.

Group G

• Poland, Senegal, Colombia, Japan.

The most interesting quartet in which any team can be either the first or the last. It is simply inappropriate to give any forecasts here, and even more so six months before the start of the tournament. But the matches of this group are a must watch.

That's all for today, but later we'll talk about each group in detail.

Moscow. December 1. website - The Russian national football team recognized its rivals in the main stage of the 2018 World Cup, of which it is the host. As the holder of this status, she got into the first basket before the draw, for the same reason a place in group A was reserved for her.

During the draw, it became known that group stage Russian team will play against Uruguay (second pot), Egypt (third) and Saudi Arabia (fourth). And the opening match of the 2018 World Cup on June 14 in the capital's Luzhniki will be a confrontation between Russia and Saudi Arabia. On June 19, the Russians will play with Egypt in St. Petersburg, and on June 25 with Uruguay in Samara.

What Mutko said

The results of the draw gave chances to all teams, said Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, President of the Russian Football Union Vitaly Mutko.

"The draw gives chances to all teams," Mutko told reporters on Friday.

In his opinion, the group that Russia fell into is "smooth, strong teams". "It's better for us to accelerate during the tournament, often the first round we play worse than the second," he said.

"In our group there is a top team from Uruguay, a strong team from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, which we know less, but in general there are no weak teams at the World Cup, we must prepare for each and not consider who is stronger and weaker, otherwise surprises are possible. Such a task will be stand in front of the team," he said.

Mutko expressed his satisfaction with how the draw ended. "Teams in the subgroups are exactly matched, it's a good thing, each region is given the opportunity to see the teams. I think that these matches will allow our fans to see world-class stars in their cities. This is what we were striving for," the Deputy Prime Minister noted.

The reaction of the head coach

The head coach of the Russian national team Stanislav Cherchesov said that he had not yet studied the rival teams with whom he would have to play in the group stage of the 2018 World Cup.

“You can’t say whether I’m happy or not. The group is the way it is. I don’t know any of these teams, I have never met with them, I didn’t follow them, and I know that Salah plays in the Egyptian team, he plays in the Uruguay team Suarez, Cavani. All these are names, but what the teams are, I don’t know yet," Cherchesov told reporters.

Introducing rivals. Uruguay

The Uruguay national team is one of the leading teams in South America. Now it is in 21st place in the FIFA rankings. She is the winner of the first World Cup in history, in 1930. 20 years later it repeated its success. After that, her highest achievement at the world championships was fourth place, in 2010.

At the 2018 World Cup, the Uruguay team made it through, confidently speaking in the South American qualifying tournament. This team finished second in the group.

The Russian national team played with the Uruguay team once - in 2012 in a friendly match. The meeting was held in Moscow and ended with the score 1:1.

Egypt

The Egyptian national team is one of the leading representatives of the African continent. It is ranked 31st in the FIFA rankings.

She does not have a rich experience of playing at the world championships, in Russia this will be the third world championship for her. But she is a seven-time winner of the Cup African nations, and now has the status of the current silver medalist of this tournament.

In their group in the African tournament, the Egyptians confidently took first place, thanks to which they became the owners of a ticket to the 2018 World Cup.

The Egyptian team has not yet played against the Russian national team

Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Arabia national team in the FIFA ranking is not far from the Russian team - in 63rd place (Russians - in 65th). Among the Asian teams, it is located below Iran, Australia (the national team of this country belongs to the Asian Football Confederation), Japan, South Korea, China.

At the World Cup, Saudi Arabia will perform for the fifth time, its highest achievement at the World Cup - reaching the 1/8 finals, in 1994. The Saudi Arabia national team is a three-time winner of the Asian Cup.

In the qualifying group for the 2018 Asian tournament, the team took first place.

The team of Saudi Arabia played with the Russian national team once, but that was a long time ago, in 1993. It was a friendly match that took place on the field of the Arabians. The meeting, rich in goals, ended with the score 4:2 in favor of the Saudi Arabia national team.

The full composition of the groups:

Group A - Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Uruguay

Group B - Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Iran

Group C - France, Australia Peru, Denmark

Group D - Argentina, Iceland, Croatia, Nigeria

Group E - Brazil, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Serbia

Group F - Germany, Mexico, Sweden, South Korea

Group G - Belgium, Panama Tunisia, England

Group H - Poland, Senegal, Colombia, Japan

The 2018 World Cup matches will be held in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Samara, Yekaterinburg, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Sochi, Saransk. The beginning of the tournament in Russia on June 14, the final - on July 15. Russia is hosting the World Cup for the first time.

