When does the football championship begin? FIFA World Cup: dates

Football fans from all over the world are eagerly awaiting the final part of the FIFA World Cup. This competition is the most popular on the planet, but it takes place only once every four years. This time Russia will be the host country, and the best 32 teams will compete for the FIFA World Cup.

The most important match of the tournament, of course, is the final. You will find out where and when the decisive match of the 21st World Cup will take place right now.

Where and at what stadium will the 2018 World Cup final take place?

Both matches, the opening and the final, will be hosted by the Russian capital, Moscow, and they will be held at the largest stadium in the Russian Federation, Luzhniki, with a capacity of 81,000 people. This stadium was reconstructed and hosted the Olympic Games in 1980.

It is located in the center of the 145-hectare Olympic complex. By the way, this complex is one of the largest sports complexes in the world. Luzhniki is located along the Moscow River next to the beautiful Vorobyovy Gory natural park.

The Luzhniki Stadium is the best option for hosting the 2018 World Cup final. Another stadium was opened in Moscow called Otkritie Arena, where the local Spartak now plays, but it is almost half the capacity.

When will the 2018 FIFA World Cup final take place?

The first match of the final part of the tournament will be played on June 14, and already The decisive game will be played on July 15 and the end of the 21st World Cup. The match will start at 18:00 Moscow time.

In order to get to the Luzhniki Stadium on July 15, the national teams will have to go through a difficult path, because the competition is becoming stronger with each drawing. The last World Cup was won by the German team, which defeated the Argentines in the final with a score of 1:0. By the way, experts consider Bundesteam the main favorite of the upcoming competition.

Among the other teams that can compete for the World Cup in the final game are the following:

Spain;
Brazil;
Italy;
Belgium;
Argentina;
France;
Portugal.

Perhaps one of the other teams will be able to create a sensation and make it to the decisive match of the tournament. Only the strongest teams from all over the continent will come to the World Cup, so the competition throughout the entire month will be simply incredible. There will be only one winner, and the world will know his name on July 15, 2018.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup is a long-awaited sports festival that Russians have been waiting for for 8 long years! The World Cup will be held in Eastern Europe for the first time. Therefore, this event can be fully called unique! The final part of the championship will be hosted by 11 cities of the Russian Federation, in which the games will be held between June 14 and July 15. Thus, the sports action will last a whole month!

However, fans are already asking a number of questions. Who will come to the World Cup? Which stadiums will host the games? Well, domestic fans, of course, are concerned about the main topic: what results will the Russian team show?

Where and when will the World Cup be held?

This long-awaited event will take place here – in Russia. The tournament, as always, will be held in the summer. It is scheduled for June 14 – July 15, 2018. 12 stadiums located in 11 Russian cities were chosen as the venue for the games. Naturally, Moscow became the capital of the football world championship. It is at the Luzhniki Arena, which was specially reconstructed for the championship, that the opening match and the final match are scheduled.

Our country had to withstand serious competition from England, as well as joint applications from Spain/Portugal and the Netherlands/Belgium. But in the end the Russian application won. This happened already in the second round of voting. Russia then received 13 votes, and its closest competitors - 7.

List of 2018 FIFA World Cup cities

There are 11 of them in total. Almost all of them are located in the European part of the country and only one - Yekaterinburg - is located in Asia. Here are their names:

Moscow;
Kaliningrad;
Saint Petersburg;
Volgograd;
Kazan;
Nizhny Novgorod;
Samara;
Saransk;
Rostov-on-Don;
Sochi;
Ekaterinburg.

The initial list consisted of 13 metropolitan areas. At various times, the list included cities such as Voronezh, Krasnodar, Yaroslavl and Podolsk. But in the end, on September 29, 2012, the final composition of the host cities was approved.

FIFA World Cup 2018 stadiums

The games will be organized in 12 arenas. Each sports complex corresponds to a particular city. The only exception is Moscow. In the capital of Russia, meetings are scheduled at two stadiums: Luzhniki and Spartak.

	Luzhniki The oldest sports complex in the country, which hosted the 1988 Olympics. The capacity of the structure after reconstruction should exceed 80,000 seats.

	"Krestovsky" Home arena of the St. Petersburg team "Zenith". The complex has a capacity of 67,800 seats.

