World Cup 2018 - Russia

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Morocco

Pedigree: Morocco will be making their first appearance at a World Cup finals in 20 years next summer. In 1998 in France, a win, a draw and a defeat was not enough for them to qualify from the group stage. They have managed this feat just once in four attempts at finals, in Mexico in 1986 when they reached the last 16, where they were beaten 1-0 by eventual runners-up West Germany.

Key player: He has not been a regular with club side Juventus this season (there is some stiff competition there at the back) but defender Medhi Benatia is extremely highly rated at the Italian champions, who signed him on a permanent deal from Bayern Munich this year following a successful loan spell. The 30-year-old is Morocco's captain and has 52 caps to his name, five of which came during a 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign in which they did not concede a goal. He also scored one of the goals in the 2-0 win over Ivory Coast that sealed their place in Russia.



Premier League players: Sofiane Boufal (Southampton)

Championship players: Romain Saiss (Wolves)

Who is the boss? Frenchman Herve Renard has had something of a nomadic coaching career since retiring from playing in 1998. One of his early roles was as boss of Cambridge United, who he joined in the summer of 2004 and left 25 games later with the club second bottom of League Two. Since then he has won the Africa Cup of Nations twice, with Zambia in 2012 and Ivory Coast in 2015. After an unsuccessful stint as Lille boss, he took over as Morocco head coach in 2016.

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Nigeria

Pedigree: This will be Nigeria's sixth appearance at a World Cup - and their third in a row. They have reached the last 16 three times - 1994, 1998 and 2014 - but have never advanced beyond that stage.

Key player: Captain John Mikel Obi, the most experienced member of the squad with 80 caps, will be a key figure for the Super Eagles in Russia. This will be the former Chelsea midfielder's second World Cup - the 30-year-old helped the team reach the knockout stages in 2014 for the first time since 1998. He now plays in China with Tianjin Teda.



Premier League players: Alex Iwobi (Arsenal), Victor Moses (Chelsea), Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City), Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City), Ahmed Musa (Leicester City) and Ola Aina (on loan at Hull City from Chelsea).

Who is the boss? Gernot Rohr has managed all over the world. From Nice to Gabon, Burkina Faso to Nigeria, the 64-year-old German has extensive knowledge. Rohr played at Bayern Munich and Bordeaux. He then coached Bordeaux when they lost to Bayern in the 1996 Uefa Cup final. Previous managerial jobs also include French club Nantes, Young Boys Berne in Switzerland, Tunisian side Etoile du Sahel and the Niger national team.

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Senegal

Pedigree: This is the first time Senegal have qualified for the World Cup since 2002 - and only the second time in history. In 2002, they reached the quarter finals where they were beaten 1-0 by Turkey.

Key player: Sadio Mane is the West African team's most experienced player with 48 caps and 14 goals since his debut in 2012. In 2015 he set a new Premier League record for the fastest hat-trick after scoring three times in 176 seconds during a 6-1 Southampton win over Aston Villa. When he transferred to Liverpool in 2016, he became the most expensive African player in history at the time, for a fee of £34m.



Premier League players: Cheikhou Kouyate (West Ham), Diafra Sakho (West Ham), Idrissa Gueye (Everton), Sadio Mane (Liverpool).

Championship players: Alfred N'Diaye (Wolves), Cheikh N'Doye (Birmingham City),

Who is the boss? Aliou Cisse is a former Senegal, Pompey and Birmingham City player. The 41-year-old briefly became head coach of the team in a caretaker role after Amara Traore's sacking in 2012. He then coached Senegal's under-23 side from 2012-2013 before heading back to the national team in a permanent position.

[WorldCup2018]

Tunisia

Pedigree: Next summer will represent the first time Tunisia have appeared at a World Cup finals since the tournament in Germany in 2006, at which they failed to make it beyond the group stage. In three finals appearances prior to that - 1978, 1998 and 2002 - they failed to make the knockout rounds.

Key player: Centre-back Aymen Abdennour is an experienced and talented figure in Tunisia's defence. Currently on loan at French club Marseille from Valencia, he has 57 international caps and has scored twice. Previously linked with moves to the Premier League with both Everton and Chelsea, the 28-year-old was recently reported to be on Watford's radar.



