2018 FIFA World Cup - wikipedia 2018 FIFA World Cup `` 2018 World Cup '' redirects here. For other competitions of that name, see 2018 World Cup ( disambiguation ). `` FIFA 2018 '' redirects here. For the video game, see FIFA 18. 2018 FIFA World Cup Чемпионат мира по футболу 2018 Chempionat mira po futbolu 2018 2018 FIFA World Cup official logo Tournament details Host country Russia Dates 14 June -- 15 July Teams 32 ( from 5 confederations ) Venue ( s ) 12 ( in 11 host cities ) ← 2014 2022 → The 2018 FIFA World Cup will be the 21st FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament contested by the men 's national teams of the member associations of FIFA. It is scheduled to take place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded the hosting rights on 2 December 2010. This will be the first World Cup held in Europe since the 2006 tournament in Germany, and the first ever to be held in Eastern Europe. All of the stadium venues are in European Russia, to keep travel time manageable. The final tournament will involve 32 national teams, which include 31 teams determined through qualifying competitions and the automatically qualified host team. Of the 32 teams, 20 will be making back - to - back appearances following the last tournament in 2014, including defending champions Germany, while Iceland and Panama will both be making their first appearances at a FIFA World Cup. A total of 64 matches will be played in 12 venues located in 11 cities. The final will take place on 15 July at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. The winners of the World Cup will qualify for the 2021 FIFA Confederations Cup. Contents 1 Host selection 2 Teams 2.1 Qualification 2.2 Draw 2.3 Squads 3 Referees 4 Venues 4.1 Team base camps 5 Schedule 6 Group stage 6.1 Tiebreakers 6.2 Group A 6.3 Group B 6.4 Group C 6.5 Group D 6.6 Group E 6.7 Group F 6.8 Group G 6.9 Group H 7 Knockout stage 7.1 Bracket 7.2 Round of 16 7.3 Quarter - finals 7.4 Semi-finals 7.5 Third place play - off 7.6 Final 8 Prize money 9 Marketing 9.1 Branding 9.2 Mascot 9.3 Ticketing 9.4 Match ball 9.5 Merchandise 9.6 Official song 10 Preparations and costs 11 Controversies 11.1 Response to Skripal poisoning 11.2 Terrorist threats 12 Broadcasting rights 13 Sponsorship 14 See also 15 References 16 External links Host selection Main article : Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup bid Russian bid personnel celebrate the awarding of the 2018 World Cup to Russia, December 2010. Russian president Vladimir Putin holding the FIFA World Cup Trophy at a pre-tournament ceremony in Moscow, September 2017 The bidding procedure to host the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups began in January 2009, and national associations had until 2 February 2009 to register their interest. Initially, nine countries placed bids for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but Mexico later withdrew from proceedings, and Indonesia 's bid was rejected by FIFA in February 2010 after the Indonesian government failed to submit a letter to support the bid. During the bidding process, the three remaining non-UEFA nations ( Australia, Japan, and the United States ) gradually withdrew from the 2018 bids, and the UEFA nations were thus ruled out of the 2022 bid. As such, there were eventually four bids for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, two of which were joint bids : England, Russia, Netherlands / Belgium, and Portugal / Spain. The twenty - two - member FIFA Executive Committee convened in Zürich on 2 December 2010 to vote to select the hosts of both tournaments. Russia won the right to be the 2018 host in the second round of voting. The Portugal / Spain bid came second, and that from Belgium / Netherlands third. England 's bid to host its second tournament fell at the first hurdle. The voting results were as follows : 2018 FIFA bidding ( majority 12 votes ) Bidders Votes Round 1 Round 2 Russia 9 13 Portugal / Spain 7 7 Belgium / Netherlands England Eliminated The process was not without criticism : allegations of bribery on the part of the Russian team and corruption from FIFA members were made particularly by the English Football Association. It was alleged that four members of the executive committee had requested bribes to vote for England, and Sepp Blatter said that it had already been arranged before the vote that Russia would win. The 2014 Garcia Report, an internal investigation led by Michael J. Garcia was withheld from public release by Hans - Joachim Eckert, FIFA 's head of adjudication on ethical matters, with Eckert instead publishing a shorter summary. FIFA 's reluctance to publish the full report caused Garcia to resign in protest. Due to such controversy, the FA refused to accept Eckert 's absolving of Russia from blame, with Greg Dyke calling for a re-examination of the affair and David Bernstein calling for a boycott of the World Cup. Teams Qualification Main article : 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification For the first time in the history of the FIFA World Cup, all eligible nations -- the 209 FIFA member associations minus automatically qualified hosts Russia -- entered the qualifying process. Zimbabwe and Indonesia were later disqualified before playing their first matches, while Gibraltar and Kosovo, who joined FIFA on 13 May 2016 after the qualifying draw but before European qualifying had begun, also entered the competition. Places in the tournament were allocated to continental confederations, with the allocation unchanged from the 2014 World Cup. The first qualification game began in Dili, Timor Leste, on 12 March 2015 as part of the AFC 's qualification, and the main qualifying draw took place at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg on 25 July 2015 at 18 : 00 local time ( UTC + 3 ). Of the thirty - two nations qualified to play at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, twenty countries competed at the previous edition of the tournament in 2014. Both Iceland and Panama qualified for the first time, with the former becoming the smallest country in terms of population to reach the World Cup. Other teams returning after absences of at least three tournaments include : Egypt, returning to the finals after a 28 - year absence from their last appearance in 1990 ; Morocco, who last competed in 1998 ; Peru, returning after a 36 - year absence ( since 1982 ) ; and Senegal, competing for the second time after reaching the quarter - finals in 2002. It is the first time three Nordic countries ( Denmark, Iceland and Sweden ) and four Arab nations ( Egypt, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia ) have qualified for the World Cup. Notable countries that failed to qualify include four - time champions Italy ( for the first time since 1958 ) and three - time runner - up the Netherlands. Four reigning continental champions failed to qualify : 2017 Africa Cup of Nations winner Cameroon, two - time Copa América champion and 2017 Confederations Cup runner - up Chile, 