	"Kazan Arena" The stadium was built for the Summer Universiade. It seats more than 45,000 people.

	"Ekaterinburg Arena" A reconstructed arena designed for 35 thousand spectators.

	"Spartacus" The home ground of the club of the same name, opened in 2014. It can accommodate more than 45,000 fans.

	Samara Arena One of the first stadiums created specifically for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Spectators can count on 45,000 seats.

	"Mordovia Arena" A brand new sports complex built in Saransk. Accommodates more than 45 thousand people.

	"Fisht" The arena was once built specifically for the Sochi Olympics. After reconstruction, the stadium will be able to accommodate more than 44,000 fans.

	Rostov Arena The main sports facility of Rostov-on-Don. Accommodates 45,000 people.

	"Kaliningrad Stadium" A brand new stadium, built in 2015. The arena in the westernmost region of Russia is designed for 35,000 football fans.

	"Nizhny Novgorod Stadium" Another ultra-modern arena, designed for almost 45,000 seats.

	Volgograd Arena A new stadium that meets all modern requirements. The complex can accommodate 45 thousand fans.

Competition participants

32 national teams will take part in the tournament. Among them is our team, which qualified for the championship as hosts. All teams will be divided into 8 groups. The Russian team is pre-assigned to Pot A.

In addition, the volunteers at the World Cup can also be fully considered participants in the upcoming action. Several thousand are expected. Many of the volunteer helpers will come from other states. The volunteer recruitment campaign began on June 1, 2016 in 15 specialized centers in 11 Russian cities. In total, the organizers intend to attract more than 15 thousand assistants for the World Cup. And this is not counting the volunteers that the host cities will provide. In Moscow alone, the number of volunteer helpers can exceed 10,000! To become a participant in the volunteer movement, it is advisable for an applicant to have the following qualities:

be over 18 years of age;
know English;
be able to work in a team environment.

Where and how to watch the championship

One day, a major football tournament will be held in our country. Therefore, it would be an unforgivable mistake for fans not to attend at least one championship match. Moreover, tickets for the World Cup can already be booked using a number of Internet portals. However, fans should be prepared for the fact that the coveted tickets will cost them a significant markup.

The main sales will begin immediately after the Confederations Cup. To officially purchase a ticket, several conditions are required:

register on the official FIFA website;
fill out your profile and questionnaire;
select the desired match;
select the spectator sector and ticket price category;
place an order and then receive a personal request code;
confirm and pay for the order.

The minimum ticket price for a Russian will not exceed 1,280 rubles. At the same time, its owner will be able to use public transport for 18 hours before and after the game for which he purchased a ticket.

Championship results

It’s too early to talk about the future winner. But bookmakers are probably betting on teams such as Germany, France, Argentina and Portugal. Because they are all recent winners of major football tournaments. But we, of course, are interested in the domestic squad, which achieved its greatest success back in 1966. Then the USSR national team took 4th place at the World Cup in England.

Everyone expects that the new composition of the Russian national team at the 2018 FIFA World Cup will make them forget the past mistakes of the national team. The Russians have their native walls on their side, colossal support from the audience and organizational conclusions that have qualitatively transformed the composition of the national team. How this will be reflected in the performance of our football players will be shown by the starting games in the group!

In the last draw, the “top chart” of the best 10 national teams looked like this:

Germany;
Argentina;
Netherlands
Brazil;
Costa Rica;
France
Belgium;
Colombia;
Switzerland;
Greece.

In 2014, the Russian team could not even qualify from the group. So let's hope that this time our guys will take a place at the top of the final standings!

Afterword

In the summer of 2018, it will be exactly 10 years since the last success of the Russian football team at a major international tournament. Then the “clockwork matryoshka”, led by the “flying Dutchman”, unexpectedly for everyone, not only left the group, but also reached the semi-finals of Euro 2008! At the upcoming World Cup, experienced fans are waiting for a repeat of this Russian miracle. Whether our guys will live up to the expectations placed on them is still a big question. But in any case, no matter how the fate of the national team turns out, true football fans are obliged not to miss this unique sporting event in our history. Therefore, you can and should apply to participate in the World Cup as a volunteer or simply buy tickets to the matches now!

the date of the	June 14 – July 15, 2018
Where will it take place?	Russia
Participating teams	32
What a draw	21st
Current triumphant	Germany team

The opening of the Championship will be seen at the largest stadium - Luzhniki.