Premier League players: None

Championship players: Wahbi Khazri (Sunderland, on loan at Rennes)

Who is the boss? Nabil Maaloul is in his second spell as Tunisia coach. His first lasted just seven games in 2013, which ended in his resignation after he failed to take his country to the 2014 World Cup finals. He returned in April of 2017, following spells with El Jaish SC in Qatar and the Kuwait national team. Prior to all this, he was assistant to then head coach Roger Lemerre as Tunisia won the 2004 African Cup of Nations and led ES Tunis to an historic treble in 2011. He won 74 caps for Tunisia during his playing days as a midfielder in the 1980s and 1990s, representing them at the Olympics in Seoul in 1988.

[WorldCup2018]

Fifa World Cup: 742,760 tickets sold before Russia 2018 draw

7 hours ago From the section World Cup



Fifa has sold 742,760 match tickets in the first round of sales for the World Cup before Friday's draw for the finals.

The majority of ticket applications came from host nation Russia with 47% from other countries.

Prices range from £79 for a second-round group match to £829 for the final. Russian residents have a special category with tickets starting at £17.

A second phase of sales will run from 5 December until 31 January 2018.

Fans from the United States, Brazil, Germany, China, Mexico, Israel, Argentina, Australia, and England are in the top 10 teams for most applications

"We are very pleased with the results of the first sales phase," Fifa's head of ticketing Falk Eller said.

"They confirmed the great interest sparked by the World Cup in Russia - both at local and international level."

A total of 2.5 million tickets will be made available for the 64 matches played in 12 different grounds located in 11 Russian cities.

Fans can submit their applications via the Fifa website for the second round of sales.

The most expensive ticket for the 2018 World Cup final at £829 is a £151 increase on the equivalent ticket at the Brazil 2014 final in Rio de Janeiro.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/42158519

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World Cup Draw now is official.



Who got the hardest draw?

Do you think Group D is the group of Death?

Some interesting match-up -
Spain vs Portugal,
England vs Belgium,
Argentina vs Nigeria,
France vs Denamrk

Any comment?

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Which country will progress to last 16 to play knock-out stage.?

My predictions

Group A - Russia and Uruguay

Group B - Portugal and Spain

Group C - France and Peru

Group D -Argentina and Iceland

Group E -Brazil and Serbia

Group F -Germany and South Korea

Group G -Belgium and England

Group H - Poland and Senegal

What's your pick?

Who will be the giant killer and who emerge as dark horse?

All will be reviewed here.

[WorldCup2018]

World Cup Countdown: 11 Weeks to Go - What Made Johan Cruyff, Hero of 1974, the Greatest of All Time

https://www.90min.com/posts/6024483-...st-of-all-time

[WorldCup2018]

World Cup Countdown: 5 Weeks to Go - Previewing the 12 Host Stadiums of the 2018 World Cup

The World Cup starts next month - yes, NEXT MONTH - which means the finishing touches to the tournament should be wrapping up in Russia.

One of the most important aspects of hosting a successful World Cup is ensuring the stadiums where the matches will be played are in tip-top condition - who recalls the difficulties South Africa had with Mbombela Stadium in 2010, when the pitch had to be relaid twice just a couple of months before the start of the World Cup?

Below you'll find our overview of the stadia where the best in the world will be plying their trade this summer - including stadium capacity, construction year and which matches each venue will host.


12. Kaliningrad Stadium - Kaliningrad



Capacity: 35, 212

Opened: Scheduled for 2018

Matches:

16 June – Croatia vs Nigeria – Group D
22 June – Serbia vs Switzerland – Group E
25 June – Spain vs Morocco – Group B
28 June – England vs Belgium – Group G

If you looked at Kaliningrad on a map, you wouldn't think it's in Russia. Technically, the area is a Russian exclave on the Black Sea, nestled between Poland and Lithuania.

The stadium should be completed in time for its first group game between Croatia and Nigeria, but it's been a rough road as the venue has been delayed countless times - largely due to the bankruptcy of the company that initially designed the place. After the World Cup the stadium's capacity will be reduced by 10,000 seats and become home to Russian second-tier side Baltika Kaliningrad. England will play their final group game against Belgium here.


11. Volgograd Arena - Volgograd



Capacity: 45,568

Opened: Scheduled for 2018

Matches:

18 June – Tunisia vs England – Group G
22 June – Nigeria vs Iceland – Group D
25 June – Saudi Arabia vs Egypt – Group A
28 June – Japan vs Poland – Group H

Situated on the site of the demolished Central Stadium, Volgograd Stadium has quite the location. The design of the arena is also distinctive, and FIFA claims that the "special way in which the stadium's roof has been constructed, with cables reminiscent of the spokes of the wheel on a bicycle, lends the arena an extra element of airiness."