Foreign colleagues who came to cover the draw were pleasantly surprised long before the ceremony itself. Because working in such an environment is the dream of a tourist-journalist. Through the Spasskaya Tower - if you're lucky, also under the chiming clock - reporters get to the Kremlin. Next - a short walk past the Tsar Bell and the Tsar Cannon with views of the most beautiful temples in the country. The main thing is not to forget about the ultimate goal of the trip and get to the Kremlin Palace. In order to enjoy a panoramic view of the snow-covered green roofs from the sixth floor, a press center was organized under the very top.

The main football event of the four years begins in the most important place in Russia, hosting the tournament - symbolically and very effectively.

The ceremony itself will last only an hour, but it will determine the plans of a huge number of people for the next six months. It will be hosted by Ivan Urgant, and the actual draw procedure will be conducted by the famous Englishman Gary Lineker and our sports journalist Maria Komandnaya. At the same time, the entire elite of world football will gather in the hall of the Kremlin Palace. For example, the invitations were received by the head coaches of all 32 teams that made it to the tournament.

And only two did not respond. The coach of Uruguay will not come, and Australia simply does not have a coach now. All the rest flew to Moscow in advance and yesterday already took part in a seminar for participating teams.

Live broadcast of the draw will begin at 18.00 Moscow time on Channel One

There are enough stars in addition to coaches, and they come not only to admire the beauties of the Russian capital. Diego Maradona, Laurent Blanc, Fabio Cannavaro, Carles Puyol - these legendary figures, for example, will participate in the draw as assistants. And the famous Frenchman, world champion-98 Marcel Desailly, together with the ex-forward of the Russian national team Alexander Kerzhakov, now act as ambassadors of the fan festival. Of course, both could not avoid questions about the upcoming draw.

I do not like forecasts, - Kerzhakov admitted. - Home World Cup - a tournament in which their own walls can help. The Confederations Cup showed it. I am sure that the Russian team will leave the group. And we'll see.

The draw ceremony for the 2018 World Cup will be attended by many football celebrities. Among them is Uruguayan Diego Forlan (second from left). A photo: Sergei Savostyanov/TASS

Desailly added that the Russian national team lacks star players like Kerzhakov, and therefore a lot will depend on the fans: “The first games are very important for the team’s confidence in the future in the tournament, and support is needed here. The fans helped us, the French, at the home world championship in 1998, thanks to them, we have become stronger. Fans should oblige the team to fight to the end. I hope your team will go far."

Streamlined formulations fought back not only Desailly. Journalists tried to find out from the famous Uruguayan Diego Forlan what lot he would like for his compatriots. But in response they heard the standard "there are no weak teams in such a tournament" and "it will be interesting with any opponent." It is clear that there is an element of slyness in these words.

The 32 teams are initially split into four pots based on their rankings. Russia is among the seeded ones, but not for merit on the football field, but as a hostess. And even a cursory glance at the resulting baskets is enough to understand that the strength of the teams gathered in one company is completely different, so you can get both a "life group" and a "death group". By the way, even among football people there is no consensus on which option is preferable.

With questions, we went to the ex-player of the Russian national team Dmitry Cheryshev, who came to the draw as an ambassador of the World Cup from Nizhny Novgorod.

Dmitry, what opponents would you like for the Russian team?

Dmitry Cheryshev: I wish we had strong teams. Because it is with a strong opponent that you always show your the best game, good mood. And you can still leave the group.

Stars such as Maradona, Blanc, Puyol and Cannavaro will determine the fate of the 32 teams participating in the 2018 World Cup

At the Confederations Cup, we got strong opponents, Portugal and Mexico, and as a result, the team could not leave the group.

Dmitry Cheryshev: Then these were our first steps in serious international matches under the direction of Stanislav Cherchesov. I think that we have run the team. By the way, last match played pretty well at the Confederations Cup. The team was in good shape interesting game against the Spanish team. To score three goals against such an opponent is worth a lot. Even if the Spaniards did not bring the optimal composition, any player who defends her colors is still a level. Therefore, in my opinion, we the right way, and only victories await us ahead.

You are the World Cup Ambassador from Nizhny Novgorod. What fans and what teams would you like to see in your city?

Dmitry Cheryshev: First of all, Latin Americans. I would like our fans to see how they support their own. I saw fans of Chile and Mexico at the Confederations Cup, enjoyed this atmosphere and would like to see the same celebration during the World Cup in our city.