2016 OFC Nations Cup winner New Zealand, and 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup champion United States ( for the first time since 1986 ). The other notable qualifying streaks broken were for Ghana and Ivory Coast, who had both made the previous three tournaments. AFC ( 5 ) Australia Iran Japan Saudi Arabia South Korea CAF ( 5 ) Egypt Morocco Nigeria Senegal Tunisia CONCACAF ( 3 ) Costa Rica Mexico Panama CONMEBOL ( 5 ) Argentina Brazil Colombia Peru Uruguay OFC ( 0 ) None qualified UEFA ( 14 ) Belgium Croatia Denmark England France Germany Iceland Poland Portugal Russia ( hosts ) Serbia Spain Sweden Switzerland Teams qualified for World Cup Teams failed to qualify for World Cup Teams expelled from the tournament by FIFA prior to playing a match Countries were not FIFA members Draw Main article : 2018 FIFA World Cup seeding The draw was held on 1 December 2017, at 18 : 00 MSK, at the State Kremlin Palace in Moscow. The 32 teams were drawn into eight groups of four. For the draw, the teams were allocated to four pots based on the FIFA World Rankings of October 2017. Pot 1 contained the hosts Russia ( who were automatically assigned to Position A1 ) and the best seven teams, Pot 2 contained the next best eight teams, and so on for Pots 3 and 4. This was different from previous draws, where only Pot 1 was based on FIFA Rankings while the remaining pots were based on geographical considerations. However, still retained was the fact that teams from the same confederation were not drawn against each other for the group stage, except for UEFA where each group contained up to two teams. Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4 Russia ( 65 ) ( hosts ) Germany ( 1 ) Brazil ( 2 ) Portugal ( 3 ) Argentina ( 4 ) Belgium ( 5 ) Poland ( 6 ) France ( 7 ) Spain ( 8 ) Peru ( 10 ) Switzerland ( 11 ) England ( 12 ) Colombia ( 13 ) Mexico ( 16 ) Uruguay ( 17 ) Croatia ( 18 ) Denmark ( 19 ) Iceland ( 21 ) Costa Rica ( 22 ) Sweden ( 25 ) Tunisia ( 28 ) Egypt ( 30 ) Senegal ( 32 ) Iran ( 34 ) Serbia ( 38 ) Nigeria ( 41 ) Australia ( 43 ) Japan ( 44 ) Morocco ( 48 ) Panama ( 49 ) South Korea ( 62 ) Saudi Arabia ( 63 ) Squads Main article : 2018 FIFA World Cup squads Each team must first name a preliminary squad of 35 players. From the preliminary squad, the team must name a final squad of 23 players ( three of whom must be goalkeepers ) by the FIFA deadline. Players in the final squad may be replaced due to serious injury up to 24 hours prior to kickoff of the team 's first match, where the replacement players do not need to be in the preliminary squad. For players named in the 35 player preliminary squad, there is a mandatory rest period between 21 and 27 May 2018, except for those involved in the 2018 UEFA Champions League Final played on 26 May. Initially the preliminary squads were to have 30 players but, in February 2018, it was announced that the number of players to be named in the provisional squads would be increased to 35. Referees Main article : 2018 FIFA World Cup officials On 16 March 2018, the FIFA Council approved the use of video assistant referees ( VAR ) for the first time in a FIFA World Cup tournament. On 29 March 2018, FIFA released the list of 36 referees and 63 assistant referees selected to oversee matches. On 30 April 2018, FIFA released the list of 13 video assistant referees, who will solely act as VARs in the tournament. List of officials Confederation Referee Assistant Referees Video Assistant Referees AFC Fahad Al - Mirdasi ( Saudi Arabia ) Yaser Khalil Abdulla Tulefat ( Bahrain ) / Mohammed Al Abakry ( Saudi Arabia ) Taleb Al Maari ( Qatar ) / Mohamed Alhammadi ( United Arab Emirates ) Abdulah Alshalwai ( Saudi Arabia ) / Mohammadreza Mansouri ( Iran ) Abduxamidullo Rasulov ( Uzbekistan ) / Toru Sagara ( Japan ) Jakhongir Saidov ( Uzbekistan ) / Reza Sokhandan ( Iran ) Abdulrahman Al - Jassim ( Qatar ) Alireza Faghani ( Iran ) Ravshan Irmatov ( Uzbekistan ) Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed ( United Arab Emirates ) Ryuji Sato ( Japan ) Nawaf Shukralla ( Bahrain ) CAF Mehdi Abid Charef ( Algeria ) Redouane Achik ( Morocco ) / Waleed Ahmed ( Sudan ) Jean Claude Birumushahu ( Burundi ) / Djibril Camara ( Senegal ) Jerson Emiliano Dos Santos ( Angola ) / Abdelhak Etchiali ( Algeria ) Anouar Hmila ( Tunisia ) / Marwa Range ( Kenya ) El Hadji Malick Samba ( Senegal ) / Zakhele Thusi Siwela ( South Africa ) Malang Diedhiou ( Senegal ) Bakary Gassama ( Gambia ) Gehad Grisha ( Egypt ) Janny Sikazwe ( Zambia ) Bamlak Tessema Weyesa ( Ethiopia ) CONCACAF Joel Aguilar ( El Salvador ) Frank Anderson ( United States ) / Joe Fletcher ( Canada ) Miguel Angel Hernandez Paredes ( Mexico ) / Juan Carlos Mora Araya ( Costa Rica ) Corey Rockwell ( United States ) / Marvin Torrentera ( Mexico ) Gabriel Victoria ( Panama ) / Juan Zumba ( El Salvador ) Mark Geiger ( United States ) Jair Marrufo ( United States ) Ricardo Montero ( Costa Rica ) John Pitti ( Panama ) César Arturo Ramos ( Mexico ) CONMEBOL Julio Bascuñán ( Chile ) Carlos Astroza ( Chile ) / Juan Pablo Bellati ( Argentina ) Eduardo Cardozo ( Paraguay ) / Emerson de Carvalho ( Brazil ) Cristian de la Cruz ( Colombia ) / Mauricio Espinosa ( Uruguay ) Alexander Guzman ( Colombia ) / Hernan Maidana ( Argentina ) Christian Schiemann ( Chile ) / Nicolas Taran ( Uruguay ) Marcelo Van Gasse ( Brazil ) / Juan Zorilla ( Paraguay ) Wilton Sampaio ( Brazil ) Gery Vargas ( Bolivia ) Mauro Vigliano ( Argentina ) Enrique Cáceres ( Paraguay ) Andrés Cunha ( Uruguay ) Néstor Pitana ( Argentina ) Sandro Ricci ( Brazil ) Wilmar Roldán ( Colombia ) OFC Matthew Conger ( New Zealand ) Bertrand Brial ( New Caledonia ) Simon Lount ( New Zealand ) Tevita Makasini ( Tonga ) Norbert Hauata ( Tahiti ) UEFA Felix Brych ( Germany ) Anton Averianov ( Russia ) / Mark Borsch ( Germany ) Pau Cebrian Devis ( Spain ) / Nicolas Danos ( France ) Elenito Di Liberatore ( Italy ) / Roberto Dias Perez ( Spain ) Dalibor Djurdjevic ( Serbia ) / Bahattin Duran ( Turkey ) Cyril Gringore ( France ) / Tikhon Kalugin ( Russia ) Tomasz Listkiewicz ( Poland ) / Stefan Lupp ( Germany ) Tarik Ongun ( Turkey ) / Jure Praprotnik ( Slovenia ) Milovan Ristic ( Serbia ) / Pawel Sokolnicki ( Poland ) Mauro Tonolini ( Italy ) / Sander van Roekel ( Netherlands ) Robert Vukan ( Slovenia ) / Erwin Zeinstra ( Netherlands ) Bastian Dankert ( Germany ) Paweł Gil ( Poland ) Massimiliano Irrati ( Italy ) Tiago Bruno Lopes Martins ( Portugal ) Danny Makkelie ( Netherlands ) Daniele Orsato ( Italy ) Artur Soares Dias ( Portugal ) Paolo Valeri ( Italy ) Felix Zwayer ( Germany ) Cüneyt Çakır ( Turkey ) Sergei Karasev ( Russia ) Björn Kuipers ( Netherlands ) Szymon Marciniak ( Poland ) Antonio Mateu Lahoz ( Spain ) Milorad Mažić ( Serbia ) Gianluca Rocchi ( Italy ) Damir Skomina ( Slovenia ) Clément Turpin ( France ) Venues Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stadiums of FIFA World Cup 2018. Russia proposed the following host cities : Kaliningrad, Kazan, Krasnodar, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov - on - Don, Saint Petersburg, Samara, Saransk, Sochi, Volgograd, Yaroslavl, and Yekaterinburg. All the cities are in or just outside European Russia to reduce travel time for the teams in the huge country. The bid evaluation report stated : `` The Russian bid proposes 13 host cities and 16 stadiums, thus exceeding FIFA 's minimum requirement. Three of the 16 stadiums would be renovated, and 13 would be newly constructed. '' In October 2011, Russia decreased the number of stadiums from 16 to 14. Construction of the proposed Podolsk stadium in the Moscow region was cancelled by the regional government, and also in the capital, Otkrytiye Arena was competing with Dynamo Stadium over which would be constructed first. The final choice of host cities was announced on 29 September 2012. The number of cities was further reduced to 11 and number of stadiums to 12 as Krasnodar and Yaroslavl were dropped from the final list. Of the 12 stadiums used for the tournament, 3 ( Luzhniki, Yekaterinburg and Sochi ) have been extensively renovated and the other 9 stadiums to be used are brand new ; $11.8 billion has been spent on hosting the tournament. Sepp Blatter stated in July 2014 that due to concerns over the completion of venues in Russia, the number of venues for the tournament may be reduced from 12 to 10. He also said, `` We are not going to be in a situation, as is the case of one, two or even three stadiums in South Africa, where it is a problem of what you do with these stadiums ''. In October 2014, on their first official visit to Russia, FIFA 's inspection committee and its head Chris Unger visited St Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan and both Moscow venues. They were satisfied with the progress. On 8 October 2015, FIFA and the Local Organising Committee agreed on the official names of the stadiums used during the tournament. Of the 12 venues used, the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow and the Saint Petersburg Stadium ( the two largest stadiums in Russia ) will be used most, with 7 matches being played at each of these stadiums. Sochi, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod and Samara will host 6 matches including one quarter - final match apiece, and the Otkrytiye Stadium in Moscow and Rostov - on - Don will host 5 matches apiece including one round of 16 match each. Volgograd, Kaliningrad, Yekaterinburg, and Saransk will host 4 matches each and none of these cities will host any knockout stage games. Moscow Saint Petersburg Sochi Luzhniki Stadium Otkritie Arena ( Spartak Stadium ) Krestovsky Stadium ( Saint Petersburg Stadium ) Fisht Olympic Stadium ( Fisht Stadium ) Capacity : 81,000 Capacity : 45,360 Capacity : 68,134 Capacity : 47,659 Samara Moscow Saint Petersburg Kaliningrad Nizhny Novgorod Kazan Samara Volgograd Saransk Sochi Rostov - on - Don Yekaterinburg Kazan Cosmos Arena ( Samara Arena ) Kazan Arena Capacity : 44,918 Capacity : 45,379 Rostov - on - Don Volgograd Rostov Arena Volgograd Arena Capacity : 45,000 Capacity : 45,568 Nizhny Novgorod Saransk Yekaterinburg Kaliningrad Nizhny Novgorod Stadium Mordovia Arena Central Stadium ( Ekaterinburg Arena ) Kaliningrad Stadium Capacity : 44,899 Capacity : 44,442 Capacity : 35,696 Capacity : 35,212 Team base camps Base camps will be used by the 32 national squads to stay and train before and during the World Cup tournament. On 9 February 2018, FIFA announced the base camps for each participating team. Argentina : Bronnitsy, Moscow Oblast Australia : Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan Belgium : Krasnogorsky, Moscow Oblast Brazil : Sochi, Krasnodar Krai Colombia : Verkhneuslonsky, Republic of Tatarstan Costa Rica : Saint Petersburg Croatia : Vyborgsky, Leningrad Oblast Denmark : Anapa, Krasnodar Krai Egypt : Grozny, Chechen Republic England : Saint Petersburg France : Istra, Moscow Oblast Germany : Moscow Iceland : Gelendzhik, Krasnodar Krai Iran : Bakovka, Moscow Oblast Japan : Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan Mexico : Khimki, Moscow Oblast Morocco : Voronezh, Voronezh Oblast Nigeria : Yessentuki, Stavropol Krai Panama : Saransk, Republic of Mordovia Peru : Moscow Poland : Sochi, Krasnodar Krai Portugal : Ramenskoye, Moscow Oblast Russia : Khimki, Moscow Oblast Saudi Arabia : Saint Petersburg Senegal : Kaluga, Kaluga Oblast Serbia : Svetlogorsk, Kaliningrad Oblast South Korea : Saint Petersburg Spain : Krasnodar, Krasnodar Krai Switzerland : Togliatti, Samara Oblast Sweden : Gelendzhik, Krasnodar Krai Tunisia : Pervomayskoye, Moscow Oblast Uruguay : Bor, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast Schedule A ceremony in Moscow launching the countdown from 1,000 days until the 2018 FIFA Football World Cup begins in Russia. The full schedule was announced by FIFA on 24 July 2015 ( without kick - off times, which were confirmed later ). On 1 December 2017, following the final draw, six kick - off times were adjusted by FIFA. Russia was placed in position A1 in the group stage and will play in the opening match at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on 14 June against Saudi Arabia, the two lowest ranked teams of the tournament at the time of the final draw. The Luzhniki Stadium will also host the second semi-final on 11 July and the final on 15 July. The Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg will host the first semi-final on 10 July and the third place play - off on 14 July. Group stage The top two teams of each group advance to the round of 16. Matches are played on a round - robin basis. All times listed below are local time. Tiebreakers The rankings of teams in each group are determined as follows ( regulations Article 32.5 ) : points obtained in all group matches ; goal difference in all group matches ; number of goals scored in all group matches ; If two or more teams are equal on the basis of the above three criteria, their rankings are determined as follows : points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned ; goal difference in the group matches between the teams concerned ; number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned ; fair play points first yellow card : minus 1 point ; indirect red card ( second yellow card ) : minus 3 points ; direct red card : minus 4 points ; yellow card and direct red card : minus 5 points ; drawing of lots by the FIFA Organising Committee. Group A Main article : 2018 FIFA World Cup Group A Pos Team Pld GF GA GD Pts Qualification Russia ( H ) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to knockout stage Saudi Arabia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Egypt 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Uruguay 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 First match ( es ) will be played on 14 June 2018. Source : FIFA Rules for classification : Group stage tiebreakers ( H ) Host. 14 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 14 ) 18 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Russia Match 1 Saudi Arabia