The draw for the 2018 World Cup Final was made last Friday in Moscow. Eight groups from A to H were selected. Each group consists of four teams each, a total of 32 teams. Each time will play each other in each group from the field of 32 teams 2 will advance from each group to the quarter finals; eight rom the quarter finals to the semi-finals, four to the semi-finals, and eventually the two finalists.
The respective groups and teams, and the teams currently touted by experts to emerge to the quarter finals are:
Group A – Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Uruguay
Qualifiers – Uruguay and Egypt
Group B – Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Iran
Qualifiers – Spain and Portugal
Group C – France, Australia, Peru, Denmark
Qualifiers – France and Denmark
Group D – Argentina, Iceland, Croatia, Nigeria
Qualifiers – Argentina and Croatia
Group E – Brazil, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Serbia
Qualifiers – Brazil and Switzerland
Group F – Germany, Mexico, Sweden, South Korea
Qualifiers – Germany and Mexico
Group G – Belgium, Panama, Tunisia, England
Qualifiers – Belgium and England
Group H – Poland, Senegal, Colombia, Japan
Qualifiers – Poland, Colombia
The first match of the World Cup will involve hosts Russia against Saudi Arabia on Thursday, June 14, 2018, at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, which will also be the venue for the finals.
That will be the only game on the opening day, but after that there will be three or four games played per day for the duration of the group stage.
The 2018 World Cup tournament ends on Sunday, July 15. The third-place play-off is a day earlier, and the two semi-finals will take place on July 10 and 11.
All of the final four matches of the World Cup will be played at either the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow or the Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg.