Volgograd Stadium hosts England first group match against Tunisia on June 18.

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10. Ekaterinburg Arena - Ekaterinburg



Capacity: 35,696

Opened: 1953

Matches:

15 June – Egypt vs Uruguay – Group A
21 June – France vs Peru – Group C
24 June – Japan vs Senegal – Group H
27 June – Mexico vs Sweden – Group F

Resembling a half-completed alien spaceship, Ekaterinburg Arena is certainly...something. The stadium was opened in 1953, but because FIFA's World Cup regulations state that each venue have a minimum capacity of 35,000, facility hosts installed temporary stands behind each goal to boost stadium seating.

You can see the result above, and it's oddly captivating to see such huge swathes of space between the stands and pillars.


9. Mordovia Arena - Saransk



Capacity: 44,442

Opened: Scheduled for 2018

Matches:

16 June – Peru vs Denmark – Group C
19 June – Colombia vs Japan – Group H
25 June – Iran vs Portugal – Group B
28 June – Panama vs Tunisia – Group G

Another stadium that encountered its fair share of delays and funding issues prior to completion - but boy is it colourful.

But hang on a minute - it does look oddly...familiar. In fact, Mordovia Arena bears a striking resemblance to Johannesburg’s FNB Stadium, which was used in the 2010 World Cup (something that a number of South Africans are not too happy about). Following the World Cup, the arena will become home to FC Mordovia Saransk of the Russian Premier League

[WorldCup2018]

8. Rostov Arena - Rostov-on-Don



Capacity: 45,145

Opened: Scheduled for 2018

Matches:

17 June – Brazil vs Switzerland – Group E
20 June – Uruguay vs Saudi Arabia – Group A
23 June – Korea Republic vs Mexico – Group F
26 June – Iceland vs Croatia – Group D
2 July – 1G vs 2H – Round of 16

Another stadium that's been purpose-built for the World Cup, the construction of the stadium unearthed intact shells from World War II.

It looks like a solid, yet uninspiring stadium. Hopefully an explosive atmosphere will make up for it.


7. Spartak Stadium - Moscow



Capacity: 43,298

Opened: 2014

Matches:

16 June – Argentina vs Iceland – Group D
19 June – Poland vs Senegal – Group H
23 June – Belgium vs Tunisia – Group B
26 June – Serbia vs Brazil – Group C
3 July – 1H vs 2G – Round of 16

Just look at that picture - what could be more Russian? A red-and-white stadium, built on the site of a former airfield, located deep in snowy Moscow.

Considering the location, looks (picture it in summer, ok?) and prestige of the venue (it's the home of 22-time Soviet/Russian champions Spartak Moscow), it's somewhat surprising that it wasn't selected to host a quarter-final match, at the least. Still, it will get a knockout game in the round of 16 - which will likely be either Poland/Colombia vs Belgium/England.

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6. Samara Arena - Samara



Capacity: 44,807

Opened: Scheduled for 2018

Matches:

17 June – Costa Rica vs Serbia – Group E
21 June – Denmark vs Australia – Group C
25 June – Uruguay vs Russia – Group A
28 June – Senegal vs Colombia – Group H
2 July – 1E vs 2F – Round of 16
7 July – W55 vs W56 – Quarter Final

Another stadium that looks like a UFO, Samara Arena was designed with space in mind - given the area's famous aerospace industry (the Vostok 1 rocket, which made the first manned flight in history into space, was assembled in Samara).

The brand new stadium will host a quarter final, then become the home of club side Krylia Sovetov and be renamed to the Cosmos Arena. Fitting.


5. Nizhny Novgorod Stadium - Nizhny Novgorod



Capacity: 45,331

Opened: 2018

Matches:

18 June – Sweden vs Korea Republic – Group F
21 June – Argentina vs Croatia – Group D
24 June – England vs Panama – Group G
27 June – Switzerland vs Costa Rica – Group E
1 July – 1D vs 2C – Round of 16
6 July – W49 vs W50 – Quarter Final

Now this really is a gorgeous stadium, with an intricately designed roof that is meant to embody the region's nature. FIFA describes its circular design as a "semi-transparent undulating facade."

After the World Cup, the stadium will be inherited by FC Olimpiyets Nizhny Novgorod - a club that was formed the same year (2015) construction on the arena began.