Report Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow 15 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 15 ) 17 : 00 YEKT ( UTC + 5 ) Egypt Match 2 Uruguay Report Central Stadium, Yekaterinburg 19 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 19 ) 21 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Russia Match 17 Egypt Report Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg 20 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 20 ) 18 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Uruguay Match 18 Saudi Arabia Report Rostov Arena, Rostov - on - Don 25 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 25 ) 18 : 00 SAMT ( UTC + 4 ) Uruguay Match 33 Russia Report Cosmos Arena, Samara 25 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 25 ) 17 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Saudi Arabia Match 34 Egypt Report Volgograd Arena, Volgograd Group B Main article : 2018 FIFA World Cup Group B Pos Team Pld GF GA GD Pts Qualification Portugal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to knockout stage Spain 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Morocco 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Iran 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 First match ( es ) will be played on 15 June 2018. Source : FIFA Rules for classification : Group stage tiebreakers 15 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 15 ) 18 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Morocco Match 4 Iran Report Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg 15 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 15 ) 21 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Portugal Match 3 Spain Report Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi 20 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 20 ) 15 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Portugal Match 19 Morocco Report Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow 20 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 20 ) 21 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Iran Match 20 Spain Report Kazan Arena, Kazan 25 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 25 ) 21 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Iran Match 35 Portugal Report Mordovia Arena, Saransk 25 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 25 ) 20 : 00 KALT ( UTC + 2 ) Spain Match 36 Morocco Report Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad Group C Main article : 2018 FIFA World Cup Group C Pos Team Pld GF GA GD Pts Qualification France 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to knockout stage Australia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Peru 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Denmark 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 First match ( es ) will be played on 16 June 2018. Source : FIFA Rules for classification : Group stage tiebreakers 16 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 16 ) 13 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) France Match 5 Australia Report Kazan Arena, Kazan 16 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 16 ) 19 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Peru Match 6 Denmark Report Mordovia Arena, Saransk 21 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 21 ) 16 : 00 SAMT ( UTC + 4 ) Denmark Match 22 Australia Report Cosmos Arena, Samara 21 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 21 ) 20 : 00 YEKT ( UTC + 5 ) France Match 21 Peru Report Central Stadium, Yekaterinburg 26 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 26 ) 17 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Denmark Match 37 France Report Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow 26 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 26 ) 17 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Australia Match 38 Peru Report Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi Group D Main article : 2018 FIFA World Cup Group D Pos Team Pld GF GA GD Pts Qualification Argentina 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to knockout stage Iceland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Croatia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Nigeria 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 First match ( es ) will be played on 16 June 2018. Source : FIFA Rules for classification : Group stage tiebreakers 16 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 16 ) 16 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Argentina Match 7 Iceland Report Otkritie Arena, Moscow 16 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 16 ) 21 : 00 KALT ( UTC + 2 ) Croatia Match 8 Nigeria Report Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad 21 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 21 ) 21 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Argentina Match 23 Croatia Report Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod 22 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 22 ) 18 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Nigeria Match 24 Iceland Report Volgograd Arena, Volgograd 26 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 26 ) 21 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Nigeria Match 39 Argentina Report Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg 26 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 26 ) 21 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Iceland Match 40 Croatia Report Rostov Arena, Rostov - on - Don Group E Main article : 2018 FIFA World Cup Group E Pos Team Pld GF GA GD Pts Qualification Brazil 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to knockout stage Switzerland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Costa Rica 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Serbia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 First match ( es ) will be played on 17 June 2018. Source : FIFA Rules for classification : Group stage tiebreakers 17 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 17 ) 16 : 00 SAMT ( UTC + 4 ) Costa Rica Match 10 Serbia Report Cosmos Arena, Samara 17 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 17 ) 21 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Brazil Match 9 Switzerland Report Rostov Arena, Rostov - on - Don 22 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 22 ) 15 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Brazil Match 25 Costa Rica Report Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg 22 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 22 ) 20 : 00 KALT ( UTC + 2 ) Serbia Match 26 Switzerland Report Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad 27 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 27 ) 21 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Serbia Match 41 Brazil Report Otkritie Arena, Moscow 27 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 27 ) 21 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Switzerland