List of 2018 FIFA World Cup cities

Volgograd is located in the southeastern part of the European half of the Russian Federation. Today it was officially awarded the title of hero city. It is worth noting that tourists from all over the world visit it every year not only because of its rich history. Volgograd is also very popular as a city for active recreation. Today, vacationers are offered a variety of programs and opportunities to have an interesting, rich and useful time.

Volgograd cannot boast of a thousand-year anniversary, but the fact that it has faced many trials is an indisputable fact. The city has few names - Tsaritsyn (1589–1925), Stalingrad (1925–1961), Volgograd - but each of them is associated with a special stage of his life’s journey. Of course, the most important, turning point both in its history and during the Great Patriotic War, and at the same time, perhaps in the history of the whole world, is the Battle of Stalingrad. All the main attractions of Volgograd are connected with it.

In 2018, Volgograd will host matches of the group stage of the Football World Cup (Volzhsky cluster). In total, 4 games will take place in the city; Volgograd did not get any playoff matches. In addition, the city will provide space for training bases for the teams participating in the World Cup.

The Hampton by Hilton Volgograd Profsoyuznaya hotel has already been commissioned and is operating. This year it has already received a prestigious award: recognized as the best hotel of the international corporation Hilton. The construction of the Park inn by Radisson hotel, located near the railway station, has also already been completed.

Yekaterinburg is called the capital of the Urals. This is the fourth largest city in Russia, which attracts young people from the Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk, Tyumen, Perm regions and Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug. The city's population is about 2 million people (officially less than 1.4 million). The national composition is very diverse, but more than 80% are Russians.

The fourth largest transport interchange in the country passes through the city. Six federal highways, seven main railway lines, an international airport - this is what makes Yekaterinburg not only a connecting link between the European and Asian parts of Russia, but also the “gateway” to rich Siberia.

Ekaterinburg is one of the largest and most beautiful cities in Russia. They also love football here; the tradition of cheering in the capital of the Urals has quite strong roots. It is not surprising that this city will become the easternmost point where the best teams in the world will come to play in 2018. This is the only city in the Eastern cluster. Here, at the reconstructed Central Stadium, 4 matches of the group stage of the World Cup will be held.

In addition to stadiums and training facilities, it was decided to organize a fan zone - it will be in the Central Park of Culture and Culture named after. Mayakovsky. You can also cheer in the Historical Center, where fans already gathered during the broadcast of the 2014 World Cup matches. By moving the main site, Yekaterinburg will be able to restore the Central Park of Culture and Culture so that it can be conveniently used after the World Cup.

Kazan World Cup 2018

Since ancient times, Kazan has been and remains today the most important city, which acts as an intermediary between East and West in trade, plays a significant role in both the economic, cultural and international relations of the country. Kazan was included in the UNESCO list of world heritage cities and is developing very rapidly in all directions.

Kazan is a unique city, one of the most “sports” in the country. In recent years, a lot of world-class sports competitions have been held here, from the World Aquatics Championships to the Universiade. So the city is ready to host matches of the highest level and accommodate guests now - fortunately, the most modern stadium has been ready for a long time.

The city has a huge selection of hotels: chain hotels came to Kazan for the Universiade, and local investors also did not waste time. There are no problems with guest housing here now. Also, during the World Cup, student dormitories will be used, which are usually empty in the summer. And for the referee team and football players for the 2018 World Cup in Kazan, apartment hotels are being built near the Millennium.

Kazan Arena was built a long time ago, and is now free from all other competitions. Now this is a purely football stadium, which will now be fully tested by Rubin Kazan.

Rostov-on-Don is the administrative and cultural center of the Rostov region, located in the very south of Russia, as well as one of the largest cities in the region and a city of military glory. Rostov is a beautiful and picturesque city, which is known throughout the country for its production of special equipment, namely combine harvesters. In addition, this is an excellent city for tourists, because it has a rich history, many attractions, and its southern flavor will certainly appeal to every visitor to the south of Russia. These places boast excellent cuisine and fun entertainment.

Rostov is not only the administrative center of the region, but also the cultural, commercial, industrial and transport capital of the South of the Russian Federation. This city is often called the “Gateway of the Caucasus”, as well as the southern capital; you can often find the expression “Rostov the Pope”.

