Football World Cup 2018

The FIFA 2018 World Cup will be the 21st Soccer World Cup, an international four-year football tournament in which the national men's teams of FIFA members compete. It is scheduled to take place in Russia from June 14 to July 15, 2018, after the country's victory on December 2, 2010. Will this be the first World Cup to be held in Europe after the 2006 event in Germany? all but one stage is in European Russia, west of the Urals, so that travel time is manageable.

32 national teams will participate in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, including 31 teams that have come through qualifying matches and the auto-nominee organizing country. Of the 32 teams, the 20 teams will return after the last 2014 tournament, including the defending Champion Germany, while Iceland and Panama will make their first appearance in the World Cup of Football.

This is the first time Russia will host the tournament as well as the first Soccer World Cup to be held in Eastern Europe. It will also be the first World Cup to be held on two continents (Europe and Asia), since Ekaterinburg is part of the Asian part of Russia, while the other ten cities belong to the European section of the country.

A total of 64 matches will be held in 12 courts, located in 11 cities. The final Match of the Football World Cup will take place on July 15, 2018 at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow.The World Cup winner of 2018 automatically qualifies for the Confederations Cup of 2021.

The full program was announced by FIFA on July 24, 2015. On December 1, 2017, after the final selection, Russia was placed in Group A and will open the event with the first match at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on June 14 against Saudi Arabia. The Luzhniki stadium will also host the second semifinal match of the  FIFA World Cup  on July 11 and the final on July 15th. The Krestovsky Stadium in St Petersburg will host the first semi-final and third place play-offs on July 14th.

The two best teams from each group qualify for a round of 16. All games are broadcast at local time. In knockout games, if a match is a draw at the end of the regular match, the extension is followed (two 15 minutes each). If necessary, from the penalty shootout process from which the winners will be determined.

If a match goes into prolongation, each team is allowed to make a fourth player substitution and is the first time this is allowed in the FIFA World Cup.