Match 42 Costa Rica Report Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod Group F Main article : 2018 FIFA World Cup Group F Pos Team Pld GF GA GD Pts Qualification Germany 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to knockout stage Mexico 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Sweden 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 South Korea 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 First match ( es ) will be played on 17 June 2018. Source : FIFA Rules for classification : Group stage tiebreakers 17 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 17 ) 18 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Germany Match 11 Mexico Report Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow 18 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 18 ) 15 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Sweden Match 12 South Korea Report Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod 23 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 23 ) 18 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) South Korea Match 28 Mexico Report Rostov Arena, Rostov - on - Don 23 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 23 ) 21 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Germany Match 27 Sweden Report Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi 27 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 27 ) 17 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) South Korea Match 43 Germany Report Kazan Arena, Kazan 27 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 27 ) 19 : 00 YEKT ( UTC + 5 ) Mexico Match 44 Sweden Report Central Stadium, Yekaterinburg Group G Main article : 2018 FIFA World Cup Group G Pos Team Pld GF GA GD Pts Qualification Belgium 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to knockout stage Panama 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tunisia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 England 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 First match ( es ) will be played on 18 June 2018. Source : FIFA Rules for classification : Group stage tiebreakers 18 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 18 ) 18 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Belgium Match 13 Panama Report Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi 18 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 18 ) 21 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Tunisia Match 14 England Report Volgograd Arena, Volgograd 23 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 23 ) 15 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Belgium Match 29 Tunisia Report Otkritie Arena, Moscow 24 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 24 ) 15 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) England Match 30 Panama Report Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod 28 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 28 ) 20 : 00 KALT ( UTC + 2 ) England Match 45 Belgium Report Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad 28 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 28 ) 21 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Panama Match 46 Tunisia Report Mordovia Arena, Saransk Group H Main article : 2018 FIFA World Cup Group H Pos Team Pld GF GA GD Pts Qualification Poland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to knockout stage Senegal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Colombia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Japan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 First match ( es ) will be played on 19 June 2018. Source : FIFA Rules for classification : Group stage tiebreakers 19 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 19 ) 15 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Colombia Match 16 Japan Report Mordovia Arena, Saransk 19 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 19 ) 18 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Poland Match 15 Senegal Report Otkritie Arena, Moscow 24 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 24 ) 20 : 00 YEKT ( UTC + 5 ) Japan Match 32 Senegal Report Central Stadium, Yekaterinburg 24 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 24 ) 21 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Poland Match 31 Colombia Report Kazan Arena, Kazan 28 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 28 ) 17 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Japan Match 47 Poland Report Volgograd Arena, Volgograd 28 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 28 ) 18 : 00 SAMT ( UTC + 4 ) Senegal Match 48 Colombia Report Cosmos Arena, Samara Knockout stage Main article : 2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage In the knockout stages, if a match is level at the end of normal playing time, extra time is played ( two periods of 15 minutes each ) and followed, if necessary, by a penalty shoot - out to determine the winners. If a match goes into extra time, each team will be allowed to make a fourth substitution, the first time this has been allowed in a FIFA World Cup tournament. Bracket Round of 16 Quarter - finals Semi-finals Final 30 June -- Sochi Winners Group A 6 July -- Nizhny Novgorod Runners - up Group B Winners Match 49 30 June -- Kazan Winners Match 50 Winners Group C 10 July -- Saint Petersburg Runners - up Group D Winners Match 57 2 July -- Samara Winners Match 58 Winners Group E 6 July -- Kazan Runners - up Group F Winners Match 53 2 July -- Rostov - on - Don Winners Match 54 Winners Group G 15 July -- Moscow ( Luzhniki ) Runners - up Group H Winners Match 61 1 July -- Moscow ( Luzhniki ) Winners Match 62 Winners Group B 7 July -- Sochi Runners - up Group A Winners Match 51 1 July -- Nizhny Novgorod Winners Match 52 Winners Group D 11 July -- Moscow ( Luzhniki ) Runners - up Group C Winners Match 59 3 July -- Saint Petersburg Winners Match 60 Third place play - off Winners Group F 7 July -- Samara 14 July -- Saint Petersburg Runners - up Group E Winners Match 55 Losers Match 61 3 July -- Moscow ( Otkritie ) Winners Match 56 Losers Match 62 Winners Group H Runners - up Group G Round of 16 30 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 30 ) 17 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Winners Group C Match 50 Runners - up Group D Report Kazan Arena, Kazan 30 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 30 ) 21 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Winners Group A Match 49 Runners - up Group B Report Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi 1 July 2018 ( 2018 - 07 - 01 ) 17 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Winners Group B Match 51 Runners - up Group A Report Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow 1 July 2018 ( 2018 - 07 - 01 ) 21 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Winners Group D Match 52 Runners - up Group C Report Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod 2 July 2018 ( 2018 - 07 - 02 ) 18 : 00 SAMT ( UTC + 4 ) Winners Group E Match 53 Runners - up Group F Report Cosmos Arena, Samara 2 July 2018 ( 2018 - 07 - 02 ) 21 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Winners Group G Match 54 Runners - up Group H Report Rostov Arena, Rostov - on - Don 3 July 2018 ( 2018 - 07 - 03 ) 17 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Winners Group F Match 55 Runners - up Group E Report Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg 3 July 2018 ( 2018 - 07 - 03 ) 21 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Winners Group H Match 56 Runners - up Group G Report Otkritie Arena, Moscow Quarter - finals 6 July 2018 ( 2018 - 07 - 06 ) 17 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Winners Match 49 Match 57 Winners Match 50 Report Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod 6 July 2018 ( 2018 - 07 - 06 ) 21 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Winners Match 53 Match 58 Winners Match 54 Report Kazan Arena, Kazan 7 July 2018 ( 2018 - 07 - 07 ) 18 : 00 SAMT ( UTC + 4 ) Winners Match 55 Match 60 Winners Match 56 Report Cosmos Arena, Samara 7 July 2018 ( 2018 - 07 - 07 ) 21 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Winners Match 51 Match 59 Winners Match 52 Report Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi Semi-finals 10 July 2018 ( 2018 - 07 - 10 ) 21 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Winners Match 57 Match 61 Winners Match 58 Report Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg 11 July 2018 ( 2018 - 07 - 11 ) 21 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Winners Match 59 Match 62 Winners Match 60 Report Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow Third place play - off 14 July 2018 ( 2018 - 07 - 14 ) 17 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Losers Match 61 Match 63 Losers Match 62 Report Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg Final Main article : 2018 FIFA World Cup Final 15 July 2018 ( 2018 - 07 - 15 ) 18 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Winners Match 61 Match 64 Winners Match 62 Report Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow Prize money Prize money amounts were announced in October 2017. Position Amount ( USD million ) Per team Total Champions 38 38 Runners - up 28 28 Third place 24 24 Fourth place 22 22 5th -- 8th place 16 64 9th -- 16th place 12 96 17th -- 32nd place 8 128 Total 400 Marketing The typeface used for branding Branding The tournament logo was unveiled on 28 October 2014 by cosmonauts at the International Space Station and then projected onto Moscow 's Bolshoi Theatre during an evening television programme. Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said that the logo was inspired by `` Russia 's rich artistic tradition and its history of bold achievement and innovation '', and FIFA President Sepp Blatter stated that it reflected the `` heart and soul '' of the country. For the branding, a typeface called Dusha ( from Душа, Russian for soul ) was created by Portuguese design agency Brandia Central in 2014. Mascot Main article : Zabivaka Tournament mascot, wolf Zabivaka The official FIFA World Cup mascot for the 2018 tournament, a wolf named Zabivaka ( `` the one who scores '' in Russian ), was unveiled on 21 October 2016. Representing an anthropomorphic wolf with brown and white wool T - shirt with the words `` RUSSIA 2018 '' and orange sport glasses. The combination of white, blue and red T - shirt and shorts are the national colors of the Russian team. The student designer is Ekaterina Bocharova, and the mascot was selected by Internet voting. The election results were announced on 22 October 2016, in the Evening Urgant on Channel One Russia. Wolf, named Zabivaka, scored 53 % of the vote, ahead of Tiger ( 27 % ). Cat, with 20 % of the vote, was third. More than 1 million people participated in the voting, which took place during September 2016 on the FIFA platforms, as well as during the live broadcast on Channel One, where the results of the creative competition were announced. Ticketing The first phase of ticket sales started on 14 September 2017, 12 : 00 Moscow Time, and lasted until 12 October 2017. The general visa policy of Russia will not apply to the World Cup participants and fans, who will be able to visit Russia without a visa right before and during the competition regardless of their citizenship. Fans attending the matches will be required to avail of a FAN ID. In April 6, 2018, the design of the ticket was unveiled. The ticket design contain security features such as a barcode, a hologram next to the stadium sector map, and the name of the ticketholder. Match ball Match ball `` Telstar 18 '' The official match ball of the 2018 World Cup is called `` Telstar 18 '' and is based on the name and design of the first Adidas World Cup ball from 1970. It was introduced on November 9, 2017. Merchandise See also : FIFA World Cup video games On April 30, 2018, EA announced a free expansion for FIFA 18 based on the 2018 FIFA World Cup, featuring all 32 participating teams and all 12 stadiums used at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Official song Main article : Live It Up ( Nicky Jam song ) The official song of the tournament is `` Live It Up '' with vocals from Will Smith, Nicky Jam and Era Istrefi. The song was released on 25 May. The FIFA World Cup Official Music Video will be available as of 7 June. Preparations and costs The Russian Government has earmarked a budget of around 20 billion dollars which was later slashed to 10 billion dollars for the preparations of the World Cup of which half is spent on transport infrastructure. A special emphasis was made on airports, with many of those in the host cities were renovated and modernised. In Samara, new tram lines were laid. The city of Saransk got two new hotels, Mercure Saransk Centre and Four Points by Sheraton Saransk as well as few other smaller accommodation facilities. Controversies Main article : List of 2018 FIFA World Cup controversies As with the 2014 Winter Olympics, the choice of Russia as host has been challenged. Controversial issues have included the level of racism in Russian football, and discrimination against LGBT people in wider Russian society. Russia 's involvement in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine has also caused calls for the tournament to be moved, particularly following the annexation of Crimea. In 2014, FIFA President Sepp Blatter stated that `` The World Cup has been given and voted to Russia and we are going forward with our work ''. Allegations of corruption in the bidding processes for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups caused threats from England 's FA to boycott the tournament. FIFA appointed Michael J. Garcia, a US attorney, to investigate and produce a report on the corruption allegations. Although the report was never published, FIFA released a 42 - page summary of its findings as determined by German judge Hans - Joachim Eckert. Eckert 's summary cleared Russia and Qatar of any wrongdoing, but was denounced by critics as a whitewash. Garcia criticised the summary as being `` materially incomplete '' with `` erroneous representations of the facts and conclusions '', and appealed to FIFA 's Appeal Committee. The committee declined to hear his appeal, so Garcia resigned in protest of FIFA 's conduct, citing a `` lack of leadership '' and lack of confidence in the independence of Eckert. On 3 June 2015, the FBI confirmed that the federal authorities were investigating the bidding and awarding processes for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. In an interview published on 7 June 2015, Domenico Scala, the head of FIFA 's Audit And Compliance Committee, stated that `` should there be evidence that the awards to Qatar and Russia came only because of bought votes, then the awards could be cancelled ''. Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and former British Prime Minister David Cameron attended a meeting with FIFA vice-president Chung Mong - joon in which a vote - trading deal for the right to host the 2018 World Cup was discussed. Due to the financial crisis in the Russian economy, in June 2015 a government decree cut the budget by $560 million, to a total of $11.8 billion. The budget for the preparations was cut a few times, but in 2017 were again risen by $600 million to $11.8 billion. After Morocco qualified for the tournament with a 2 -- 0 victory over Ivory Coast, the celebrations by the Moroccan community in Brussels turned into a riot with cars burnt, shops looted by some 300 rioters and 20 police officers injured. Firefighters sent to put out the fires were also attacked by the rioters. 33 footballers who are alleged to be part of the steroid program are listed in the McLaren Report. On 22 December 2017, it was reported that FIFA fired a doctor who had been investigating doping in Russian football. On 22 May 2018 FIFA confirmed that the investigations concerning all Russian players named for the provisional squad of the FIFA World Cup in Russia had been completed, with the result that insufficient evidence was found to assert an anti-doping rule violation. FIFA also decided to exclude Russians from drug testing procedures at the tournament, to make sure that samples would not be tampered with. Response to Skripal poisoning See also : Reactions to the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal In response to the March 2018 poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal, British Prime Minister Theresa May announced that no British ministers or members of the royal family would attend the World Cup, and issued a warning to any travelling England fans. Furthermore, Iceland has decided to diplomatically boycott the Russia - held 2018 FIFA World Cup. Russia responded to the comments from the UK Parliament claiming that `` the west are trying to deny Russia the World Cup ''. Terrorist threats Late in March 2018, ISIS made a threat that they would bomb ( primarily England ) fans via drones. Information came to light after ISIS members posted video clips and photos on an encrypted app, Telegram. Though originally, threats started in October 2017, when a pro-ISIS page posted a picture of Argentina star, Lionel Messi, seemingly in a jail cell with blood on his face and a mock up of Nikes tagline `` Just Do It '' replaced with `` Just Terrorism ''. Broadcasting rights See also : 2018 FIFA World Cup broadcasting rights FIFA, through several companies, sold the broadcasting rights for the 2018 FIFA World Cup to various local broadcasters. In the United States, the 2018 World Cup will be the first men 's World Cup whose English rights will be held by Fox Sports, and Spanish rights held by Telemundo. The elimination of the U.S. national team in qualifying led to concerns that U.S. interest and viewership of this World Cup would be reduced ( especially among `` casual '' viewers interested in the U.S. team ), especially noting how much Fox paid for the rights, and that U.S. games at the 2014 World Cup peaked at 16.5 million viewers. During a launch event prior to the elimination, Fox stated that it had planned to place a secondary focus on the Mexican team in its coverage to take advantage of their popularity among U.S. viewers ( factoring Hispanic and Latino Americans ). Fox stated that it was still committed to broadcasting a significant amount of coverage for the tournament. In February 2018, Ukrainian rightsholder UA : PBC stated that it would not broadcast the World Cup. This came in the wake of growing boycotts of the tournament among the Ukraine Football Federation and sports minister Ihor Zhdanov. Sponsorship FIFA partners FIFA World Cup sponsors Asian supporters European supporters Adidas Coca - Cola Gazprom Hyundai -- Kia Qatar Airways VISA Wanda Group Anheuser - Busch InBev Hisense McDonald 's Mengniu Dairy Vivo Yadea Alfa - Bank Alrosa Rostelecom Russian Railways See also Association football portal Russia portal 2010s portal 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification ( CONMEBOL ) 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification ( CONCACAF ) 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification ( AFC ) 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification ( UEFA ) 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification ( CAF ) 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification ( OFC ) References Jump up ^ Standard Russian pronunciation is ( tɕɪmjpjɪɐˈnat ˈmjirə pə fʊdˈboɫʊ djvjɪ ˈtɨsjɪtɕɪ vəsjɪmˈnatsətj ) ^ Jump up to : `` Ethics : Executive Committee unanimously supports recommendation to publish report on 2018 / 2022 FIFA World Cup TM bidding process '' ( Press release ). FIFA.com. 19 December 2014. Archived from the original on 29 March 2015. 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The Sun. 1 April 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2018. Jump up ^ `` ISIS Threatens 2018 FIFA World Cup with Chilling Poster of Messi ''. News18. Retrieved 1 April 2018. Jump up ^ Draper, Kevin ( 11 October 2017 ). `` Fox and Others Will Feel Pain of U.S. Absence at World Cup ''. The New York Times. ISSN 0362 - 4331. Archived from the original on 24 October 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2017. Jump up ^ `` USMNT elimination is a disaster for Fox Sports ''. SI.com. Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2017. Jump up ^ `` Fox Projects Up to $20 Million in Lost World Cup Ad Sales ''. Bloomberg.com. 11 October 2017. Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2017. Jump up ^ `` Ukrainian public broadcaster decides not to show World Cup matches ''. KyivPost. 12 February 2018. Archived from the original on 14 March 2018. Retrieved 1 March 2018. Jump up ^ `` Ukraine 's public broadcaster refuses to show Fifa World Cup ''. SportsPro. 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Archived from the original on 27 August 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2017. Jump up ^ `` Wanda Group becomes new FIFA Partner ''. FIFA.com. FIFA. Archived from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2017. Jump up ^ `` FIFA and Anheuser - Busch InBev announce FIFA World Cup TM sponsorship for 2018 / 2022 ''. FIFA.com. FIFA. Archived from the original on 27 August 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2017. Jump up ^ `` Hisense becomes Official Sponsor of 2018 FIFA World Cup TM ''. FIFA.com. FIFA. Archived from the original on 20 May 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2017. Jump up ^ `` McDonald 's looking ahead to 2018 ''. FIFA.com. FIFA. Archived from the original on 29 May 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2017. Jump up ^ `` Mengniu Group added to Fifa World Cup sponsor line - up ''. Sportspromedia.com. SportsPro. Retrieved 20 December 2017. Jump up ^ `` Fifa agrees massive World Cup deal with Vivo ''. SportsProMedia.com. SportsPro. Archived from the original on 2 June 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2017. Jump up ^ `` Fifa adds latest Chinese sponsor for World Cup ''. SportsProMedia.com. SportsPro. Archived from the original on 14 March 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2018. Jump up ^ `` Alfa - Bank unveiled as first - ever Regional Supporter for the FIFA World Cup TM ''. FIFA.com. FIFA. Archived from the original on 21 May 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2017. Jump up ^ `` Alrosa completes line - up of European Regional Supporters of the 2018 FIFA World Cup TM ''. FIFA.com. FIFA. Retrieved 24 April 2018. Jump up ^ Carp, Sam. `` Fifa World Cup adds Rostelecom as regional partner ''. SportsPro. Retrieved 22 March 2018. Jump up ^ `` Russian Railways announced as an Official European Supporter of the 2018 FIFA World Cup TM ''. FIFA.com. Retrieved 16 April 2018. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2018 FIFA World Cup. Wikivoyage has a travel guide for World Cup 2018. FIFA.com 2018 website Welcome2018.com 2018 FIFA World Cup Stages Group stage Group A Group B Group C Group D Group E Group F Group G Group H Knockout stage Final General information Qualification Awards Bids Broadcasting rights Controversies Discipline Marketing Mascot Officials Opening ceremony Preparations Seeding Squads Statistics Venues Official symbols Adidas Telstar 18 ( ball ) Live It Up ( song ) 2018 FIFA World Cup finalists Group A Egypt Russia Saudi Arabia Uruguay Group B Iran Morocco Portugal Spain Group C Australia Denmark France Peru Group D Argentina Croatia Iceland Nigeria Group E Brazil Costa Rica Serbia Switzerland Group F Germany Mexico South Korea Sweden Group G Belgium England Panama Tunisia Group H Colombia Japan Poland Senegal 1930 1934 1938 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2014 2018 2018 FIFA World Cup stadiums Kaliningrad Stadium ( Kaliningrad ) Krestovsky Stadium ( Saint Petersburg ) Luzhniki Stadium ( Moscow ) Otkritie Arena ( Moscow ) Kazan Arena ( Kazan ) Nizhny Novgorod Stadium ( Nizhny Novgorod ) Cosmos Arena ( Samara ) Volgograd Arena ( Volgograd ) Mordovia Arena ( Saransk ) Rostov Arena ( Rostov - on - Don ) Fisht Olympic Stadium ( Sochi ) Central Stadium ( Yekaterinburg ) FIFA World Cup Tournaments Uruguay 1930 Italy 1934 France 1938 Brazil 1950 Switzerland 1954 Sweden 1958 Chile 1962 England 1966 Mexico 1970 West Germany 1974 Argentina 1978 Spain 1982 Mexico 1986 Italy 1990 United States 1994 France 1998 South Korea / Japan 2002 Germany 2006 South Africa 2010 Brazil 2014 Russia 2018 Qatar 2022 2026 2030 2034 Qualification 1930 1934 1938 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2014 2018 Finals 1930 1934 1938 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2014 2018 Squads 1930 1934 1938 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2014 2018 Seedings 1998 2002 2006 2014 2018 Broadcasters 1998 2002 2006 2014 2018 Bids 2014 2018 and 2022 2026 2030 Records and statistics All - time table Goalscorers top goalscorers finals goalscorers hat - tricks own goals Penalty shoot - outs Player appearances Red cards Referees Team appearances Teams with no appearances Miscellaneous Awards Balls Economics Final draw History Hosts Mascots Official films Official songs Organisers Trophy Video games Notes : There was no qualification for the 1930 World Cup as places were given by invitation only. In 1950, there was no final ; the article is about the decisive match of the final group stage. World championships in 2018 `` 2017 2019 '' Summer sports Archery ( indoor ) Association football ( men ) Athletics ( indoor ) Badminton individual team Basketball women Basketball ( 3x3 ) Beach handball Bowls Boxing ( women ) Cycling road track mountain bike & trials cyclo - cross BMX Floorball ( men ) Fencing Gymnastics artistic rhythmic trampoline acrobatic aerobic Karate Quidditch Rowing Rugby sevens Sailing Squash men women 's team Swimming ( 25 m ) Table tennis Volleyball men women Winter sports Bandy men women Curling men women mixed mixed doubles Figure skating Ice hockey men women Ski flying Speed skating allround sprint short track Cue & mind sports Chess open women Darts BDO PDC Snooker six - red Motor sports Air race Endurance racing F1 Powerboat Formula E 2017 -- 18 2018 -- 19 Formula One F2 GP3 Motocross MotoGP Moto2 Moto3 Rally WRC - 2 WRC - 3 Rallycross Speedway individual team Sidecarcross Superbike Supersport Touring car Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2018_FIFA_World_Cup&oldid=843673404 '' Categories : 2018 FIFA World Cup 2018 in association football 2018 in Russian sport FIFA World Cup tournaments International association football competitions hosted by Russia Scheduled association football competitions June 2018 sports events in Europe July 2018 sports events in Europe Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links CS1 Russian - language sources ( ru ) Wikipedia semi-protected pages Use dmy dates from April 2018 Articles containing Russian - language text Commons category with local link different than on Wikidata Talk View source Contents About Wikipedia Wikinews Wikivoyage Afrikaans Alemannisch Aragonés Avañe'ẽ Azərbaycanca تۆرکجه বাংলা Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Български Bosanski Català Čeština Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto فارسی Føroyskt Français Gaeilge Galego 한국어 Հայերեն हिन्दी Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia IsiXhosa Íslenska Italiano עברית ქართული Қазақша Kurdî Кыргызча Latina Latviešu Lietuvių Magyar मैथिली Македонски മലയാളം Malti मराठी მარგალური مصرى مازِرونی Bahasa Melayu မြန်မာဘာသာ Nederlands नेपाली 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Română Runa Simi Русский Scots Shqip සිංහල Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina کوردی Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Tagalog தமிழ் Татарча / tatarça తెలుగు ไทย Türkçe Українська اردو ئۇيغۇرچە / Uyghurche Tiếng Việt 吴语 粵語 中文 77 more Edit links This page was last edited on 30 May 2018, at 17 : 54. 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Question: when does the world cup soccer tournament start
Answer: 14 June