After the decision of FIFA, which approved the cities where the World Cup matches will be held, Rostov-on-Don began to actively and purposefully prepare for this significant event in the city’s sports life. One of the main preparation projects, naturally, is the construction of a new stadium in the city. Within the framework of this project, a complete engineering plan for the development of the engineering, energy, transport and utility infrastructure of the area has already been drawn up.

The preparation of the city's hotel infrastructure is also in full swing. A special commission was created, the expanded competence of which will include the inspection of facilities under construction and the audit of existing hotels for compliance with international standards. By the beginning of the World Cup, the total number of hotel rooms of various star ratings will have to reach about 8 thousand. It is also planned to reconstruct the city embankment. Additionally, about 8 thousand parking spaces will be created in the city. Bicycle paths will also be laid out in Rostov-on-Don, all signs will be duplicated with inscriptions in English.

Samara is the largest city in the Middle Volga region, the center of the Volga economic region, the seventh most populous city in Russia. Samara is one of the largest transport, industrial, business, cultural and scientific centers in Russia. The city is located on the bend of the Samara Luka, on the left bank of the Volga, between its tributaries Samara and Sok.

The architectural heritage of the city is represented by various architectural styles and is of undoubted value for connoisseurs of ancient architecture. The city has 5 municipal theaters and various stage venues, many museums and galleries, the Samara State Circus named after. Oleg Popov, zoo. Music festivals and other cultural events are regularly held.

Samara has become one of the cities that will host the 2018 World Cup matches at its stadium. Since then, in Samara, which was included in the final list, full-scale work has been underway to prepare the city. 56 billion rubles were allocated for the construction of the championship sports arena and giving the city the appropriate look. A new tram line will appear in the city and will connect the stadium with the railway station. Its total length should be more than 18.5 kilometers, and costs for the entire construction cycle are estimated at 7 billion rubles.

The Organizing Committee's plans also include the modernization of the shipping fleet and the construction of four new berths, one of which will be built right on the Embankment in the area of the stadium. Such an innovation should solve the problem of covering long distances plus a variety of tourist leisure, which will now include walks along the Volga, accompanied by information about Samara. The Frunzensky Bridge will be built over the Volga, which after the end of the Championship will connect Samara with neighboring Novokuibyshevsk.

Sochi is the main balneological resort of Russia on the Black Sea coast and the capital of the XXII Winter Olympic Games in 2014. A holiday at the resort gives you the opportunity to see a huge variety of southern and exotic plants, architectural monuments, beautiful temples, squares and fountains. The main attractions of the surrounding Sochi are created by nature: numerous waterfalls and caves, canyons and gorges. All this is located on the territory of the Sochi National Park, stretching from the Tuapse region to Abkhazia.

Intercity communication connects Sochi with all major cities of Russia, including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk, Murmansk, Yekaterinburg, Blagoveshchensk, Perm, Saratov and others.

Sochi is a participant in the FIFA World Cup, which will be held in 2018. Participants and spectators of the Championship will be able to enjoy the magnificent spectacle and become familiar with the cultural diversity of the country. This is a unique city in our application, the only one in which, at the time of the launch of the preparation project, there was a modern stadium and all the necessary sports and tourism infrastructure. The training base of the teams participating in the Championship will be the Federal State Budgetary Institution "YUG-SPORT". On its territory there are 2 large football fields and the Parus hotel complex, where non-resident football players will stay. The capacity of the complex is 144 rooms.

It was decided to use the stadium to host the Championship. Its difference from other arenas is its original design.

Today's Kaliningrad is a large engineering and metallurgical center; the city also has a developed light industry, printing industry, and fishing. Recently, the city has been attracting more and more tourists who want to visit the historical sights and unique museums of Kaliningrad. The cultural life of the city is concentrated in theaters and large libraries, which contain, among other things, a medieval book collection called the Wallenrodt Library. The city has a zoo and a botanical garden.

Preparations for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in different cities are proceeding at different paces, and Kaliningrad, which in 2014 was considered one of the cities lagging behind in terms of readiness for this event, is currently doing everything to free up this “honorable” place.