[WorldCup2018]

4. Kazan Arena - Kazan



Capacity: 44,479

Opened: 2013

Matches:

16 June – France vs Australia – Group C
20 June – Iran vs Spain – Group B
24 June – Poland vs Colombia – Group H
27 June – Korea Republic vs Germany – Group F
30 June – 1C vs 2D – Round of 16
6 July – W53 vs W54 – Quarter Final

Now this is a proper football stadium - with the name of the home team across the seats, as it should be (complete with a # too, very millennial).

If it's got a familiar look to it (the Emirates, or Wembley anyone?), that's because the architects who designed the place also oversaw the construction of those two famous venues. Cool fact about Kazan Arena - it also held some of the competitions for the 2015 World Aquatics Championships (the pitch was replaced by two swimming pools).


3. Fisht Stadium - Sochi



Capacity: 47,700

Opened: 2013

Matches:

15 June – Portugal vs Spain – Group B
18 June – Belgium vs Panama – Group G
23 June – Germany vs Sweden – Group F
26 June – Australia vs Peru – Group C
30 June – 1A vs 2B – Round of 16
7 July – W51 vs W52 – Quarter Final

Blessed with an amazing view of the black sea, Fisht Stadium was built to host the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. During the Games the stadium had a roof, but that has since been removed to accommodate football matches - including the Confederations Cup in 2017.

The stadium is owned by the Russian government, and the national team will use it as a training base throughout the World Cup.

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2. Saint Petersburg Stadium - Saint Petersburg



Capacity: 68,134

Opened: 2017

Matches:

15 June – Morocco vs Iran – Group B
19 June – Russia vs Egypt – Group A
22 June – Brazil vs Costa Rica – Group E
26 June – Nigeria vs Argentina – Group D
3 July – 1F vs 2E – Round of 16
10 July – W57 vs W58 – Semi Final
14 July – L61 vs L62 – Third Place

Also known as the Krestovsky Stadium - where Zenit Saint Petersburg play their home games - this bad boy was completed eight years behind schedule and 540% over budget.

Still, the end result of all that work and money is quite spectacular, and fans will get to enjoy the semi-final of the World Cup here (the stadium will also be one of the host venues for the Euro 2020 finals).


1. Luzhniki Stadium - Moscow



Capacity: 81,006

Opened: 1956

Matches:

14 June – Russia vs Saudi Arabia – Group A
17 June – Germany vs Mexico – Group F
20 June – Portugal vs Morocco – Group B
26 June – Denmark vs France – Group C
1 July – 1B vs 2A – Round of 16
11 July – W59 vs W60 – Semi Final
15 July – W61 vs W62 – Final

The centrepiece of the tournament is the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, which will host the opening match of the World Cup and the final. The stadium is the largest in Russia, and hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1980 Olympics, as well as the 2008 Champions League final.

Before the stadium was renovated with a roof and other amenities in 1996, it could reportedly hold 100,000 people. In 1982, there was a deadly human crush at the stadium during a UEFA Cup match between FC Spartak Moscow and Dutch side HFC Haarlem when fans started rushing to the exits in order to catch the metro. 66 people, mostly adolescents, died in the stampede.

[WorldCup2018]

World Cup: Neymar named in Brazil's 23-man squad[



Brazil have named injured Paris St-Germain forward Neymar in their 23-man squad for the World Cup in Russia.

Neymar, 26, had an operation on a fractured metatarsal in March and the Brazil team doctor said he would be out of action for three months.

Manchester City quartet Ederson, Danilo, Fernandinho and Gabriel Jesus are among the Premier League-based players named in the squad.

They are joined by Liverpool's Roberto Firmino and Chelsea's Willian.

PSG right-back Dani Alves was last week ruled out because of a knee injury.

Brazil are in Group E with Costa Rica, Serbia and Switzerland, and play their first match on Sunday, 17 June.

Brazil squad in full:
Goalkeepers: Alisson (Roma), Ederson (Manchester City), Cassio (Corinthians).

Defenders: Danilo (Manchester City), Fagner (Corinthians), Marcelo (Real Madrid), Filipe Luis (Atletico Madrid), Thiago Silva, Marquinhos (both PSG), Miranda (Inter Milan), Pedro Geromel (Gremio).

Midfielders: Casemiro (Real Madrid), Fernandinho (Manchester City), Paulinho (Barcelona), Fred (Shakhtar Donetsk), Renato Augusto (Beijing Guoan), Philippe Coutinho (Barcelona), Willian (Chelsea), Douglas Costa (Juventus).

Forward: Neymar (PSG), Taison (Shakhtar Donetsk), Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool).