FIFA World Cup 2018

FIFA WORLD CUP 2018

From Russia, With Love

The 21^st FIFA World Cup is being hosted by Russia, and is scheduled to take place from 14 June to 15 July 2018, with 32 participating teams.

The official mascot is Zabivaka (an anthropomorphic wolf).

The official match ball is Telstar 18 by Adidas.

The official song is Live It Up with Will Smith, Nicky Jam and Era Istrefi at the vocals.

EA is expected to release a free expansion based on the 2018 World Cup.

Group A	Group B	Group C	Group D	Group E	Group F	Group G	Group H
Russia	Portugal	France	Argentina	Brazil	Germany	Belgium	Poland
Saudi Arabia	Spain	Australia	Iceland	Switzerland	Mexico	Panama	Senegal
Egypt	Morocco	Peru	Croatia	Costa Rica	Sweden	Tunisia	Colombia
Uruguay	Iran	Denmark	Nigeria	Serbia	S. Korea	England	Japan

 Teams to look out for:

FRANCE: An ambitious team with a few promising players will be aiming high and are not to be underestimated.

BRAZIL: Brazil’s outstanding World Cup history proves that the worldwide fame of the Samba Country in the beautiful game is not misplaced.

GERMANY: The defending Champions proved themselves with a winning streak at World Cup qualifiers and a joint European record 43 goals. Having won the title 4 times out of their 18 World Cup appearances, they are looking to equal Brazil’s World Cup title tally. A Germany-Brazil final may be on the cards, and Brazil’s humiliating 7-1 defeat at the 2014 World Cup might be an indicator of what football fans should expect.

ENGLAND: Unbeaten in 10 games in World Cup qualifiers, England need to up their game with a powerful Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling duo, if they want to keep up their winning streak.

Players to keep an eye on:

LIONEL MESSI:

Ø  Country: Argentina

Ø  Club: Barcelona (Spanish)

Ø  Position: Forward

Ø  Nickname: The Flea (for speed and agility)

Ø  Made it into the Guinness World for scoring 91 goals in a year.

 The only missing piece to his incredible achievements is a major championship for his country. Argentina has not won either the World Cup or the Copa America under Messi’s reign. Messi has already played in 3 World Cups and missed a near win after a 1-0 loss to Germany in the finals of 2014.

Messi has often been compared to Argentine great Diego Maradona, and this might be his last chance of proving himself with a win at the World Cup.