According to N. Tsukanov, the governor of the region, by 2018 the city will be completely transformed. In addition to the construction of sports facilities themselves, it is planned to increase the number of hotels, and hotel business organizers will be able to count on government subsidies. According to preliminary estimates, by 2018 more than 20 hotel complexes with different levels of service will be opened in the city; however, savings have also affected this area of activity, so that most hotels will have no more than 4 stars.

The stadium will host 4 group stage matches.

General Director of the Russia 2018 organizing committee Alexey Sorokin and Russian Minister of Sports Vitaly Mutko (from left to right)
© EPA/SERGEI ILNITSKY

The 2018 World Championships in Russia will be the 21st and the first to be held on the territory of the former Soviet Union. The election of the host country of the 2018 World Cup took place on December 2, 2010 at a meeting of the FIFA executive committee, and its members preferred the Russian application. Among Russia's rivals were two joint applications - Portugal and Spain, as well as Belgium and the Netherlands, and the candidacy of England. The British dropped out of the fight already in the first round, receiving only two votes, while 13 votes in the second round were enough for Russia's early victory.

In September 2012, the cities and stadiums where the World Cup matches would take place became known. The final list included 11 cities (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Sochi, Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Samara, Yekaterinburg, Kaliningrad, Volgograd and Saransk) and 12 stadiums; in the capital, competitions will be held in Luzhniki and "Otkrytie-Arena" (according to the requirements of FIFA and UEFA, during European Cup games and official matches of national teams the stadium will not be able to bear a sponsor's name and, most likely, will be called "Spartak").

Of all the selected stadiums, only the Otkritie Arena is completely ready; the Kazan stadium is closed for the World Aquatics Championships; the remaining arenas are being built or reconstructed.

The 2018 World Championships will take place from June 14 to July 15. It is already known that the Luzhniki stadium, which after reconstruction will accommodate 81 thousand spectators, will host the opening match, one of the semi-finals and the final; the second semi-final and the match for third place will be held at the stadium under construction in St. Petersburg.

The qualifying round for the World Championship started in March of this year, all 32 participants in the final tournament will be determined in mid-November 2017. So far, only the Russian team has received a place in the final tournament - as a representative of the organizing country. In December 2017, the draw for the group tournament will take place at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, where the teams will be divided into eight groups. The current World Cup format has been in place since 1998: the top two teams from each group advance to the round of 16 and then advance to the finals through a playoff system.

The official emblem of the 2018 World Cup was presented in October 2014; it traditionally features the silhouette of the FIFA World Cup.

FIFA World Cup in Russia: Match schedule is a section that allows all football fans to freely navigate the calendar of matches of the 2018 World Cup in Russia and be aware of all the necessary information on any of them. That is, you will never be late for a match or to watch it, and you will know in advance which game will take place.

If desired or necessary, in the same section everyone will be able to find all the information on each match of the tournament. To do this, just click on any game in World Championship 2018 calendar.

Inside each match before the game, you will be able to find the names of the refereeing team and get acquainted with the tentative lineups for the match, or you can offer your vision of the game and discuss it in a chat with other football fans. As the game progresses, you will have access to a text broadcast of each match, which will always be available and will not go anywhere after the meeting. After the game, you will also be able to find out the authors of the goals and those who chalked up cards or other effective actions worthy of the meeting minutes. Also, inside each match, all the current news on it will be available - which preceded the meeting or appeared following its results.

FIFA World Cup 2018 dates

12 stadiums in 11 Russian cities will host matches of this summer's main event. The dates for the 2018 FIFA World Cup have been set for a long time. Most football fans have already marked key dates on the calendar. Some will see the matches from the stadium, and millions of people around the world will watch the 2018 World Cup on TV.

If you are not very often interested in football, then remember: the opening date of the 2018 FIFA World Cup is June 14. On this day, the Russian team will open the tournament with a match against the Saudi Arabian team at Luzhniki. Russia will play the rest of its group matches at the World Cup on June 19 and 25 – against Egypt and Uruguay.

This and other dates for the 2018 FIFA World Cup can be viewed in our table - select matches of specific groups or the entire group stage. As the tournament progresses, the table will be updated when the participants in specific playoff matches become known.

Knowing the start date of the 2018 FIFA World Cup and other days of matches of the Russian national team is also important due to the fresh initiative of the Vice-Speaker of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Igor Lebedev. The deputy proposes to make the days of matches of the Russian national team a weekend for the entire country.