View source for 2018 FIFA World Cup

{{short description|Association football tournament in Russia}}
{{redirect|2018 World Cup|other competitions of that name|2018 World Cup (disambiguation)}}
{{redirect|FIFA 2018|the video game|FIFA 18{{!}}''FIFA 18''}}
{{EngvarB|date=October 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox international football competition
| tourney_name   = FIFA World Cup
| year           = 2018
| other_titles   = {{native name|ru|Чемпионат мира по футболу FIFA 2018}}<br />{{transliteration|ru|Chempionat mira po futbolu FIFA 2018}}
| image          = 2018 FIFA World Cup.svg <!--Notice: If a better version of the SVG logo than this is found by anyone, he/she is requested to upload it replacing the current logo.-->
| size           = {{logo size|FIFA trophy}}
| caption        = ''Играй с открытым сердцем''<br />{{transliteration|ru|Igray s otkrytym serdtsem}}<br />"Play with an open heart"
| country        = Russia
| dates          = 14 June – 15 July
| num_teams      = 32
| confederations = 5
| venues         = 12
| cities         = 11
| champion       = France|champion-flag
| count          = 2
| second         = Croatia
| third          = BEL
| fourth         = ENG
| matches        = 64
| goals          = 169
| attendance     = {{#expr: <!--Group A-->+ 78011 + 27015 + 64468 + 42678 + 41970 + 36823 <!--Group B-->+ 62548 + 43866 + 78011 + 42718 + 41685 + 33973 <!--Group C-->+ 41279 + 40502 + 40727 + 32789 + 78011 + 44073 <!--Group D-->+ 44190 + 31136 + 43319 + 40904 + 64468 + 43472 <!--Group E-->+ 41432 + 43109 + 64468 + 33167 + 44190 + 43319 <!--Group F-->+ 78011 + 42300 + 43472 + 44287 + 41835 + 33061 <!--Group G-->+ 43257 + 41064 + 44190 + 43319 + 33973 + 37168 <!--Group H-->+ 40842 + 44190 + 32572 + 42873 + 42189 + 41970 <!--Round of 16-->+ 42873 + 44287 + 78011 + 40851 + 41970 + 41466 + 64042 + 44190 <!--Quarter-finals-->+ 43319 + 42873 + 39991 + 44287 <!--Semi-finals-->+ 64286 + 78011 <!--Third place-->+ 64406 <!--Final-->+ 78011}}
| top_scorer     = {{fbicon|ENG}}<nowiki> [Din Islam Emon]] </nowiki>{{nowrap|(6 goals)}}
| player         = {{fbicon|CRO}} [[Luka Modrić]]
| goalkeeper     = {{fbicon|BEL}} [[Thibaut Courtois]]
| young_player   = {{fbicon|FRA|1974}} [[Kylian Mbappé]]
| fair_play      = {{fb|ESP}}
| prevseason     = [[2014 FIFA World Cup|2014]]
| nextseason     = [[2022 FIFA World Cup|2022]]
}}

The '''2018 FIFA World Cup''' was the 21st [[FIFA World Cup]], the quadrennial world championship for national [[association football|football]] teams organized by [[FIFA]]. It took place in [[Russia]] from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded the hosting rights in late 2010. It was the eleventh time the championships had been held in [[Europe]], the first time they were held in [[Eastern Europe]], and the first time they were held across two continents (Europe and Asia). At an estimated cost of over $14.2 billion, it was the most expensive World Cup ever held until it was surpassed by the [[2022 FIFA World Cup|2022 World Cup]] in [[Qatar]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Ellyatt|first=Holly|date=14 June 2018|title=The World Cup will give Russia's economy a boost — just don't expect it to last|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/14/russia-world-cup-will-give-economy-a-boost.html|access-date=5 July 2021|publisher=[[CNBC]]|archive-date=8 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221008042430/https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/14/russia-world-cup-will-give-economy-a-boost.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Games That Cost Russia $14&nbsp;Billion: 9 Wild World Cup Money Stats|url=https://www.fool.com/slideshow/games-cost-russia-14-billion-9-wild-world-cup-money-stats/|access-date=5 July 2021|website=The Motley Fool|archive-date=12 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221112203532/https://www.fool.com/slideshow/games-cost-russia-14-billion-9-wild-world-cup-money-stats/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The tournament phase involved 32 teams, of which 31 came through [[2018 FIFA World Cup qualification|qualifying competitions]], while the host nation [[Russia national football team|Russia]] qualified automatically. Of the 32, 20 had also appeared in the [[2014 FIFA World Cup|2014 event]], while [[Iceland national football team|Iceland]] and [[Panama national football team|Panama]] each made their debut at the World Cup. 64 matches were played in 12 venues across 11 cities. [[Germany national football team|Germany]], the defending champions, were eliminated in the group stage for the first time since [[1938 FIFA World Cup|1938]]. Host nation [[Russia national football team | Russia]] was eliminated in the quarter-finals. In the [[2018 FIFA World Cup final|final]], [[France national football team|France]] played [[Croatia national football team|Croatia]] on 15 July at [[Luzhniki Stadium]] in [[Moscow]]. France won the match 4–2, claiming their second World Cup and becoming the fourth consecutive title won by a European team, after [[Italy national football team|Italy]] in [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006]], [[Spain national football team|Spain]] in [[2010 FIFA World Cup|2010]], and [[Germany national football team|Germany]] in [[2014 FIFA World Cup|2014]].

Croatian player [[Luka Modrić]] was voted the tournament's best player, winning the [[FIFA World Cup Golden Ball|Golden Ball]]. [[England national football team|England]]'s [[Harry Kane]] won the [[FIFA World Cup Golden Boot|Golden Boot]] as he scored the most goals during the tournament with six. [[Belgium national football team|Belgium]]'s [[Thibaut Courtois]] won the [[FIFA World Cup Golden Glove|Golden Glove]], awarded to the [[Goalkeeper (association football)|goalkeeper]] with the best performance. It has been estimated that more than 3&nbsp;million people attended games during the tournament.

==Host selection==
{{main|2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup bids}}
[[File:Russia 2018 World Cup.jpeg|thumb|[[Andrey Arshavin]] with Russian bid personnel celebrate the awarding of the 2018 World Cup to Russia on 2 December 2010.]]
The [[2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup bids|bidding procedure to host the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup tournaments]] began in January 2009, and national associations had until 2 February 2009 to register their interest.<ref name="d6GeE" /> Initially, nine countries placed bids for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but [[Mexico national football team|Mexico]] later withdrew from the proceedings,<ref name="FtNjO" /> and [[Indonesia national football team|Indonesia]]'s bid was rejected by FIFA in February 2010 after the [[Government of Indonesia|Indonesian government]] failed to submit a letter to support the bid.<ref name="GhOle" /> During the bidding process, the three remaining non-[[UEFA]] nations ([[Australia men's national soccer team|Australia]], [[Japan national football team|Japan]], and the [[United States men's national soccer team|United States]]) gradually withdrew from the 2018 bids, and thus all UEFA nations were 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 national football team|England]], [[Russia national football team|Russia]], [[Netherlands national football team|Netherlands]]/[[Belgium national football team|Belgium]], and [[Portuguese national football team|Portugal]]/[[Spain national football team|Spain]].<ref name="xBccj" />

The 22-member [[FIFA Council|FIFA Executive Committee]] convened in [[Zürich]] on 2 December 2010 to vote to select the hosts of both tournaments.<ref name="WFQKr" /> 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, which was bidding to host its second tournament, was eliminated in the first round.<ref name="kKxiB" />

The voting results were:<ref name="xBccj" />

{|class="wikitable"
|+2018 FIFA bidding (majority 12 votes)
!rowspan=2|Bidders
!colspan=2|Votes
|-
!Round 1
!Round 2
|-
|'''Russia'''
|style="text-align:center"|9
|{{yes|13}}
|-
|Portugal / Spain
|style="text-align:center"|7
|style="text-align:center"|7
|-
|Belgium / Netherlands
|style="text-align:center"|4
|style="text-align:center"|2
|-
|England
|style="text-align:center"|2
|{{no result|Eliminated}}
|}

===Host selection criticism===
[[File:Russia 100 Rubles 2018 FIFA World Cup.jpg|thumb|The 100-[[Russian ruble|ruble]] commemorative banknote celebrates the 2018 FIFA World Cup. It features an image of Soviet goalkeeper [[Lev Yashin]].|252x252px]]
The choice of Russia as host was controversial. Issues included the high level of [[Racism in Russia|racism]] in Russian football,<ref name="emKvG" /><ref name="LlUcj" /><ref name="hjJfX" /> [[Human rights abuses in Russia|human rights abuses]] by Russian authorities,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Krivosheev |first=Denis |date=2017-06-16 |title=FIFA must challenge Russia's human rights record |url=https://www.cnn.com/2017/06/16/opinions/krivosheev-russia-human-rights/index.html |access-date=2022-12-06 |website=[[CNN]] |language=en |archive-date=6 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206193600/https://www.cnn.com/2017/06/16/opinions/krivosheev-russia-human-rights/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="hkImm" /> and [[Homophobia in Russia|discrimination]] against [[LGBT]] people in government (including [[Russian gay propaganda law|gay propaganda laws]]) along with wider Russian society.<ref name="qKYJ4" /><ref name="rMyFt" /> Russia's involvement in the [[War in Donbas (2014–2022)|ongoing conflict in Ukraine]] had also prompted calls for the tournament to be moved, particularly following the [[annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation|annexation of Crimea]].<ref name="eGuva" /><ref name="tQHRS" /> 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".<ref name="UeAW8" />

Russia was criticised for alleged abuse of migrant labourers in the construction of World Cup venues,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Patrick Jennings |date=16 June 2017 |title=Confederations Cup: World Cup host Russia set to come under spotlight |language=en-GB |work=[[BBC Sport]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/40026277 |access-date=6 December 2022 |archive-date=6 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206195102/https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/40026277 |url-status=live }}</ref> with [[Human Rights Watch]] reporting cases where workers were left unpaid, made to work in dangerously cold conditions, or suffering reprisals for raising concerns.<ref>{{Cite news|agency=[[Reuters]] |date=2017-06-14 |title=Workers exploited at Russia's 2018 World Cup venues, reveals Human Rights Watch |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/football/story/russia-fifa-2018-world-cup-human-rights-watch-982654-2017-06-14 |access-date=2022-12-06 |magazine=[[India Today]] |language=en |archive-date=6 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206193600/https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/football/story/russia-fifa-2018-world-cup-human-rights-watch-982654-2017-06-14 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Editorial Board |date=2017-06-15 |title=FIFA has a human rights problem of its own making |language=en-US |newspaper=[[Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/fifa-has-a-human-rights-problem-of-its-own-making/2017/06/15/728fd634-5145-11e7-b064-828ba60fbb98_story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190504055610/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/fifa-has-a-human-rights-problem-of-its-own-making/2017/06/15/728fd634-5145-11e7-b064-828ba60fbb98_story.html |archive-date=2019-05-04 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> A few pundits claimed it was slave labour.<ref>{{cite AV media |date=23 June 2017 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiRYGYHbJ48 |title=Russia accused of exploiting World Cup stadium workers |publisher=[[TRT World]] |via=[[YouTube]] |access-date=20 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208225516/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiRYGYHbJ48 |archive-date=8 December 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=ANNE M. PETERSON |date=2022-06-25 |title=Group asks for living wages, labor rights for 2026 World Cup |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4580832 |access-date=2022-12-06 |website=[[Taiwan News]] |publisher=[[Associated Press]] |archive-date=6 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206193557/https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4580832 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Martyn Ziegler |date=2017-03-01 |title=Russia and Fifa face 'slave labour' claims |language=en |work=[[The Times]] |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/russia-and-fifa-face-slave-labour-claims-b7fqf2ms7 |url-status=live |access-date=2022-12-08 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20221208222301/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/russia-and-fifa-face-slave-labour-claims-b7fqf2ms7 |archive-date=2022-12-08 |issn=0140-0460}}</ref> In May 2017, FIFA president [[Gianni Infantino]] admitted there had been human rights abuses of North Korean workers involved in the construction of [[Saint Petersburg]]'s [[Zenit Arena]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=[[Dan Roan]] |date=2017-11-09 |title=World Cup: Fifa urged to strengthen workers' rights in Russia & Qatar |language=en-GB |work=[[BBC Sport]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/41929421 |access-date=2022-12-06 |archive-date=6 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206193554/https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/41929421 |url-status=live }}</ref> By June 2017, at least 17 workers had died on World Cup construction sites, according to [[Building and Wood Workers' International]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=[[Associated Press]] |date=2017-06-14 |title=Workers on 2018 World Cup construction sites face abuse: Report |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/football/workers-on-2018-world-cup-construction-sites-face-abuse-report-4703711/ |access-date=2022-12-06 |website=[[The Indian Express]] |language=en |archive-date=6 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206193600/https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/football/workers-on-2018-world-cup-construction-sites-face-abuse-report-4703711/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=June 14, 2017 |title=HRW 'Red Cards' Russia, FIFA For Alleged Abuse Of World Cup Venue Builders |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/human-rights-watch-documented-cases-russian-workers-abuses-building-soccer-venues-world-cup-fifa/28547730.html |work=[[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty]] |language=en |access-date=8 December 2022 |archive-date=9 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221209043436/https://www.rferl.org/a/human-rights-watch-documented-cases-russian-workers-abuses-building-soccer-venues-world-cup-fifa/28547730.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In August, a group of eight US senators called on FIFA to consider dismissing Russia as the World Cup host if an independent investigation verified allegations of North Koreans being subjected to forced labor.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Min-joo |first=Kim |date=2017-08-03 |title=US senators urge FIFA to dismiss Russia as World Cup host over use of NK labor |url=https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20170803000597 |access-date=2022-12-06 |website=[[The Korea Herald]] |publisher=[[Yonhap]] |language=en |archive-date=6 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206193602/https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20170803000597 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Racism in Russia|Racism]] and [[Neo-nazism in Russia|Neo-nazi]] symbols displayed in the past by some Russian football fans drew criticism,<ref>{{Cite news |date=2015-02-27 |title=Study finds pervasive racism in Russian soccer ahead of 2018 World Cup |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2015/02/27/study-finds-pervasive-racism-in-russian-soccer-ahead-of-2018-world-cup/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106104828/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2015/02/27/study-finds-pervasive-racism-in-russian-soccer-ahead-of-2018-world-cup/ |archive-date=2015-11-06}}</ref> with documented incidents of racial chants, banners spewing hate-filled messages, and sometimes assaults on people from the [[Caucasus]] and [[Central Asia]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alec Luhn |date=2015-06-04 |title=Racism in Russia laid bare: more than 100 incidents in just two seasons |url=http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2015/jun/04/racism-in-russia-incidents-world-cup-hosts |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20221207182315/https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2015/jun/04/racism-in-russia-incidents-world-cup-hosts%23comments |archive-date=2022-12-07 |website=[[The Guardian]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Tony Wesolowsky |date=August 6, 2015 |title=Ahead Of World Cup, Racism Still Kicking In Russian Soccer |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-soccer-world-cup-racism-still-kicking/27174221.html |website=[[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty]] |language=en |access-date=8 December 2022 |archive-date=8 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208225459/https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-soccer-world-cup-racism-still-kicking/27174221.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In March 2015, FIFA's then Vice President [[Jeffrey Webb (football executive)|Jeffrey Webb]] said that Russia posed a huge challenge from a racism standpoint, and that a World Cup could not be held there under the current conditions.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Olivia Becker |date=March 14, 2015 |title=FIFA Questions 2018 Russian World Cup Due To Racism |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/3ke3ej/fifa-questions-2018-russian-world-cup-due-to-racism |website=[[Vice.com]] |language=en |access-date=8 December 2022 |archive-date=8 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208230958/https://www.vice.com/en/article/3ke3ej/fifa-questions-2018-russian-world-cup-due-to-racism |url-status=live }}</ref> On July, [[United Nations]] anti-discrimination official Yuri Boychenko said that Russian soccer authorities had failed to fully grasp what racism was and needed to do more to combat it.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-07-23 |title=Russian Authorities Fail to Understand Racism — U.N Official |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2015/07/23/russian-authorities-fail-to-understand-racism-un-official-a48477 |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=[[The Moscow Times]] |language=en |archive-date=8 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208225457/https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2015/07/23/russian-authorities-fail-to-understand-racism-un-official-a48477 |url-status=live }}</ref> To address this as well as concerns of [[hooliganism]] in general, Russian intelligence services blacklisted over 400 fans from entering the stadiums by June 2018, with 32 other countries also sending officers to help local police screen attendees for valid ID cards.<ref>{{cite AV media |date=14 June 2018 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv5N6Z7GYa8 |title=World Cup 2018: Can Russia prevent hooliganism, racism & clashes as it happened during the Euro2016? |publisher=FRANCE 24 English |via=[[YouTube]] |access-date=20 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208225512/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv5N6Z7GYa8 |archive-date=8 December 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Allegations of [[corruption]] in the bidding processes and concerns over bribery on the part of the Russian team and corruption by FIFA members for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups led to threats from England's [[The Football Association|FA]] to boycott the tournament.<ref name="mZGjr" /> They claimed that four members of the executive committee had requested bribes to vote for England, and Sepp Blatter had said it had already been arranged before the vote that Russia would win.<ref name="sRBCC" /> FIFA appointed [[Michael J. Garcia]], a US attorney, to investigate and produce [[Garcia Report|a report]] on the corruption allegations. Although the report was never published, FIFA released a 42-page summary of its findings as determined by [[Germans|German]] [[judge]] [[Hans-Joachim Eckert]]. Eckert's summary cleared Russia and Qatar of any wrongdoing, but was denounced by critics as a whitewash.<ref name="APfire" /> Because of the controversy, the FA refused to accept Eckert's absolving Russia from blame. [[Greg Dyke]] called for a re-examination of the affair and [[David Bernstein (executive)|David Bernstein]] called for a boycott of the World Cup.<ref name="zt9ZM" /><ref name="2xMiJ" /> Garcia criticised the summary as being "materially incomplete" with "erroneous representations of the facts and conclusions", and appealed to FIFA's Appeal Committee.<ref name="K7Ghy" /><ref name="WhatNow" /> The committee declined to hear his appeal, so Garcia resigned to protest of FIFA's conduct, citing a "lack of leadership" and lack of confidence in Eckert's independence.<ref name="0U57X" />

On 3 June 2015, the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] confirmed that federal authorities were investigating the bidding and awarding processes for the 2018 and [[2022 FIFA World Cup|2022 World Cups]].<ref name="r8Bz2" /><ref name="lgRB1" /> In an interview published on 7 June 2015, [[Domenico Scala (manager)|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".<ref name="BBC News" /><ref name="Owen Gibson" /> [[William, Prince of Wales|Prince William of Wales]] and former [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|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 in [[England 2018 FIFA World Cup bid|England]] was discussed.<ref name="SNVa0" /><ref name="oJlN3" />

==Teams==

===Qualification===
{{Main|2018 FIFA World Cup qualification}}
For the first time in the history of the FIFA World Cup, all eligible nations—the 209 [[List of FIFA Member Associations|FIFA member associations]] except automatically qualified hosts Russia—applied to enter the qualifying process.<ref name="riaYh" /> [[Zimbabwe national football team|Zimbabwe]] and [[Indonesia national football team|Indonesia]] were later disqualified before playing their first matches,<ref name="zimbabwe" /><ref name="indonesia" /> while [[Gibraltar national football team|Gibraltar]] and [[Kosovo national football team|Kosovo]], who joined FIFA on 13 May 2016 after the qualifying draw but before European qualifying had begun, also entered the competition.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}} Places in the tournament were allocated to continental confederations, with the allocation unchanged from the 2014 World Cup.<ref name="fifa20150320" /><ref name="hstri" /> The first qualification game, between [[East Timor national football team|Timor-Leste]] and [[Mongolia national football team|Mongolia]], began in [[Dili]] on 12 March 2015 as part of the [[2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)|AFC's qualification]],<ref name="45Ip9" /><ref name="L1urj" /><ref name="crlmz" /> and the main qualifying draw took place at the [[Konstantinovsky Palace]] in [[Strelna]], Saint Petersburg, on 25 July 2015.<ref name="lzli9" /><ref name="press release" />

Of the 32 nations qualified to play at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, 20 countries competed at the previous tournament in [[2014 FIFA World Cup|2014]]. Both Iceland and Panama qualified for the first time, with the former becoming the [[List of countries and dependencies by population|smallest country in terms of population]] to reach the World Cup.<ref name="oGTMb" /> Other teams returning after absences of at least three tournaments included: [[Egypt national football team|Egypt]], returning to the finals after their last appearance in 1990; [[Morocco national football team|Morocco]], who last competed in 1998; [[Peru national football team|Peru]], who last appeared in 1982; [[Senegal national football team|Senegal]], competing for the second time after reaching the quarter-finals in 2002. [[Poland national football team|Poland]], [[Saudi Arabia national football team|Saudi Arabia]], [[Tunisia national football team|Tunisia]] and [[Sweden men's national football team|Sweden]] have also returned after [[2006 FIFA World Cup|12 years]]. It was the first time three [[Nordic countries]] ([[Denmark national football team|Denmark]], Iceland and [[Sweden men's national football team|Sweden]]) and four [[Arab world|Arab nations]] (Egypt, Morocco, [[Saudi Arabia national football team|Saudi Arabia]] and [[Tunisia national football team|Tunisia]]) qualified for the World Cup.<ref name="vviY2" />

Notable teams that failed to qualify included: four-time champions [[Italy national football team|Italy]] (for the first time since 1958), who were knocked out in a qualification play-off by quarter-finalists Sweden and were the highest-ranked team to not qualify; and the [[Netherlands national football team|Netherlands]], who were three-time runners-up and had finished in third place in 2014, had qualified for the last three World Cups, and failed to qualify for their second major tournament in a row, missing out on the [[UEFA Euro 2016]] as well. Four reigning continental champions: [[2017 Africa Cup of Nations]] winners [[Cameroon national football team|Cameroon]]; two-time [[Copa América]] champions and [[2017 FIFA Confederations Cup|2017 Confederations Cup]] runners-up [[Chile national football team|Chile]]; [[2016 OFC Nations Cup]] winners [[New Zealand national football team|New Zealand]]; and [[2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup]] champions the [[United States men's national soccer team|United States]] (for the first time since 1986) also failed to qualify. The other notable qualifying streaks broken were for [[Ghana national football team|Ghana]] and [[Ivory Coast national football team|Ivory Coast]], both of which had qualified for the three previous tournaments.<ref name="Ex4il" /> The lowest-ranked team to qualify was the host nation, Russia.

<small>Note: Numbers in parentheses indicate positions in the [[FIFA World Rankings]] at the time of the tournament.<ref>{{cite news|title="FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking"|url=https://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/mens-ranking?dateId=id13295|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623201918/https://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/mens-ranking?dateId=id13295|archive-date=23 June 2021|website=FIFA |date=7 June 2018|access-date=23 June 2021}}</ref></small>
{{col begin}}
{{col-4}}
'''[[2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)|AFC]]''' (5)
* {{fb|AUS}} (36)
* {{fb|IRN}} (37)
* {{fb|JPN}} (61)
* {{fb|KSA}} (67)
* {{fb|KOR}} (57)

'''[[2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)|CAF]]''' (5)
* {{fb|EGY}} (45)
* {{fb|MAR}} (41)
* {{fb|NGA}} (48)
* {{fb|SEN}} (27)
* {{fb|TUN}} (21)

{{col-4}}
'''[[2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)|CONCACAF]]''' (3)
* {{fb|CRC}} (23)
* {{fb|MEX}} (15)
* {{fb|PAN}} (55) (debut)

'''[[2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)|CONMEBOL]]''' (5)
* {{fb|ARG}} (5)
* {{fb|BRA}} (2)
* {{fb|COL}} (16)
* {{fb|PER}} (11)
* {{fb|URU}} (14)

'''[[2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC)|OFC]]''' (0)
*''None qualified''

{{col-4}}
'''[[2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)|UEFA]]''' (14)
* {{fb|BEL}} (3)
* {{fb|CRO}} (20)
* {{fb|DEN}} (joint 12)
* {{fb|ENG}} (joint 12)
* {{fb|FRA|1974}} (7)
* {{fb|GER}} (1)
* {{fb|ISL}} (22) (debut)
* {{fb|POL}} (8)
* {{fb|POR}} (4)
* {{fb|RUS}} (70) (hosts)
* {{fb|SRB}} (34)
* {{fb|ESP}} (10)
* {{fb|SWE}} (24)
* {{fb|SUI}} (6)
{{col-4}}
[[File:2018 FIFA World Cup qualification map.png|thumb|right|upright=1.5|{{legend|#0000ff|Qualified}} {{legend|#ffbf00|Did not qualify}} {{legend|#000000|Disqualified}} {{legend|#cccccc|Not a FIFA member}}]]
{{col end}}

===Draw===
{{Main|2018 FIFA World Cup seeding}}

[[File:Fabio Cannavaro 2017.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Italians|Italian]] World Cup winner [[Fabio Cannavaro]] in [[Moscow]] at the 2018 World Cup draw]]
The draw was held on 1 December 2017 at 18:00 [[Moscow Time|MSK]] at the [[State Kremlin Palace]] in Moscow.<ref name="fa6Rz" /><ref name="7yuiR" /> The 32 teams were drawn into eight groups of four, by selecting one team from each of the four ranked pots.

For the draw, the teams were allocated to four pots based entirely on the [[FIFA World Rankings]] of October 2017. Pot one contained the hosts Russia (who were automatically assigned to position A1) and the best seven teams. Pot two contained the next best eight teams, and so on for pots three and four.<ref name="xl3Z7" /> This was different from previous draws, when only pot one was based on FIFA rankings while the remaining pots were based on geographical considerations. However, teams from the same confederation still were not drawn against each other for the group stage, except that two UEFA teams could be in each group. The pots for the draw are shown below.<ref name="fifa_2018">{{Cite web |title=2018 FIFA World Cup - News - The Final Draw: How it works |website=FIFA.com |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association |access-date=6 April 2020 |url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/the-final-draw-how-it-works-2921565 |archive-date=6 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200406194931/https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/the-final-draw-how-it-works-2921565 |url-status=live }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!width=25%| Pot 1
!width=25%| Pot 2
!width=25%| Pot 3
!width=25%| Pot 4
|-
|{{fb|RUS}} (65) ''(hosts)''<br />{{fb|GER}} (1)<br />{{fb|BRA}} (2)<br />{{fb|BEL}} (3)<br />{{fb|POR}} (4)<br />{{fb|ARG}} (5)<br />{{fb|POL}} (6)<br />{{fb|FRA|1974}} (7)
|{{fb|ESP}} (8)<br />{{fb|PER}} (10)<br />{{fb|SUI}} (11)<br />{{fb|ENG}} (12)<br />{{fb|COL}} (13)<br />{{fb|MEX}} (16)<br />{{fb|URU}} (17)<br />{{fb|CRO}} (18)
|{{fb|DEN}} (19)<br />{{fb|ISL}} (21)<br />{{fb|CRC}} (22)<br />{{fb|SWE}} (25)<br />{{fb|TUN}} (28)<br />{{fb|EGY}} (30)<br />{{fb|SEN}} (32)<br />{{fb|IRN}} (34)
|{{fb|SRB}} (38)<br />{{fb|NGA}} (41)<br />{{fb|AUS}} (43)<br />{{fb|JPN}} (44)<br />{{fb|MAR}} (48)<br />{{fb|PAN}} (49)<br />{{fb|KOR}} (62)<br />{{fb|KSA}} (63)
|}

{|class="wikitable" 
|-
!width=25%|[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group A|Group A]]
!width=25%|[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group B|Group B]]
!width=25%|[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group C|Group C]]
!width=25%|[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group D|Group D]]
|-
|''{{fb|RUS}}''
|{{fb|POR}}
|{{fb|FRA}}
|{{fb|ARG}}
|-
|{{fb|KSA}}
|{{fb|ESP}}
|{{fb|AUS}}
|{{fb|ISL}}
|-
|{{fb|EGY}}
|{{fb|MAR}}
|{{fb|PER}}
|{{fb|CRO}}
|-
|{{fb|URU}}
|{{fb|IRN}}
|{{fb|DEN}}
|{{fb|NGA}}
|-
!width=25%|[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group E|Group E]]
!width=25%|[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group F|Group F]]
!width=25%|[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group G|Group G]]
!width=25%|[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group H|Group H]]
|-
|{{fb|BRA}}
|{{fb|GER}}
|{{fb|BEL}}
|{{fb|POL}}
|-
|{{fb|SUI}}
|{{fb|MEX}}
|{{fb|PAN}}
|{{fb|SEN}}
|-
|{{fb|CRC}}
|{{fb|SWE}}
|{{fb|TUN}}
|{{fb|COL}}
|-
|{{fb|SRB}}
|{{fb|KOR}}
|{{fb|ENG}}
|{{fb|JAP}}
|}

===Squads===
{{main|2018 FIFA World Cup squads}}
Initially, each team had to name a preliminary squad of 30 players, but in February 2018 this was increased to 35.<ref name="Svaqj" /> From the preliminary squad, the team had to name a final squad of 23 players (three of whom had to be goalkeepers) by 4 June. Players in the final squad could be replaced for serious injury up to 24 hours prior to kickoff of the team's first match. These replacements did not need to have been named in the preliminary squad.<ref name="regulations" />

For players named in the 35-player preliminary squad, there was 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.<ref name="JL2Q9" />

==Officiating==
{{main|2018 FIFA World Cup officials}}
On 29 March 2018, [[FIFA]] released the list of 36 referees and 63 assistant referees selected to oversee matches.<ref name="jRf4x" /> On 30 April 2018, FIFA released the list of 13 video assistant referees, who acted solely in this capacity in the tournament.<ref name="F8Ak6" />

Referee [[Fahad Al-Mirdasi]] of [[Saudi Arabia]] was removed on 30 May 2018 over a [[Match fixing|match-fixing]] attempt,<ref name="Yvqeg" /> along with his two assistant referees, compatriots Mohammed Al-Abakry and Abdulah Al-Shalwai. A new referee was not appointed, but two assistant referees, Hasan Al Mahri of the [[United Arab Emirates]] and Hiroshi Yamauchi of Japan, were added to the list.<ref name="rXwB5" /><ref name="bSySN" /> Assistant referee [[Marwa Range]] of [[Kenya]] also withdrew after the [[BBC]] released an investigation conducted by a [[Ghanaians|Ghanaian]] [[journalist]] which implicated him in a bribery scandal.<ref name="jewag" />

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|-
! colspan="4" |List of officials
|-
!Confederation
!Referee
!Assistant referees
!Video assistant referees
|-
| rowspan="5" |[[Asian Football Confederation|AFC]]
|[[Alireza Faghani]] ([[Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran|Iran]])
|Reza Sokhandan ([[Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran|Iran]])<br />Mohammadreza Mansouri ([[Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran|Iran]])
| rowspan="5" |[[Abdulrahman Al-Jassim]] ([[Qatar Football Association|Qatar]])
|-
|[[Ravshan Irmatov]] ([[Uzbekistan Football Association|Uzbekistan]])
|[[Abdukhamidullo Rasulov]] ([[Uzbekistan Football Association|Uzbekistan]])<br />Jakhongir Saidov ([[Uzbekistan Football Association|Uzbekistan]])
|-
|[[Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed]] ([[United Arab Emirates Football Association|United Arab Emirates]])
|Mohamed Al Hammadi ([[United Arab Emirates Football Association|United Arab Emirates]])<br />Hasan Al Mahri ([[United Arab Emirates Football Association|United Arab Emirates]])
|-
|[[Ryuji Sato]] ([[Japan Football Association|Japan]])
|Toru Sagara ([[Japan Football Association|Japan]])<br />Hiroshi Yamauchi ([[Japan Football Association|Japan]])
|-
|[[Nawaf Shukralla]] ([[Bahrain Football Association|Bahrain]])
|Yaser Tulefat ([[Bahrain Football Association|Bahrain]])<br />Taleb Al Maari ([[Qatar Football Association|Qatar]])
|-
| rowspan="6" |[[Confederation of African Football|CAF]]
|[[Mehdi Abid Charef]] ([[Algerian Football Federation|Algeria]])
|Anouar Hmila ([[Tunisian Football Federation|Tunisia]])
| rowspan="6" |
|-
|[[Malang Diedhiou]] ([[Senegalese Football Federation|Senegal]])
|Djibril Camara ([[Senegalese Football Federation|Senegal]])<br />El Hadji Samba ([[Senegalese Football Federation|Senegal]])
|-
|[[Bakary Gassama]] ([[Gambia Football Federation|Gambia]])
|Jean Claude Birumushahu ([[Football Federation of Burundi|Burundi]])<br />Abdelhak Etchiali ([[Algerian Football Federation|Algeria]])
|-
|[[Gehad Grisha]] ([[Egyptian Football Association|Egypt]])
|Redouane Achik ([[Royal Moroccan Football Federation|Morocco]])<br />Waleed Ahmed ([[Sudan Football Association|Sudan]])
|-
|[[Janny Sikazwe]] ([[Football Association of Zambia|Zambia]])
|Jerson Dos Santos ([[Angolan Football Federation|Angola]])<br />Zakhele Siwela ([[South African Football Association|South Africa]])
|-
|[[Bamlak Tessema Weyesa]] ([[Ethiopian Football Federation|Ethiopia]])
|
|-
| rowspan="6" |[[CONCACAF]]
|[[Joel Aguilar]] ([[Salvadoran Football Federation|El Salvador]])
|Juan Zumba ([[Salvadoran Football Federation|El Salvador]])<br />Juan Carlos Mora ([[Costa Rican Football Federation|Costa Rica]])
| rowspan="6" |
|-
|[[Mark Geiger]] ([[United States Soccer Federation|United States]])
|Frank Anderson ([[United States Soccer Federation|United States]])<br />[[Joe Fletcher (referee)|Joe Fletcher]] ([[Canadian Soccer Association|Canada]])
|-
|[[Jair Marrufo]] ([[United States Soccer Federation|United States]])
|Corey Rockwell ([[United States Soccer Federation|United States]])
|-
|[[Ricardo Montero (referee)|Ricardo Montero]] ([[Costa Rican Football Federation|Costa Rica]])
|
|-
|[[John Pitti]] ([[Panamanian Football Federation|Panama]])
|Gabriel Victoria ([[Panamanian Football Federation|Panama]])
|-
|[[César Arturo Ramos]] ([[Mexican Football Federation|Mexico]])
|Marvin Torrentera ([[Mexican Football Federation|Mexico]])<br />Miguel Hernández ([[Mexican Football Federation|Mexico]])
|-
| rowspan="6" |[[CONMEBOL]]
|[[Julio Bascuñán]] ([[Football Federation of Chile|Chile]])
|Carlos Astroza ([[Football Federation of Chile|Chile]])<br />Christian Schiemann ([[Football Federation of Chile|Chile]])
| rowspan="6" |[[Wilton Sampaio]] ([[Brazilian Football Confederation|Brazil]])<br />[[Gery Vargas]] ([[Bolivian Football Federation|Bolivia]])<br />[[Mauro Vigliano]] ([[Argentine Football Association|Argentina]])
|-
|[[Enrique Cáceres]] ([[Paraguayan Football Association|Paraguay]])
|Eduardo Cardozo ([[Paraguayan Football Association|Paraguay]])<br />Juan Zorrilla ([[Paraguayan Football Association|Paraguay]])
|-
|[[Andrés Cunha]] ([[Uruguayan Football Association|Uruguay]])
|Nicolás Taran ([[Uruguayan Football Association|Uruguay]])<br />[[Mauricio Espinosa]] ([[Uruguayan Football Association|Uruguay]])
|-
|[[Néstor Pitana]] ([[Argentine Football Association|Argentina]])
|Hernán Maidana ([[Argentine Football Association|Argentina]])<br />Juan Pablo Belatti ([[Argentine Football Association|Argentina]])
|-
|[[Sandro Ricci]] ([[Brazilian Football Confederation|Brazil]])
|Emerson de Carvalho ([[Brazilian Football Confederation|Brazil]])<br />Marcelo Van Gasse ([[Brazilian Football Confederation|Brazil]])
|-
|[[Wilmar Roldán]] ([[Colombian Football Federation|Colombia]])
|Alexander Guzmán ([[Colombian Football Federation|Colombia]])<br />Cristian de la Cruz ([[Colombian Football Federation|Colombia]])
|-
| rowspan="2" |[[Oceania Football Confederation|OFC]]
|[[Matthew Conger]] ([[New Zealand Football|New Zealand]])
|Simon Lount ([[New Zealand Football|New Zealand]])<br />Tevita Makasini ([[Tonga Football Association|Tonga]])
| rowspan="2" |
|-
|[[Norbert Hauata]] ([[Tahitian Football Federation|Tahiti]])
|Bertrand Brial ([[New Caledonian Football Federation|New Caledonia]])
|-
| rowspan="10" |[[UEFA]]
|[[Felix Brych]] ([[German Football Association|Germany]])
|Mark Borsch ([[German Football Association|Germany]])<br />Stefan Lupp ([[German Football Association|Germany]])
| rowspan="10" |[[Bastian Dankert]] ([[German Football Association|Germany]])<br />[[Artur Soares Dias]] ([[Portuguese Football Federation|Portugal]])<br />[[Paweł Gil]] ([[Polish Football Association|Poland]])<br />[[Massimiliano Irrati]] ([[Italian Football Federation|Italy]])<br />[[Tiago Martins (referee)|Tiago Martins]] ([[Portuguese Football Federation|Portugal]])<br />[[Danny Makkelie]] ([[Royal Dutch Football Association|Netherlands]])<br />[[Daniele Orsato]] ([[Italian Football Federation|Italy]])<br />[[Paolo Valeri]] ([[Italian Football Federation|Italy]])<br />[[Felix Zwayer]] ([[German Football Association|Germany]])
|-
|[[Cüneyt Çakır]] ([[Turkish Football Federation|Turkey]])
|Bahattin Duran ([[Turkish Football Federation|Turkey]])<br />Tarık Ongun ([[Turkish Football Federation|Turkey]])
|-
|[[Sergei Karasev]] ([[Russian Football Union|Russia]])
|Anton Averianov ([[Russian Football Union|Russia]])<br />Tikhon Kalugin ([[Russian Football Union|Russia]])
|-
|[[Björn Kuipers]] ([[Royal Dutch Football Association|Netherlands]])
|Sander van Roekel ([[Royal Dutch Football Association|Netherlands]])<br />Erwin Zeinstra ([[Royal Dutch Football Association|Netherlands]])
|-
|[[Szymon Marciniak]] ([[Polish Football Association|Poland]])
|Paweł Sokolnicki ([[Polish Football Association|Poland]])<br />Tomasz Listkiewicz ([[Polish Football Association|Poland]])
|-
|[[Antonio Mateu Lahoz]] ([[Royal Spanish Football Federation|Spain]])
|Pau Cebrián Devís ([[Royal Spanish Football Federation|Spain]])<br />Roberto Díaz Pérez ([[Royal Spanish Football Federation|Spain]])
|-
|[[Milorad Mažić]] ([[Football Association of Serbia|Serbia]])
|Milovan Ristić ([[Football Association of Serbia|Serbia]])<br />Dalibor Đurđević ([[Football Association of Serbia|Serbia]])
|-
|[[Gianluca Rocchi]] ([[Italian Football Federation|Italy]])
|Elenito Di Liberatore ([[Italian Football Federation|Italy]])<br />Mauro Tonolini ([[Italian Football Federation|Italy]])
|-
|[[Damir Skomina]] ([[Football Association of Slovenia|Slovenia]])
|Jure Praprotnik ([[Football Association of Slovenia|Slovenia]])<br />Robert Vukan ([[Football Association of Slovenia|Slovenia]])
|-
|[[Clément Turpin]] ([[French Football Federation|France]])
|Cyril Gringore ([[French Football Federation|France]])<br />Nicolas Danos ([[French Football Federation|France]])
|}

===Video assistant referees===
Shortly after the [[International Football Association Board]]'s decision to incorporate [[video assistant referee]]s (VARs) into the [[Laws of the Game (association football)|Laws of the game]] (LOTG) on 16 March 2018, the [[FIFA Council]] took the much-anticipated step of approving the use of VAR for the first time in a FIFA World Cup tournament.<ref name="fifa_20180316" /><ref name="jkNow" />

VAR operations for all games were operated from a single headquarters in Moscow, which received live video of the games and were in radio contact with the on-field referees.<ref name=":0" /> Systems were in place for communicating VAR-related information to broadcasters and visuals on stadiums' large screens were used for the fans in attendance.<ref name=":0" />

VAR had a significant impact on several games.<ref name="nh0b0" /> On 15 June 2018, [[Diego Costa]]'s first goal against Portugal became the first World Cup goal based on a VAR decision;<ref name="isPIb" /> the first penalty as a result of a VAR decision was awarded to France in their match against Australia on 16 June and resulted in a goal by [[Antoine Griezmann]].<ref name="iQyFC" /> A record number of penalties were awarded in the tournament, a phenomenon partially attributed to VAR.<ref name="zeD2b" /> Overall, the new technology was both praised and criticised by commentators.<ref name="neijv" /> FIFA declared the implementation of VAR a success after the first week of competition.<ref name="swBxZ" />

==Venues==
Russia proposed the following host cities: [[Kaliningrad]], [[Kazan]], [[Krasnodar]], [[Moscow]], [[Nizhny Novgorod]], [[Rostov-on-Don]], [[Saint Petersburg]], [[Samara]], [[Saransk]], [[Sochi]], [[Volgograd]], [[Yaroslavl]], and [[Yekaterinburg]].<ref name="b9r6N" /> Each chosen city was located in [[European Russia]] (except Yekaterinburg,<ref name="S3sSt" /> which is located in [[Asia]] but lies very close to the Europe-Asia border) in order 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."<ref name="Z1hqZ" />

In October 2011, Russia reduced the number of stadiums from 16 to 14. Construction of the proposed [[Podolsk]] stadium in the [[Moscow Oblast]] was cancelled by the regional government. Also, in the capital, [[Otkritie Arena]] was competing with [[VTB Arena|Dynamo Stadium]] over which would be constructed first.<ref name="8DESn" />{{dead link|date=March 2020}}

The final choice of host cities was announced on 29 September 2012. The number of cities was reduced further to 11 and the number of stadiums to 12 as Krasnodar and Yaroslavl were dropped from the final list. Of the 12 stadiums used for the tournament, three ([[Luzhniki Stadium|Luzhniki]], [[Central Stadium (Yekaterinburg)|Yekaterinburg]] and [[Fisht Olympic Stadium|Sochi]]) had been extensively renovated and the other nine were brand new; $11.8&nbsp;billion was spent on hosting the tournament.<ref name="VKrDx" />

Sepp Blatter had said in July 2014 that, given the concerns over the completion of venues in Russia, the number of venues for the tournament may be reduced from 12 to 10.<ref name="Sy4OR" /> He also said, "We are not going to be in a situation, as is the case of one, two or even three stadiums [[2010 FIFA World Cup|in South Africa]], where it is a problem of what you do with these stadiums".<ref name="saakov" />
[[File:EstadioCentral2017-01-26.jpg|thumb|Reconstruction of the Yekaterinburg Central Stadium in January 2017]]
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.<ref name="u01d8" /> On 8 October 2015, FIFA and the local organising committee agreed on the official names of the stadiums to be used during the tournament.<ref name="AL037" /> Of the twelve venues, the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow and the Saint Petersburg Stadium—the two largest stadiums in Russia—were used most; both hosted seven matches. Sochi, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod and Samara each hosted six matches, including one quarter-final match each, while the [[Otkritie Arena|Otkritie Stadium]] in Moscow and the [[Rostov Arena|Rostov Stadium]] hosted five matches, including one round-of-16 match each. [[Volgograd Arena|Volgograd]], [[Kaliningrad Stadium|Kaliningrad]], [[Central Stadium (Yekaterinburg)|Yekaterinburg]] and [[Mordovia Arena|Saransk]] each hosted four matches, but did not host any knockout stage games.

===Stadiums===
[[File:Bel-Tun (26).jpg|thumb|{{Center|Exterior of Otkrytie Arena}}{{Center| in Moscow}}]]
Twelve stadiums in eleven Russian cities were built or renovated for the FIFA World Cup. Between 2010 (when Russia were announced as hosts) and 2018, nine of the twelve stadiums were built (some in place of older, outdated venues) and the other three were renovated for the tournament.<ref name="bVCgh" />
* Kaliningrad: Kaliningrad Stadium (new). The first piles were driven into the ground in September 2015. On 11 April 2018 it hosted its first match.
* Kazan: Kazan Arena (new). The stadium was built for the 2013 Summer [[Universiade]]. It has since hosted the [[2015 World Aquatics Championships]] and the [[2017 FIFA Confederations Cup]]. It serves as a home arena for [[FC Rubin Kazan]].
* Moscow: Luzhniki Stadium (heavily renovated). The largest stadium in the country, it was closed for renovation in 2013. It was commissioned in November 2017.
* Moscow: Spartak Stadium (new). This stadium is the home arena to its namesake [[FC Spartak Moscow]]. In accordance with FIFA requirements, during the 2018 World Cup, it was called Spartak Stadium instead of its usual name Otkritie Arena. It hosted its first match on 5 September 2014.
* Nizhny Novgorod: Nizhny Novgorod Stadium (new). Construction of this stadium commenced in 2015 and was completed in December 2017.<ref name="L1mHo" />
* Rostov-on-Don: Rostov Arena (new). The stadium is located on the left bank of the [[Don (river)|Don]]. Construction was completed on 22 December 2017.
* Saint Petersburg: Saint Petersburg Stadium (new). Construction commenced in 2007 after the site, formerly occupied by [[Kirov Stadium]], was cleared. The project was officially completed on 29 December 2016.<ref name="aZz5t" /> It has hosted 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup games and served as a venue for [[UEFA Euro 2020]].
* Samara: Samara Arena (new). Construction officially started on 21 July 2014 and was completed on 21 April 2018.
* Saransk: Mordovia Arena (new). The stadium in Saransk was scheduled to be commissioned in 2012 in time for the opening of the all-Russian [[Spartakiad]], but the plan was revised. The opening was rescheduled to 2017. The arena hosted its first match on 21 April 2018.
* Sochi: Fisht Stadium (slightly renovated). This stadium hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the [[2014 Winter Olympics]]. Afterwards, it was renovated in preparation for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2018 World Cup.
* Volgograd: Volgograd Arena (new). The main Volgograd arena was built on the demolished [[Central Stadium (Volgograd)|Central Stadium]] site, at the foot of the [[Mamayev Kurgan]] memorial complex. It was commissioned on 3 April 2018.<ref>{{cite book|last=Chizhenok|first=Alexander|url=https://www.prlib.ru/en/item/853425|title=Construction of the stadium "Volgograd Arena". Openwork roof. [1]|publisher=[[Boris Yeltsin Presidential Library]]|year=2017|location=Volgograd|access-date=10 October 2021|archive-date=10 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211010232847/https://www.prlib.ru/en/item/853425|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Yekaterinburg: Ekaterinburg Arena (heavily renovated). The Central Stadium of Yekaterinburg had been renovated for the FIFA World Cup. Its stands have a capacity of 35,000 spectators. The renovation project was completed in December 2017.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!colspan=2|[[Moscow]]
![[Saint Petersburg]]
![[Sochi]]
|-
|[[Luzhniki Stadium]]
|[[Otkritie Arena]]<br />'''{{small|(Spartak Stadium)}}'''
|[[Krestovsky Stadium]]<br />'''{{small|(Saint Petersburg Stadium)}}'''
|[[Fisht Olympic Stadium]]<br />'''{{small|(Fisht Stadium)}}'''
|-
|Capacity: '''78,011'''<ref name="i5VZ9" />
|Capacity: '''44,190'''<ref name="ND8xD" />
|Capacity: '''64,468'''<ref name="nueeI" />
|Capacity: '''44,287'''<ref name="GGfYV" />
|-
|[[File:Olympiastadion Luschniki.jpg|200x200px]]
|[[File:Stadium Spartak in Moscow (cropped).jpg|frameless|196x196px]]
|[[File:Krestovsky Stadium.jpg|199x199px]]
|[[File:Sochi adler aerial view 2018 23.jpg|200x200px]]
|-
![[Volgograd]]
!rowspan=8 colspan=2|{{Location map+ |European Russia |width=412 |float=center |caption=Location of the host cities of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. |places=
{{Location map~ |European Russia |lat_deg=55|lat_min=45|lon_deg=37|lon_min=37|position=left |mark=Blue pog.svg|marksize=10|label=[[Moscow]]}}
{{Location map~ |European Russia |lat_deg=59|lat_min=58|lon_deg=30|lon_min=13|position=right |label=[[Saint Petersburg]]}}
{{Location map~ |European Russia |lat_deg=54|lat_min=53|lon_deg=20|lon_min=29|position=right |label=[[Kaliningrad]]}}
{{Location map~ |European Russia |lat_deg=56|lat_min=16|lon_deg=43|lon_min=53|position=top |label=[[Nizhny Novgorod]]}}
{{Location map~ |European Russia |lat_deg=55|lat_min=49|lon_deg=49|lon_min=09|position=right |label=[[Kazan]]}}
{{Location map~ |European Russia |lat_deg=53|lat_min=14|lon_deg=50|lon_min=16|position=right |label=[[Samara]]}}
{{Location map~ |European Russia |lat_deg=48|lat_min=44|lon_deg=44|lon_min=32|position=right|label=[[Volgograd]]}}
{{Location map~ |European Russia |lat_deg=54|lat_min=10|lon_deg=45|lon_min=11|position=left|label=[[Saransk]]}}
{{Location map~ |European Russia |lat_deg=43|lat_min=34|lon_deg=39|lon_min=51|position=right |label=[[Sochi]]}}
{{Location map~ |European Russia |lat_deg=47|lat_min=14|lon_deg=39|lon_min=43|position=right |label=[[Rostov-on-Don]]}}
{{Location map~ |European Russia |lat_deg=56|lat_min=50|lon_deg=60|lon_min=35|position=left|label=[[Yekaterinburg]]}}
}}
![[Rostov-on-Don]]
|-
|[[Volgograd Arena]]
|[[Rostov Arena]]
|-
|Capacity: '''43,713'''<ref name="334HV" />
|Capacity: '''43,472'''<ref name="5AK9H" />
|-
|[[File:Volgograd arena aerial view 1.jpg|200x200px]]
|[[File:Rostov Arena 2021.jpg|200x200px]]
|-
![[Nizhny Novgorod]]
![[Kazan]]
|-
|[[Nizhny Novgorod Stadium]]
|[[Kazan Arena]]
|-
|Capacity: '''43,319'''<ref name="hLq7h" />
|Capacity: '''42,873'''<ref name="iRSEH" />
|-
|[[File:Nizhny Novgorod Stadium asv2019-05.jpg|204x204px]]
|[[File:Kazan-kazanarena-b.jpg|200x200px]]
|-
![[Samara]]
![[Saransk]]
![[Kaliningrad]]
![[Yekaterinburg]]
|-
|[[Samara Arena]]
|[[Mordovia Arena]]
|[[Kaliningrad Stadium]]
|[[Central Stadium (Yekaterinburg)|Central Stadium]]<br />'''{{small|(Ekaterinburg Arena)}}'''
|-
|Capacity: '''41,970'''<ref name="Qr93k" />
|Capacity: '''41,685'''<ref name="lZHq2" />
|Capacity: '''33,973'''<ref name="qHtZc" />
|Capacity: '''33,061'''<ref name="p4n6c" />
|-
|[[File:Samara Arena.jpg|199x199px]]
|[[File:MordoviaArenaStadium.jpg|200x200px]]
|[[File:Kaliningrad stadium - 2018-04-07.jpg|alt=|200x200px]]
|[[File:E-burg asv2019-05 img22 Central Stadium.jpg|204x204px]]
|}

===Team base camps===
Base camps were 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.<ref name="5KpNx" />

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* Argentina: [[Bronnitsy]], [[Moscow Oblast]]
* Australia: [[Kazan]], [[Republic of Tatarstan|Tatarstan]]
* Belgium: [[Krasnogorsky District, Moscow Oblast|Krasnogorsky]], Moscow Oblast
* Brazil: [[Sochi]], [[Krasnodar Krai]]
* Colombia: [[Verkhneuslonsky District|Verkhneuslonsky]], [[Republic of Tatarstan|Tatarstan]]
* Costa Rica: [[Saint Petersburg]]
* Croatia: [[Roshchino, Leningrad Oblast|Roshchino]], [[Leningrad Oblast]]<ref name="x9Rol" />
* Denmark: [[Anapa]], Krasnodar Krai
* Egypt: [[Grozny]], [[Chechen Republic|Chechnya]]
* England: [[Repino, Saint Petersburg|Repino]], Saint Petersburg<ref name="Cwgvs" />
* France: [[Istra, Istrinsky District, Moscow Oblast|Istra]], Moscow Oblast
* Germany: [[Vatutinki]], [[Moscow]]<ref name="dvPvx" />
* Iceland: [[Gelendzhik]], Krasnodar Krai
* Iran: Bakovka, Moscow Oblast
* Japan: Kazan, [[Republic of Tatarstan|Tatarstan]]
* Mexico: [[Khimki]], Moscow Oblast
* Morocco: [[Voronezh]], [[Voronezh Oblast]]
* Nigeria: [[Yessentuki]], [[Stavropol Krai]]
* Panama: [[Saransk]], [[Republic of Mordovia|Mordovia]]
* Peru: [[Moscow]]
* Poland: [[Sochi]], [[Krasnodar Krai]]
* Portugal: [[Ramenskoye, Moscow Oblast|Ramenskoye]], Moscow Oblast
* Russia: Khimki, Moscow Oblast
* Saudi Arabia: [[Saint Petersburg]]
* Senegal: [[Kaluga]], [[Kaluga Oblast]]
* Serbia: [[Svetlogorsk, Kaliningrad Oblast|Svetlogorsk]], [[Kaliningrad Oblast]]
* South Korea: Saint Petersburg
* Spain: [[Krasnodar]], [[Krasnodar Krai]]
* Sweden: Gelendzhik, [[Krasnodar Krai]]
* Switzerland: [[Tolyatti|Togliatti]], [[Samara Oblast]]
* Tunisia: Pervomayskoye, Moscow Oblast
* Uruguay: [[Bor, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast|Bor]], [[Nizhny Novgorod Oblast]]
{{end div col}}

==Preparation and costs==

===Budget===
[[File:Scale model of Volgograd Arena.jpg|thumb|Scale model of the [[Volgograd Arena]] whose construction began in 2015.]]
At an estimated cost of over $14.2&nbsp;billion {{as of|2018|June|lc=y}},<ref name="rbc" /> the 2018 FIFA event was the most expensive World Cup in history, surpassing the $11.6&nbsp;billion cost of the [[2014 FIFA World Cup]] in Brazil.<ref name="rbc" /><ref name="risen" />

The [[Russian government]] had originally earmarked a [[Federal budget of Russia|budget]] of around $20&nbsp;billion,<ref name="Vic6q" /> which was later slashed to $10&nbsp;billion, for World Cup preparations. Half was spent on transportation infrastructure.<ref name="Z3cgt" /> As part of the program to prepare for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, a federal sub-program—"Construction and Renovation of Transport Infrastructure"—was implemented with a total budget of ₽352.5&nbsp;billion (rubles), with ₽170.3&nbsp;billion coming from the federal budget, ₽35.1&nbsp;billion from regional budgets, and ₽147.1&nbsp;billion from investors.<ref name="znfNx" /> The biggest item of federal spending was the aviation infrastructure costing ₽117.8&nbsp;billion.<ref name="9ZAlZ" /> Construction of new hotels was a crucial area of infrastructure development in World Cup host cities. Costs continued to mount as preparations were underway.<ref name="risen" />

===Infrastructure spending===
[[Platov International Airport]] in [[Rostov-on-Don]] was upgraded with automated [[air traffic control]] systems. Modern surveillance, navigation, communication, control, and [[Meteorology|meteorological]] support systems were also installed.<ref name="gazeta" /> [[Koltsovo Airport]] in [[Yekaterinburg]] was upgraded with radio-engineering tools for flight operation and received a second runway. [[Saransk Airport]] received a new navigation system; two new hotels were constructed in the city—the Mercure Saransk Centre ([[Accor Hotels]]) and [[Four Points by Sheraton]] Saransk as well as few other smaller accommodation facilities.<ref name="JdcLw" /> In [[Samara]], new tram lines were laid.<ref name="V8Erd" /> [[Khrabrovo Airport]] in [[Kaliningrad]] was upgraded with radio navigation and weather equipment.<ref name="mESzC" /> Renovation and upgraded radio-engineering tools for flight operations was completed in the [[Myachkovo Airport|Moscow]], [[Pulkovo Airport|Saint Petersburg]], [[Volgograd International Airport|Volgograd]], [[Kurumoch International Airport|Samara]], Yekaterinburg, [[Kazan International Airport|Kazan]] and [[Sochi International Airport|Sochi]] airports.<ref name="gazeta" /> On 27 March, the [[Ministry of Construction, Housing and Utilities (Russia)|Russian Ministry of Construction Industry, Housing and Utilities Sector]] of reported that all communications within its area of responsibility had been commissioned. The last facility commissioned was a waste treatment station in Volgograd. In Yekaterinburg, where four matches were hosted, hosting costs increased to over ₽7.4&nbsp;billion, exceeding the ₽5.6&nbsp;billion rubles originally allocated from the [[Federal budget of Russia|state]] and regional budget.<ref name="KInKi" />

===Volunteers===
[[File:Bel-Tun (3).jpg|thumb|Volunteer flag bearers on the field prior to [[Belgium national football team|Belgium]]'s ''(flag depicted)'' group stage match against [[Tunisia national football team|Tunisia]]]]
Volunteer applications to the 2018 Russia Local Organising Committee opened on 1 June 2016. The 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Volunteer Program received about 177,000 applications,<ref name="JXqUb" /> and engaged a total of 35,000 volunteers.<ref name="IN3hW" /> They received training at 15 Volunteer Centres of the local organising committee based in 15 universities, and in volunteer centres in the host cities. Preference, especially in key areas, was given to those with knowledge of a foreign language and volunteering experience, but not necessarily to Russian nationals.<ref name="XKwek" />

===Transport===
Free [[public transport]] services were offered for ticketholders during the World Cup, including additional trains linking host cities, as well as services such as bus services within them.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" />

==Schedule==
[[File:До чемпионата мира по футболу 2018 года – 1000 дней 01.jpg|thumb|Launching of a 1,000 days countdown in Moscow]]
The full schedule was announced by FIFA on 24 July 2015 without kick-off times, which were confirmed later.<ref name="gC6kY" /><ref name="VK3vK" /> On 1 December 2017, following the final draw, FIFA adjusted six kick-off times.<ref name="schedule" /><ref name="j1dMP" />

Russia was placed in position A1 in the group stage and played in the opening match at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on 14 June against [[Saudi Arabia national football team|Saudi Arabia]], the two lowest-ranked teams of the tournament at the time of the final draw.<ref name="eklxQ" /> The Luzhniki Stadium also hosted the second semi-final on 11 July and the final on 15 July. The [[Krestovsky Stadium]] in Saint Petersburg hosted the first semi-final on 10 July and the third place play-off on 14 July.<ref name="HM6Yj" /><ref name="fifa20150320" />

==Opening ceremony==
{{main|2018 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony}}
[[File:Robbie Williams Aida Garifullina 2018 FIFA World Cup.jpg|thumb|right|Soprano [[Aida Garifullina]] and pop singer [[Robbie Williams]] singing "[[Angels (Robbie Williams song)|Angels]]" at the opening ceremony]]
The opening ceremony took place on Thursday, 14 June 2018, at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, preceding the [[2018 FIFA World Cup Group A#Russia vs Saudi Arabia|opening match of the tournament]] between hosts Russia and Saudi Arabia.<ref name="6DWCb" /><ref name="XP8Bx" />

At the start of the ceremony, Russian president [[Vladimir Putin]] gave a speech, welcoming the countries of the world to Russia and calling football a uniting force.<ref name="BBC 2018" /> Brazilian World Cup-winning striker [[Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer)|Ronaldo]] entered the stadium with a child in a Russia jersey.<ref name="BBC 2018" /> Pop singer [[Robbie Williams]] then sang two of his songs solo before he and Russian soprano [[Aida Garifullina]] performed a duet.<ref name="BBC 2018" /> Dancers dressed in the flags of the 32 competing teams appeared carrying a sign with the name of each nation.<ref name="BBC 2018" /> At the end of the ceremony Ronaldo reappeared with the official match ball which had returned from the [[International Space Station]] in early June.<ref name="BBC 2018" />

Young participants of the international children's social programme [[Football for Friendship]] from 211 countries and regions took part in the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup at the Luzhniki stadium.<ref>{{cite web|title=211 countries and regions take part in the Sixth International Football for Friendship Children's Forum|url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/211-countries-and-regions-took-part-in-the-sixth-international-football-for-frie|access-date=15 November 2020|website=FIFA.com|publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association|language=en-GB|archive-date=10 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410102651/https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/211-countries-and-regions-took-part-in-the-sixth-international-football-for-frie|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Group stage==
Competing countries were divided into eight groups of four teams (groups A to H). Teams in each group played one another in a [[round-robin tournament|round-robin]], with the top two teams advancing to the [[#Knockout stage|knockout stage]]. Ten European teams and four South American teams progressed to the knockout stage, together with Japan and Mexico.

For the first time since [[1938 FIFA World Cup|1938]], Germany, the reigning champions, were eliminated in the first round. This was the third consecutive tournament in which the holders were eliminated in the first round, after Italy in [[2010 FIFA World Cup|2010]] and Spain in [[2014 FIFA World Cup|2014]]. No African team progressed to the second round for the first time since [[1982 FIFA World Cup|1982]]. The fair play criteria came into use for the first time when Japan qualified over Senegal because the team had received fewer yellow cards. Only one match, France versus Denmark, was goalless. Until then there were a record 36 straight games in which at least one goal was scored.<ref name="MZF7F" /> All times listed below are [[Time in Russia|local time]].<ref name="schedule" />

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|-
! {{Anchor|Tiebreakers}} Tie-breaking criteria for group play
|-
|The ranking of teams in the group stage was determined as follows:<ref name="regulations"/><ref name="EpjI3" />

# Points obtained in all group matches;
# Goal difference in all group matches;
# Number of goals scored in all group matches;
# Points obtained in the matches played between the teams in question;
# Goal difference in the matches played between the teams in question;
# Number of goals scored in the matches played between the teams in question;
# Fair play points in all group matches (only one deduction could be applied to a player in a single match): {{unordered list
 | Yellow card: −1 points;
 | Indirect red card (second yellow card): −3 points;
 | Direct red card: −4 points;
 | Yellow card and direct red card: −5 points;
 }}
# Drawing of lots.
|}

===Group A===
{{Main|2018 FIFA World Cup Group A}}
[[File:2018 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony (2018-06-14) 15.jpg|thumb|[[Pre-game ceremony|Pre-match ceremony]] prior to the opening game, Russia v Saudi Arabia]]
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group A|transcludesection=standings}}
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group A|transcludesection=a1}}
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group A|transcludesection=a2}}
----
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group A|transcludesection=a3}}
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group A|transcludesection=a4}}
----
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group A|transcludesection=a5}}
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group A|transcludesection=a6}}

===Group B===
{{Main|2018 FIFA World Cup Group B}}
[[File:Iran and Portugal match at the FIFA World Cup 2018 3.jpg|thumb|Iran v Portugal]]
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group B|transcludesection=standings}}
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group B|transcludesection=b1}}
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group B|transcludesection=b2}}
----
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group B|transcludesection=b3}}
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group B|transcludesection=b4}}
----
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group B|transcludesection=b5}}
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group B|transcludesection=b6}}

===Group C===
{{Main|2018 FIFA World Cup Group C}}
[[File:Робби Круз 2018.jpg|thumb|Australia v Peru]]
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group C|transcludesection=standings}}
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group C|transcludesection=c1}}
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group C|transcludesection=c2}}
----
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group C|transcludesection=c3}}
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group C|transcludesection=c4}}
----
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group C|transcludesection=c5}}
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group C|transcludesection=c6}}

===Group D===
{{Main|2018 FIFA World Cup Group D}}
[[File:ISL-HRV (9).jpg|thumb|Iceland v Croatia]]
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group D|transcludesection=standings}}
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group D|transcludesection=d1}}
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group D|transcludesection=d2}}
----
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group D|transcludesection=d3}}
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group D|transcludesection=d4}}
----
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group D|transcludesection=d5}}
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group D|transcludesection=d6}}

===Group E===
{{Main|2018 FIFA World Cup Group E}}
[[File:Bra-Cos (7).jpg|thumb|upright|Brazil v Costa Rica]]
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group E|transcludesection=standings}}
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group E|transcludesection=e1}}
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group E|transcludesection=e2}}
----
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group E|transcludesection=e3}}
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group E|transcludesection=e4}}
----
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group E|transcludesection=e5}}
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group E|transcludesection=e6}}

===Group F===
{{Main|2018 FIFA World Cup Group F}}
[[File:Ger-Mex (16).jpg|thumb|upright|Germany v Mexico]]
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group F|transcludesection=standings}}
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group F|transcludesection=f1}}
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group F|transcludesection=f2}}
----
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group F|transcludesection=f3}}
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group F|transcludesection=f4}}
----
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group F|transcludesection=f5}}
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group F|transcludesection=f6}}

===Group G===
{{Main|2018 FIFA World Cup Group G}}
[[File:Bel-Tun (6).jpg|thumb|Belgium v Tunisia]]
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group G|transcludesection=standings}}
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group G|transcludesection=g1}}
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group G|transcludesection=g2}}
----
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group G|transcludesection=g3}}
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group G|transcludesection=g4}}
----
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group G|transcludesection=g5}}
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group G|transcludesection=g6}}

===Group H===
{{Main|2018 FIFA World Cup Group H}}
[[File:JAP-POL (13).jpg|thumb|upright|Japan v Poland]]
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group H|transcludesection=standings}}
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group H|transcludesection=h1}}
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group H|transcludesection=h2}}
----
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group H|transcludesection=h3}}
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group H|transcludesection=h4}}
----
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group H|transcludesection=h5}}
{{:2018 FIFA World Cup Group H|transcludesection=h6}}

==Knockout stage==
{{Main|2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage}}
[[File:Модрич против Дзюбы ЧМ по футболу 2018.jpg|thumb|Russia v Croatia]]
In the knockout stages, if a match was level at the end of normal playing time, [[Overtime (Association football)|extra time]] was played (two periods of 15 minutes each) and followed, if necessary, by a [[Penalty shoot-out (association football)|penalty shoot-out]] to determine the winners.<ref name="regulations"/> If a match went into extra time, each team was allowed to make a fourth substitution, the first time this had been allowed in a FIFA World Cup tournament.<ref name="fifa_20180316" /> Below is the bracket for the knockout round of the tournament, teams in bold denote match winners.<ref name="fifa_20180316" />

===Bracket===
{{#lst:2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage|bracket}}

===Round of 16===

{{#lst:2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage|r16-1}}
----
{{#lst:2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage|r16-2}}
----
{{#lst:2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage|r16-3}}
----
{{#lst:2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage|r16-4}}
----
{{#lst:2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage|r16-5}}
----
{{#lst:2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage|r16-6}}
----
{{#lst:2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage|r16-7}}
----
{{#lst:2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage|r16-8}}

===Quarter-finals===
{{#lst:2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage|qf1}}
----
{{#lst:2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage|qf2}}
----
{{#lst:2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage|qf3}}
----
{{#lst:2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage|qf4}}

===Semi-finals===
{{#lst:2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage|sf1}}
----
{{#lst:2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage|sf2}}

===Third place play-off===
{{#lst:2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage|tpp}}

===Final===
{{Main|2018 FIFA World Cup final}}
{{#lst:2018 FIFA World Cup Final|final}}

==Statistics==
===Goalscorers===
{{Goalscorers
|goals=169 |matches=64
|extra=Twelve own goals were scored during the tournament, doubling the record of six set in [[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/mandzukic-makes-world-cup-history-with-own-goal-against/17lh7abqwoyzc1xmm2qcz78gsv |title=Mandzukic makes World Cup history with own goal against France in Russia 2018 final |last=Kelly |first=Ryan |publisher=Goal.com |date=15 July 2018 |access-date=16 July 2018 |archive-date=15 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180715182221/http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/mandzukic-makes-world-cup-history-with-own-goal-against/17lh7abqwoyzc1xmm2qcz78gsv |url-status=live }}</ref>
Goals scored from penalty shoot-outs are not counted towards an individual player's goal count.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/news/when-own-goals-don-really-count-71928 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608193731/https://www.fifa.com/news/when-own-goals-don-really-count-71928 |archive-date=June 8, 2019 |title=When Own Goals Don't Really Count |website=FIFA.com |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association |access-date=16 April 2021}}</ref>
|source=FIFA<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/russia2018/statistics/players/goal-scored |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200224035343/https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/russia2018/statistics/players/goal-scored |archive-date=February 24, 2020 |title=Players: Goals scored |website=FIFA.com |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association |access-date=24 June 2018}}</ref>

|6 goals=
*{{fbicon|ENG}} [[Harry Kane]]

|4 goals=
*{{fbicon|BEL}} [[Romelu Lukaku]]
*{{fbicon|FRA|1974}} [[Antoine Griezmann]]
*{{fbicon|FRA|1974}} [[Kylian Mbappé]]
*{{fbicon|POR}} [[Cristiano Ronaldo]]
*{{fbicon|RUS}} [[Denis Cheryshev]]

|3 goals=
*{{fbicon|BEL}} [[Eden Hazard]]
*{{fbicon|COL}} [[Yerry Mina]]
*{{fbicon|CRO}} [[Mario Mandžukić]]
*{{fbicon|CRO}} [[Ivan Perišić]]
*{{fbicon|RUS}} [[Artem Dzyuba]]
*{{fbicon|ESP}} [[Diego Costa]]
*{{fbicon|URU}} [[Edinson Cavani]]

|2 goals=
*{{fbicon|ARG}} [[Sergio Agüero]]
*{{fbicon|AUS}} [[Mile Jedinak]]
*{{fbicon|BRA}} [[Philippe Coutinho]]
*{{fbicon|BRA}} [[Neymar]]
*{{fbicon|CRO}} [[Luka Modrić]]
*{{fbicon|EGY}} [[Mohamed Salah]]
*{{fbicon|ENG}} [[John Stones]]
*{{fbicon|JPN}} [[Takashi Inui]]
*{{fbicon|NGA}} [[Ahmed Musa]]
*{{fbicon|KOR}} [[Son Heung-min]]
*{{fbicon|SWE}} [[Andreas Granqvist]]
*{{fbicon|TUN}} [[Wahbi Khazri]]
*{{fbicon|URU}} [[Luis Suárez]]

|1 goal=
*{{fbicon|ARG}} [[Ángel Di María]]
*{{fbicon|ARG}} [[Gabriel Mercado]]
*{{fbicon|ARG}} [[Lionel Messi]]
*{{fbicon|ARG}} [[Marcos Rojo]]
*{{fbicon|BEL}} [[Michy Batshuayi]]
*{{fbicon|BEL}} [[Nacer Chadli]]
*{{fbicon|BEL}} [[Kevin De Bruyne]]
*{{fbicon|BEL}} [[Marouane Fellaini]]
*{{fbicon|BEL}} [[Adnan Januzaj]]
*{{fbicon|BEL}} [[Dries Mertens]]
*{{fbicon|BEL}} [[Thomas Meunier]]
*{{fbicon|BEL}} [[Jan Vertonghen]]
*{{fbicon|BRA}} [[Roberto Firmino]]
*{{fbicon|BRA}} [[Paulinho (footballer, born July 1988)|Paulinho]]
*{{fbicon|BRA}} [[Renato Augusto]]
*{{fbicon|BRA}} [[Thiago Silva]]
*{{fbicon|COL}} [[Juan Cuadrado]]
*{{fbicon|COL}} [[Radamel Falcao]]
*{{fbicon|COL}} [[Juan Fernando Quintero]]
*{{fbicon|CRC}} [[Kendall Waston]]
*{{fbicon|CRO}} [[Milan Badelj]]
*{{fbicon|CRO}} [[Andrej Kramarić]]
*{{fbicon|CRO}} [[Ivan Rakitić]]
*{{fbicon|CRO}} [[Ante Rebić]]
*{{fbicon|CRO}} [[Domagoj Vida]]
*{{fbicon|DEN}} [[Christian Eriksen]]
*{{fbicon|DEN}} [[Mathias Jørgensen]]
*{{fbicon|DEN}} [[Yussuf Poulsen]]
*{{fbicon|ENG}} [[Dele Alli]]
*{{fbicon|ENG}} [[Jesse Lingard]]
*{{fbicon|ENG}} [[Harry Maguire]]
*{{fbicon|ENG}} [[Kieran Trippier]]
*{{fbicon|FRA|1974}} [[Benjamin Pavard]]
*{{fbicon|FRA|1974}} [[Paul Pogba]]
*{{fbicon|FRA|1974}} [[Samuel Umtiti]]
*{{fbicon|FRA|1974}} [[Raphaël Varane]]
*{{fbicon|GER}} [[Toni Kroos]]
*{{fbicon|GER}} [[Marco Reus]]
*{{fbicon|ISL}} [[Alfreð Finnbogason]]
*{{fbicon|ISL}} [[Gylfi Sigurðsson]]
*{{fbicon|IRN}} [[Karim Ansarifard]]
*{{fbicon|JPN}} [[Genki Haraguchi]]
*{{fbicon|JPN}} [[Keisuke Honda]]
*{{fbicon|JPN}} [[Shinji Kagawa]]
*{{fbicon|JPN}} [[Yuya Osako]]
*{{fbicon|MEX}} [[Javier Hernández]]
*{{fbicon|MEX}} [[Hirving Lozano]]
*{{fbicon|MEX}} [[Carlos Vela]]
*{{fbicon|MAR}} [[Khalid Boutaïb]]
*{{fbicon|MAR}} [[Youssef En-Nesyri]]
*{{fbicon|NGA}} [[Victor Moses]]
*{{fbicon|PAN}} [[Felipe Baloy]]
*{{fbicon|PER}} [[André Carrillo]]
*{{fbicon|PER}} [[Paolo Guerrero]]
*{{fbicon|POL}} [[Jan Bednarek (footballer)|Jan Bednarek]]
*{{fbicon|POL}} [[Grzegorz Krychowiak]]
*{{fbicon|POR}} [[Pepe (footballer, born 1983)|Pepe]]
*{{fbicon|POR}} [[Ricardo Quaresma]]
*{{fbicon|RUS}} [[Mário Fernandes (footballer)|Mário Fernandes]]
*{{fbicon|RUS}} [[Yury Gazinsky]]
*{{fbicon|RUS}} [[Aleksandr Golovin (footballer)|Aleksandr Golovin]]
*{{fbicon|KSA}} [[Salem Al-Dawsari]]
*{{fbicon|KSA}} [[Salman Al-Faraj]]
*{{fbicon|SEN}} [[Sadio Mané]]
*{{fbicon|SEN}} [[M'Baye Niang]]
*{{fbicon|SEN}} [[Moussa Wagué]]
*{{fbicon|SRB}} [[Aleksandar Kolarov]]
*{{fbicon|SRB}} [[Aleksandar Mitrović]]
*{{fbicon|KOR}} [[Kim Young-gwon]]
*{{fbicon|ESP}} [[Iago Aspas]]
*{{fbicon|ESP}} [[Isco]]
*{{fbicon|ESP}} [[Nacho (footballer, born 1990)|Nacho]]
*{{fbicon|SWE}} [[Ludwig Augustinsson]]
*{{fbicon|SWE}} [[Emil Forsberg]]
*{{fbicon|SWE}} [[Ola Toivonen]]
*{{fbicon|SUI}} [[Josip Drmić]]
*{{fbicon|SUI}} [[Blerim Džemaili]]
*{{fbicon|SUI}} [[Xherdan Shaqiri]]
*{{fbicon|SUI}} [[Granit Xhaka]]
*{{fbicon|SUI}} [[Steven Zuber]]
*{{fbicon|TUN}} [[Dylan Bronn]]
*{{fbicon|TUN}} [[Ferjani Sassi]]
*{{fbicon|TUN}} [[Fakhreddine Ben Youssef]]
*{{fbicon|URU}} [[José Giménez]]

|1 own goal=
*{{fbicon|AUS}} [[Aziz Behich]] (against France)
*{{fbicon|BRA}} [[Fernandinho (footballer, born May 1985)|Fernandinho]] (against Belgium)
*{{fbicon|CRO}} [[Mario Mandžukić]] (against France)
*{{fbicon|EGY}} [[Ahmed Fathy]] (against Russia)
*{{fbicon|MEX}} [[Edson Álvarez]] (against Sweden)
*{{fbicon|MAR}} [[Aziz Bouhaddouz]] (against Iran)
*{{fbicon|NGA}} [[Peter Etebo]] (against Croatia)
*{{fbicon|POL}} [[Thiago Cionek]] (against Senegal)
*{{fbicon|RUS}} [[Denis Cheryshev]] (against Uruguay)
*{{fbicon|RUS}} [[Sergei Ignashevich]] (against Spain)
*{{fbicon|SUI}} [[Yann Sommer]] (against Costa Rica)
*{{fbicon|TUN}} [[Yassine Meriah]] (against Panama)
}}

===Discipline===

In total, only four players were sent off in the entire tournament, the fewest since [[1978 FIFA World Cup|1978]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.espn.co.uk/football/fifa-world-cup/4/blog/post/3567494/fifa-world-cup-by-the-numbers-most-goals-in-the-knockoutspogba-first-ever-united-player-to-score-in-final |title=World Cup by the numbers - 169 goals, 29 penalties, 10 late winners, 4 red cards |publisher=ESPN |date=16 July 2018 |access-date=17 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180717165744/http://www.espn.co.uk/football/fifa-world-cup/4/blog/post/3567494/fifa-world-cup-by-the-numbers-most-goals-in-the-knockoutspogba-first-ever-united-player-to-score-in-final |archive-date=17 July 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[International Football Association Board]] technical director [[David Elleray]] stated a belief that this was due to the introduction of [[Video Assistant Referee|VAR]], since players would know that they would not be able to get away with anything under the new system.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-cup/2018/06/17/var-credited-cleaning-world-cup-no-red-cards-nine-games/ |title=VAR effect results in cleanest World Cup since 1986 after no red cards are issued in opening 11 games |work=The Telegraph |date=17 June 2018 |access-date=17 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618084905/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-cup/2018/06/17/var-credited-cleaning-world-cup-no-red-cards-nine-games/ |archive-date=18 June 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>

A player is automatically suspended for the next match for the following offences:<ref name="regulations">{{cite web |url=https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/74fabee6a36ad3b2/original/ejmfg94ac7hypl9zmsys-pdf.pdf |title=Regulations – 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia |publisher=FIFA |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170712134322/http://resources.fifa.com/mm/document/tournament/competition/02/84/35/19/regulationsfwc2018en_neutral.pdf |archive-date=12 July 2017}}</ref>
* Receiving a red card (red card suspensions may be extended for serious offences)
* Receiving two yellow cards in two matches; yellow cards expire after the completion of the quarter-finals (yellow card suspensions are not carried forward to any other future international matches)

The following suspensions were served during the tournament:

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Player
! Offence(s)
! Suspension(s)
|-
| {{fbicon|COL}} [[Carlos Sánchez Moreno|Carlos Sánchez]]
| {{sent off|0}} in [[2018 FIFA World Cup Group H#Colombia vs Japan|Group H]] vs [[Japan national football team|Japan]] (matchday 1; 19 June)
| [[2018 FIFA World Cup Group H#Poland vs Colombia|Group H]] vs [[Poland national football team|Poland]] (matchday 2; 24 June)
|-
| {{fbicon|DEN}} [[Yussuf Poulsen]]
| {{yel}} in [[2018 FIFA World Cup Group C#Peru vs Denmark|Group C]] vs [[Peru national football team|Peru]] (matchday 1; 16 June)<br />{{yel}} in [[2018 FIFA World Cup Group C#Denmark vs Australia|Group C]] vs [[Australia men's national soccer team|Australia]] (matchday 2; 21 June)
| [[2018 FIFA World Cup Group C#Denmark vs France|Group C]] vs [[France national football team|France]] (matchday 3; 26 June)
|-
| {{fbicon|GER}} [[Jérôme Boateng]]
| {{sent off|2}} in [[2018 FIFA World Cup Group F#Germany vs Sweden|Group F]] vs [[Sweden men's national football team|Sweden]] (matchday 2; 23 June)
| [[2018 FIFA World Cup Group F#South Korea vs Germany|Group F]] vs [[South Korea national football team|South Korea]] (matchday 3; 27 June)
|-
| {{fbicon|PAN}} [[Armando Cooper]]
| {{yel}} in [[2018 FIFA World Cup Group G#Belgium vs Panama|Group G]] vs [[Belgium national football team|Belgium]] (matchday 1; 18 June)<br />{{yel}} in [[2018 FIFA World Cup Group G#England vs Panama|Group G]] vs [[England national football team|England]] (matchday 2; 24 June)
| [[2018 FIFA World Cup Group G#Panama vs Tunisia|Group G]] vs [[Tunisia national football team|Tunisia]] (matchday 3; 28 June)
|-
| {{fbicon|PAN}} [[Michael Amir Murillo]]
| {{yel}} in [[2018 FIFA World Cup Group G#Belgium vs Panama|Group G]] vs [[Belgium national football team|Belgium]] (matchday 1; 18 June)<br />{{yel}} in [[2018 FIFA World Cup Group G#England vs Panama|Group G]] vs [[England national football team|England]] (matchday 2; 24 June)
| [[2018 FIFA World Cup Group G#Panama vs Tunisia|Group G]] vs [[Tunisia national football team|Tunisia]] (matchday 3; 28 June)
|-
| {{fbicon|RUS}} [[Igor Smolnikov]]
| {{sent off|2}} in [[2018 FIFA World Cup Group A#Uruguay vs Russia|Group A]] vs [[Uruguay national football team|Uruguay]] (matchday 3; 25 June)
| [[2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage#Spain vs Russia|Round of 16]] vs [[Spain national football team|Spain]] (1 July)
|-
| {{fbicon|SWE}} [[Sebastian Larsson]]
| {{yel}} in [[2018 FIFA World Cup Group F#Germany vs Sweden|Group F]] vs [[Germany national football team|Germany]] (matchday 2; 23 June)<br />{{yel}} in [[2018 FIFA World Cup Group F#Sweden vs Mexico|Group F]] vs [[Mexico national football team|Mexico]] (matchday 3; 27 June)
| [[2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage#Sweden vs Switzerland|Round of 16]] vs [[Switzerland national football team|Switzerland]] (3 July)
|-
| {{fbicon|MEX}} [[Héctor Moreno]]
| {{yel}} in [[2018 FIFA World Cup Group F#Germany vs Mexico|Group F]] vs [[Germany national football team|Germany]] (matchday 1; 17 June)<br />{{yel}} in [[2018 FIFA World Cup Group F#Sweden vs Mexico|Group F]] vs [[Sweden men's national football team|Sweden]] (matchday 3; 27 June)
| [[2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage#Brazil vs Mexico|Round of 16]] vs [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]] (2 July)
|-
| {{fbicon|SUI}} [[Stephan Lichtsteiner]]
| {{yel}} in [[2018 FIFA World Cup Group E#Brazil vs Switzerland|Group E]] vs [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]] (matchday 1; 17 June)<br />{{yel}} in [[2018 FIFA World Cup Group E#Switzerland vs Costa Rica|Group E]] vs [[Costa Rica national football team|Costa Rica]] (matchday 3; 27 June)
| [[2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage#Sweden vs Switzerland|Round of 16]] vs [[Sweden men's national football team|Sweden]] (3 July)
|-
| {{fbicon|SUI}} [[Fabian Schär]]
| {{yel}} in [[2018 FIFA World Cup Group E#Brazil vs Switzerland|Group E]] vs [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]] (matchday 1; 17 June)<br />{{yel}} in [[2018 FIFA World Cup Group E#Switzerland vs Costa Rica|Group E]] vs [[Costa Rica national football team|Costa Rica]] (matchday 3; 27 June)
| [[2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage#Sweden vs Switzerland|Round of 16]] vs [[Sweden men's national football team|Sweden]] (3 July)
|-
| {{fbicon|FRA|1974}} [[Blaise Matuidi]]
| {{yel}} in [[2018 FIFA World Cup Group C#France vs Peru|Group C]] vs [[Peru national football team|Peru]] (matchday 2; 21 June)<br />{{yel}} in [[2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage#France vs Argentina|Round of 16]] vs [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]] (30 June)
| [[2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage#Uruguay vs France|Quarter-finals]] vs [[Uruguay national football team|Uruguay]] (6 July)
|-
| {{fbicon|BRA}} [[Casemiro]]
| {{yel}} in [[2018 FIFA World Cup Group E#Brazil vs Switzerland|Group E]] vs [[Switzerland national football team|Switzerland]] (matchday 1; 17 June)<br />{{yel}} in [[2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage#Brazil vs Mexico|Round of 16]] vs [[Mexico national football team|Mexico]] (2 July)
| [[2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage#Brazil vs Belgium|Quarter-finals]] vs [[Belgium national football team|Belgium]] (6 July)
|-
| {{fbicon|SWE}} [[Mikael Lustig]]
| {{yel}} in [[2018 FIFA World Cup Group F#Sweden vs Mexico|Group F]] vs [[Mexico national football team|Mexico]] (matchday 3; 27 June)<br />{{yel}} in [[2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage#Sweden vs Switzerland|Round of 16]] vs [[Switzerland national football team|Switzerland]] (3 July)
| [[2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage#Sweden vs England|Quarter-finals]] vs [[England national football team|England]] (7 July)
|-
| {{fbicon|SUI}} [[Michael Lang (footballer, born 1991)|Michael Lang]]
| {{sent off|0}} in [[2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage#Sweden vs Switzerland|Round of 16]] vs [[Sweden men's national football team|Sweden]] (3 July)
| ''Suspension served outside tournament''
|-
| {{fbicon|BEL}} [[Thomas Meunier]]
| {{yel}} in [[2018 FIFA World Cup Group G#Belgium vs Panama|Group G]] vs [[Panama national football team|Panama]] (matchday 1; 18 June)<br />{{yel}} in [[2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage#Brazil vs Belgium|Quarter-finals]] vs [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]] (6 July)
| [[2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage#France vs Belgium|Semi-finals]] vs [[France national football team|France]] (10 July)
|}


==Final standings==
Per statistical convention in football, matches decided in [[extra time (association football)|extra time]] are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by [[penalty shoot-out (association football)|penalty shoot-outs]] are counted as draws.<ref name=technicalreport>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/mm/document/footballdevelopment/technicalsupport/02/42/15/40/2014fwc_tsg_report_15082014_neutral.pdf |title=2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Technical Report and Statistics |page=151 |work=FIFA.com |access-date=13 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915095404/https://www.fifa.com/mm/document/footballdevelopment/technicalsupport/02/42/15/40/2014fwc_tsg_report_15082014_neutral.pdf |archive-date=15 September 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[File:2018 world cup.png|thumb|upright=2.05]]

{{clear}}
{{Fb cl3 header navbar|p=yes|group=yes|no-extras=yes|fs=95}}
{{Fb cl3 team|p=1  |t={{fb|FRA}} |gr=[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group C|C]] |no-extras=yes |bc=gold
|w=6 |d=1 |l=0 |gf=14 |ga=6  }}
{{Fb cl3 team|p=2  |t={{fb|CRO}} |gr=[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group D|D]] |no-extras=yes |bc=silver
|w=4 |d=2 |l=1 |gf=14  |ga=9  }}
{{Fb cl3 team|p=3  |t={{fb|BEL}} |gr=[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group G|G]] |no-extras=yes |bc=#c96
|w=6 |d=0 |l=1 |gf=16 |ga=6  }}
{{Fb cl3 team|p=4  |t={{fb|ENG}} |gr=[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group G|G]] |no-extras=yes |bc=
|w=3 |d=1 |l=3 |gf=12 |ga=8 }}
|-
|colspan="11"|'''Eliminated in the quarter-finals'''
|-
{{Fb cl3 team|p=5  |t={{fb|URU}} |gr=[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group A|A]] |no-extras=yes
|w=4 |d=0 |l=1 |gf=7 |ga=3  }}
{{Fb cl3 team|p=6  |t={{fb|BRA}} |gr=[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group E|E]] |no-extras=yes
|w=3 |d=1 |l=1 |gf=8  |ga=3  }}
{{Fb cl3 team|p=7  |t={{fb|SWE}} |gr=[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group F|F]] |no-extras=yes
|w=3 |d=0 |l=2 |gf=6 |ga=4  }}
{{Fb cl3 team|p=8  |t={{fb|RUS}} |gr=[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group A|A]] |no-extras=yes
|w=2 |d=2 |l=1 |gf=11  |ga=7  }}
|-
|colspan="11"|'''Eliminated in the round of 16'''
|-
{{Fb cl3 team|p=9  |t={{fb|COL}} |gr=[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group H|H]] |no-extras=yes
|w=2 |d=1 |l=1 |gf=6  |ga=3  }}
{{Fb cl3 team|p=10 |t={{fb|SPA}} |gr=[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group B|B]] |no-extras=yes
|w=1 |d=3 |l=0 |gf=7  |ga=6  }}
{{Fb cl3 team|p=11 |t={{fb|DEN}} |gr=[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group C|C]] |no-extras=yes
|w=1 |d=3 |l=0 |gf=3  |ga=2  }}
{{Fb cl3 team|p=12 |t={{fb|MEX}} |gr=[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group F|F]] |no-extras=yes
|w=2 |d=0 |l=2 |gf=3  |ga=6  }}
{{Fb cl3 team|p=13 |t={{fb|POR}} |gr=[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group B|B]] |no-extras=yes
|w=1 |d=2 |l=1 |gf=6  |ga=6  }}
{{Fb cl3 team|p=14 |t={{fb|SUI}} |gr=[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group E|E]] |no-extras=yes
|w=1 |d=2 |l=1 |gf=5  |ga=5  }}
{{Fb cl3 team|p=15 |t={{fb|JAP}} |gr=[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group H|H]] |no-extras=yes
|w=1 |d=1 |l=2 |gf=6  |ga=7  }}
{{Fb cl3 team|p=16 |t={{fb|ARG}} |gr=[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group D|D]] |no-extras=yes
|w=1 |d=1 |l=2 |gf=6  |ga=9  }}
|-
|colspan="11"|'''Eliminated in the group stage'''
|-
{{Fb cl3 team|p=17 |t={{fb|SEN}} |gr=[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group H|H]] |no-extras=yes
|w=1 |d=1 |l=1 |gf=4  |ga=4  }}
{{Fb cl3 team|p=18 |t={{fb|IRN}} |gr=[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group B|B]] |no-extras=yes
|w=1 |d=1 |l=1 |gf=2  |ga=2  }}
{{Fb cl3 team|p=19 |t={{fb|KOR}} |gr=[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group F|F]] |no-extras=yes
|w=1 |d=0 |l=2 |gf=3  |ga=3  }}
{{Fb cl3 team|p=20 |t={{fb|PER}} |gr=[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group C|C]] |no-extras=yes
|w=1 |d=0 |l=2 |gf=2  |ga=2  }}
{{Fb cl3 team|p=21 |t={{fb|NGA}} |gr=[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group D|D]] |no-extras=yes
|w=1 |d=0 |l=2 |gf=3  |ga=4  }}
{{Fb cl3 team|p=22 |t={{fb|GER}} |gr=[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group F|F]] |no-extras=yes
|w=1 |d=0 |l=2 |gf=2  |ga=4  }}
{{Fb cl3 team|p=23 |t={{fb|SRB}} |gr=[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group E|E]] |no-extras=yes
|w=1 |d=0 |l=2 |gf=2  |ga=4  }}
{{Fb cl3 team|p=24 |t={{fb|TUN}} |gr=[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group G|G]] |no-extras=yes
|w=1 |d=0 |l=2 |gf=5  |ga=8  }}
{{Fb cl3 team|p=25 |t={{fb|POL}} |gr=[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group H|H]] |no-extras=yes
|w=1 |d=0 |l=2 |gf=2  |ga=5  }}
{{Fb cl3 team|p=26 |t={{fb|KSA}} |gr=[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group A|A]] |no-extras=yes
|w=1 |d=0 |l=2 |gf=2  |ga=7  }}
{{Fb cl3 team|p=27 |t={{fb|MAR}} |gr=[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group B|B]] |no-extras=yes
|w=0 |d=1 |l=2 |gf=2  |ga=4  }}
{{Fb cl3 team|p=28 |t={{fb|ISL}} |gr=[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group D|D]] |no-extras=yes
|w=0 |d=1 |l=2 |gf=2  |ga=5  }}
{{Fb cl3 team|p=29 |t={{fb|CRC}} |gr=[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group E|E]] |no-extras=yes
|w=0 |d=1 |l=2 |gf=2  |ga=5  }}
{{Fb cl3 team|p=30 |t={{fb|AUS}} |gr=[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group C|C]] |no-extras=yes
|w=0 |d=1 |l=2 |gf=2  |ga=5  }}
{{Fb cl3 team|p=31 |t={{fb|EGY}} |gr=[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group A|A]] |no-extras=yes
|w=0 |d=0 |l=3 |gf=2  |ga=6  }}
{{Fb cl3 team|p=32 |t={{fb|PAN}} |gr=[[2018 FIFA World Cup Group G|G]] |no-extras=yes
|w=0 |d=0 |l=3 |gf=2  |ga=11  }}
|}

==Awards==
[[File:Luka Modrić receives the golden ball prize at the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin.jpg|thumb|[[Luka Modrić]] accepting the [[Golden Ball (FIFA Club World Cup)|Golden Ball award]] from [[Vladimir Putin]]]]
[[File:Kylian Mbappé receives the best young player award at the 2018 Football World Cup Russia.jpg|thumb|right|[[Kylian Mbappé]] receiving the World Cup best young player award from [[Emmanuel Macron]]]]The following [[FIFA World Cup awards|awards]] were given at the conclusion of the tournament. The Golden Boot (top scorer), Golden Ball (best overall player) and Golden Glove (best goalkeeper) awards were all sponsored by [[Adidas]].<ref name="awards" />

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!scope=col style="background-color: gold" | [[FIFA World Cup Golden Ball|Golden Ball]]
!scope=col style="background-color: silver" | Silver Ball
!scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | Bronze Ball
|-
|{{fbicon|CRO}} [[Luka Modrić]]
|{{fbicon|BEL}} [[Eden Hazard]]
|{{fbicon|FRA|1974}} [[Antoine Griezmann]]
|-
!scope=col style="background-color: gold" | [[FIFA World Cup Golden Boot|Golden Boot]]
!scope=col style="background-color: silver" | Silver Boot
!scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | Bronze Boot
|-
|{{fbicon|ENG}} [[Harry Kane]]<br />(6 goals, 0 assists)
|{{fbicon|FRA|1974}} [[Antoine Griezmann]]<br />(4 goals, 2 assists)
|{{fbicon|BEL}} [[Romelu Lukaku]]<br />(4 goals, 1 assist)
|-
!colspan="3"|Golden Glove
|-
|colspan="3"|{{fbicon|BEL}} [[Thibaut Courtois]]
|-
!colspan="3"|FIFA Young Player Award
|-
|colspan="3"|{{fbicon|FRA}} [[Kylian Mbappé]]
|-
!colspan="3"|FIFA Fair Play Trophy
|-
|colspan="3"|{{fb|ESP}}
|}
===Dream Team===
The users of FIFA.com elected their Fan Dream Team.<ref name="aPQSH" /><ref name="zpPjW" />

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! style="width:25%;" | Goalkeeper
! style="width:25%;" | Defenders
! style="width:25%;" | Midfielders
! style="width:25%;" | Forwards
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| {{fbicon|BEL}} [[Thibaut Courtois]]
| {{fbicon|BRA}} [[Marcelo (footballer, born 1988)|Marcelo]]<br />{{fbicon|BRA}} [[Thiago Silva]]<br />{{fbicon|FRA|1974}} [[Raphaël Varane]]<br />{{fbicon|URU}} [[Diego Godín]]
| {{fbicon|BEL}} [[Kevin De Bruyne]]<br />{{fbicon|BRA}} [[Philippe Coutinho]]<br />{{fbicon|CRO}} [[Luka Modrić]]
| {{fbicon|ENG}} [[Harry Kane]]<br />{{fbicon|FRA|1974}} [[Kylian Mbappé]]<br />{{fbicon|POR}} [[Cristiano Ronaldo]]
|}

Additionally, FIFA.com shortlisted 18 goals for users to vote on as the tournament's best.<ref name="Tqu6G" /> The poll closed on 23 July. The award was sponsored by [[Hyundai Group|Hyundai]].<ref name="UQTSx" />

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!colspan="4"|Goal of the Tournament
|-
!Goalscorer
!Opponent
!Score
!Round
|-
|{{fbicon|FRA|1974}} [[Benjamin Pavard]]
|{{fb|ARG}}
|'''2'''–2
|[[2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage#France vs Argentina|Round of 16]]
|}

===All-Star Team===
FIFA published an [[FIFA World Cup awards#All-Star Team|All-Star Team]], this year called the ''Fantasy Team'', based on player performances evaluated through statistical data.<ref name="DlhH0" />

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! style="width:25%;" | Goalkeeper
! style="width:25%;" | Defenders
! style="width:25%;" | Midfielders
! style="width:25%;" | Forwards
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| {{fbicon|BEL}} [[Thibaut Courtois]]
| {{fbicon|SWE}} [[Andreas Granqvist]]<br />{{fbicon|BRA}} [[Thiago Silva]]<br />{{fbicon|FRA|1974}} [[Raphaël Varane]]<br />{{fbicon|COL}} [[Yerry Mina]]
| {{fbicon|RUS}} [[Denis Cheryshev]]<br />{{fbicon|BRA}} [[Philippe Coutinho]]<br />{{fbicon|CRO}} [[Luka Modrić]]
| {{fbicon|ENG}} [[Harry Kane]]<br />{{fbicon|FRA|1974}} [[Antoine Griezmann]]<br />{{fbicon|BEL}} [[Eden Hazard]]
|}

===Prize money===
Prize money amounts were announced in October 2017.<ref name="FimSH" />

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Position
! colspan="2"| Amount (million [[USD]])
|-
! Per team
! Total
|-
| align=left|Champions
| 38
| 38
|-
| align=left|Runners-up
| 28
| 28
|-
| align=left|Third place
| 24
| 24
|-
| align=left|Fourth place
| 22
| 22
|-
| align=left|5th–8th place (quarter-finals)
| 16
| 64
|-
| align=left|9th–16th place (round of 16)
| 12
| 96
|-
| align=left|17th–32nd place (group stage)
| 8
| 128
|-
!colspan="2"| Total
! 400
|}

==Marketing==
[[File:Dusha typeface sample2.tiff|thumb|upright|The typeface "Dusha" 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 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.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}} For branding, Portuguese design agency Brandia Central created materials in 2014, with a typeface called ''Dusha'' – {{Language with name/for|ru|{{Linktext|душа|lang=ru}}|soul}} – designed by Brandia Central and edited by Adotbelow of the DSType Foundry in Portugal.<ref name="5CE4x" />

===Ticketing===
The first phase of ticket sales started on 14 September 2017, 12:00 [[Moscow Time]], and lasted until 12 October 2017.<ref name="ticketsales" />

The general [[visa policy of Russia]] did not apply to participants and spectators, who were able to visit Russia without a visa right before and during the competition regardless of their citizenship.{{cn|date=May 2023}} Spectators were nonetheless required to register for a "Fan-ID", a special photo identification pass. A Fan-ID was required to enter the country visa-free, while a ticket, Fan-ID and a valid passport were required to enter stadiums for matches. Fan-IDs also granted World Cup attendees free access to public transport services, including buses, and [[Rail transport in Russia|train service]] between host cities. Fan-ID was administered by the [[Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media (Russia)|Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media]], which could revoke this [[accreditation]] at any time to "ensure the defence capability or security of the state or public order".<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" />

===Merchandise===
{{See also|FIFA World Cup video games}}
On 29 May 2018, [[Electronic Arts]] released a free update to their video game ''[[FIFA 18]]'' that added content related to the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The [[expansion pack|expansion]] included a World Cup tournament mode with all teams and stadiums from the event, official television presentation elements, and World Cup-related content for the Ultimate Team mode.<ref name="ZFuyL" /><ref name="8QbjK" />

[[Panini Group|Panini]] continued their partnership with FIFA by producing stickers for their World Cup [[sticker album]].<ref name="9qlsx" /> Panini also developed an app for the 2018 World Cup where fans could collect and swap virtual stickers, with 5&nbsp;million fans gathering digital stickers for the tournament.<ref name="FNOin" /><ref name="qSfeW" />

==Symbols==
===Mascot===
{{Main|Zabivaka}}
[[File:Rus-IvoryCoast (13).jpg|thumb|upright|Tournament mascot, wolf Zabivaka]]
The tournament's [[FIFA World Cup mascot|official mascot]] was unveiled on 21 October 2016, and selected through a design competition among university students. A public vote was used to select the mascot from three finalists—a cat, a tiger, and a wolf. The winner, with 53% or approximately 1&nbsp;million votes, was Zabivaka—an [[anthropomorphic]] wolf dressed in the colours of the Russian national team. Zabivaka's name is a portmanteau of the Russian words [[:wikt:забияка#Russian|забияка]] ("hothead") and [[:wikt:забивать#Russian|забивать]] ("to score"), and his official backstory states that he is an aspiring football player who is "charming, confident and social".<ref name="7Z7tP" />

===Match ball===
{{Main|Adidas Telstar 18}}
[[File:Adidas Telstar 18 in Russia vs. Argentina.jpg|thumb|upright|Match ball "Telstar 18"]]
[[File:Adidas Telstar Mechta Ball On the Handover Ceremony of the 2022 FIFA World Cup host mantle.jpg|thumb|upright|Match ball for the knockout stage, "Telstar Mechta"]]
The official match ball, the "[[Adidas Telstar 18|Telstar 18]]", was unveiled on 9 November 2017. It was based on the name and design of the first [[Adidas]] World Cup ball from [[1970 FIFA World Cup|1970]].<ref name="H2c2j" /> A special red-coloured variation, "Telstar Mechta", was used for the knockout stage of the tournament. The word ''mechta'' (Russian: [[:wikt:мечта#Russian|мечта]]) means "dream" or "ambition".<ref name="spovD" />

Goalkeepers noted that the ball was slippery and prone to having unpredictable trajectory.<ref name="ct7Wp" /><ref name="OG0ka" /> In addition, two Telstar 18 balls popped in the midst of a first-round [[2018 FIFA World Cup Group C#France vs Australia|match]] between [[France national football team|France]] and [[Australia men's national soccer team|Australia]], leading to further discussions over the ball's performance.<ref name="eEIIb" /><ref name="5Avxl" />

===Music===
{{Main|Live It Up (Nicky Jam song)}}
The official song of the tournament was "Live It Up", with vocals by [[Will Smith]], [[Nicky Jam]] and [[Era Istrefi]], released on 25 May 2018. Its music video was released on 8 June 2018.<ref name="JZkXt" />

==Other controversies==
{{Main|List of 2018 FIFA World Cup controversies}}
Thirty-three footballers who were alleged to be part of the [[Doping in Russia|Russian steroid programme]] are listed in the [[McLaren Report]].<ref name="6Ctlw" /> On 22 December 2017, it was reported that FIFA had fired a doctor who had been investigating doping in Russian football.<ref name="Zie2j" /> On 22 May 2018, FIFA stated 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 support anti-doping rule violations.<ref name="3YSyY" /> FIFA's medical committee also decided that Russian personnel would not be involved in performing drug testing procedures at the tournament, an action taken to reassure teams that samples would not be tampered with.<ref name="D14Jn" />

Russia relaxed its visa rules during the World Cup, allowing Fan ID holders to enter and exit Russia without a visa through 31 December 2018. Traffickers exploited this system to bring foreign sex trafficking victims into the country, especially from Nigeria.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2021 Trafficking in Persons Report: Russia |url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-trafficking-in-persons-report/russia/ |access-date=2022-12-10 |website=[[United States Department of State]] |at=in the section titled TRAFFICKING PROFILE |language=en-US |archive-date=8 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208133305/https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-trafficking-in-persons-report/russia/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Reuters]] had raised concerns about the victims' conditions, who had allegedly been forced into prostitution, with some of them enduring violent abuse.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Maria Vasilyeva |date=2019-03-06 |title=Traffickers Used Russia's World Cup To Enslave Us, Say Nigerian Women |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/03/06/traffickers-used-russias-world-cup-to-enslave-us-say-nigerian-women-a64729 |website=[[The Moscow Times]] |publisher=Reuters |language=en |access-date=10 December 2022 |archive-date=10 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221210210527/https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/03/06/traffickers-used-russias-world-cup-to-enslave-us-say-nigerian-women-a64729 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=7 March 2019 |title=Traffickers farmed Russia's World Cup for sex slaves |language=en |work=[[Bangkok Post]] |publisher=Reuters |url=https://www.bangkokpost.com/vdo/world/1640704/traffickers-farmed-russias-world-cup-for-sex-slaves |access-date=10 December 2022 |archive-date=17 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417062851/https://www.bangkokpost.com/vdo/world/1640704/traffickers-farmed-russias-world-cup-for-sex-slaves |url-status=live }}</ref> Russian authorities were accused of doing little to fix to the issue, allegedly because many locals blamed the victims for falling into prostitution.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gershkovich |first=Evan |date=2018-06-13 |title=Russia's World Cup Opens the Floodgates for Trafficked Sex Workers |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2018/06/13/world-cup-opens-the-floodgates-for-trafficked-sex-workers-a61722 |website=[[The Moscow Times]] |language=en |access-date=10 December 2022 |archive-date=10 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221210210526/https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2018/06/13/world-cup-opens-the-floodgates-for-trafficked-sex-workers-a61722 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Roache |first=Madeline |date=2018-07-13 |title=Putin Doesn't Care about Sex Trafficking |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/07/13/putin-doesnt-care-about-sex-trafficking-russia-nigeria-world-cup-soccer/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20221207080407/https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/07/13/putin-doesnt-care-about-sex-trafficking-russia-nigeria-world-cup-soccer/ |archive-date=2022-12-07 |website=[[Foreign Policy]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Response to Skripal poisoning===
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.<ref name="AypwF" /> Russia responded to the comments from the UK Parliament claiming that the West are trying to "take the World Cup out of Russia".<ref name="aXQLQ" /> The [[Russian Foreign Ministry]] denounced [[Boris Johnson]]'s statements that compared the event to the [[1936 Summer Olympics|1936 Olympics]] held in [[Nazi Germany]] as "poisoned with venom of hate, unprofessionalism and boorishness" and "unacceptable and unworthy" parallel towards Russia, a "nation that [[World War II casualties of the Soviet Union|lost millions of lives in fighting Nazism]]".<ref name="0aw0J" />

==Critical reception==
[[File:2018 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony (2018-06-14) 11.jpg|thumb|Facilities–such as the refurbished [[Luzhniki Stadium]] (pictured)–were one aspect of Russia's perceived success.]]
At the close of the World Cup, Russia was widely praised for its success in hosting the tournament, with Steve Rosenberg of the [[BBC]] deeming it "a resounding [[public relations]] success" for Putin, adding: "The stunning new stadiums, free train travel to venues and the absence of crowd violence has impressed visiting supporters. Russia has come across as friendly and hospitable: a stark contrast with the country's authoritarian image. All the foreign fans I have spoken to are pleasantly surprised."<ref name="91I71" />

Despite the British [[Foreign Office]] and MPs repeatedly warning English football fans travelling to Russia of "racist or homophobic intimidation, hooligan violence and anti-British hostility",<ref name="WNLwc" /><ref name="qKSXy" /> fans who did travel said they received a warm welcome from ordinary citizens after arriving in Russia.<ref name="sOFhm" /><ref name="XWjIW" />

FIFA president [[Gianni Infantino]] stated: "Everyone discovered a beautiful country, a welcoming country, that is keen to show the world that everything that has been said before might not be true. A lot of preconceived ideas have been changed because people have seen the true nature of Russia."<ref name="kVyG9" /> Infantino has proclaimed Russia 2018 to be "the best World Cup ever." 98 percent of the stadiums were sold out, there were 3&nbsp;billion viewers on TV around the world and 7&nbsp;million fans visited the fan fests.<ref name="kl1QG" /> It was the most viewed World Cup to date, and the third [[List of most-watched television broadcasts#List|most viewed television broadcast]], surpassing the [[Beijing Olympics in 2008]].{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

==Broadcasting rights==
{{Main|2018 FIFA World Cup broadcasting rights}}
FIFA, through several companies, sold the broadcasting rights for the 2018 FIFA World Cup to various local broadcasters. After having tested the technology at limited matches of the [[2013 FIFA Confederations Cup]],<ref name="wPguj" /> and the 2014 FIFA World Cup (via private tests and public viewings in the host city of [[Rio de Janeiro]]),<ref name="kVsNi" /> the 2018 World Cup was the first World Cup in which all matches were produced in [[4K resolution|4K]] [[Ultra-high-definition television|ultra high definition]]. Host Broadcast Services (HBS) stated that at least 75% of the broadcast cut of each match would come from 4K cameras (covering the majority of main angles), with instant replays and some camera angles being converted up from [[1080p]] high definition sources with limited degradation in quality. These broadcasts were made available from selected rightsholders and television providers.<ref name="TCu23" /><ref name="0j6eE" /><ref name="6j06c" />

In February 2018, [[Ukraine|Ukrainian]] rightsholder [[UA:PBC]] stated that it would not broadcast the World Cup due to existing tensions with Russia amidst the [[Russo-Ukrainian War]]. This came in the wake of growing boycott of the tournament by the [[Football Federation of Ukraine]] and sports minister [[Ihor Zhdanov]].<ref name="Xv82A" /><ref name="0gvp3" /> Additionally, the FFU refused to accredit journalists for the World Cup and waived their quota of tickets.<ref name="MLa57" /> However, the Ukrainian state TV still broadcast the World Cup, and more than 4&nbsp;million Ukrainians watched the opening match.<ref name="YqvyD" />

Broadcast rights to the tournament in the [[Middle East]] were hampered by an ongoing [[2017–18 Qatar diplomatic crisis|diplomatic crisis in Qatar]], which saw Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates cut diplomatic ties with Qatar—the home country of FIFA's Middle East and Africa rightsholder [[beIN Sports]]—in June 2017, over its [[Qatar and state-sponsored terrorism|alleged state support of terrorist groups]]. On 2 June 2018, beIN pulled its channels from [[Du (company)|Du]] and [[Etisalat]], but with service to the latter restored later that day. Etisalat subsequently announced that it would air the World Cup in the UAE, and continue to offer beIN normally and without interruptions.<ref name="y5Kr4" /><ref name="mvmPW" /><ref name="jyl42" /> In Saudi Arabia, beIN was banned from doing business; as a result, its channels and other content have been widely and illegally repackaged by a broadcaster identifying itself as "[[beoutQ]]". While FIFA attempted to negotiate the sale of a package consisting of Saudi matches and the final indirectly, they were unable to do so. On 12 July 2018, FIFA stated that it had "engaged counsel to take legal action in Saudi Arabia and is working alongside other sports rights owners that have also been affected to protect its interests."<ref name="NIzbW" /><ref name="6N9LV" />

In the United States, the 2018 World Cup was the first men's World Cup whose English rights were held by [[Fox Sports (United States)|Fox Sports]], and Spanish rights held by [[Telemundo Deportes|Telemundo]]. The elimination of the [[United States men's national soccer team|United States]] in the qualifiers led to concerns that U.S. interest and viewership of this World Cup would be reduced, noting that "casual" viewers of U.S. matches caused them to peak at 16.5&nbsp;million in 2014, and determined how much Fox paid for the rights. 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 [[Hispanic and Latino Americans]]. Fox stated that it was still committed to broadcasting a significant amount of tournament coverage.<ref name="lJrJH" /><ref name="Oo1hn" /><ref name="1M4WS" /> Viewership was down overall compared to 2014; match scheduling and time zones were not as favourable to viewers in the Americas as they were in 2014. Many games aired in the morning hours, although Telemundo's broadcast of the Mexico-Sweden Group F match was announced as being its most-watched weekday [[Daytime television|daytime]] program in the network's history.<ref name="wx1ZL" /><ref name="UFMpG" />

Unlike previous tournaments, where the rights were bundled with those of South Korea, [[Korean Central Television]] acquired rights to the 2018 World Cup within North Korea. Broadcasts only began with the round of 16, and matches were tape delayed and edited for time. In addition, matches involving Japan were excluded from the broadcasts, due to [[Japan–North Korea relations|strained relations and campaigns against the country]].<ref name="iscoP" />

==Sponsorship==
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
!FIFA partners !!FIFA World Cup sponsors !!African supporters !!Asian supporters !!European supporters
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"|
{{col-start}}
{{col-2}}
*[[Adidas]]<ref name="tnNGW" />
*[[The Coca-Cola Company|Coca-Cola]]<ref name="Q0R7E" />
*[[Gazprom]]<ref name="yDtRO" />
*[[Hyundai Motor Company|Hyundai]]–[[Kia Motors|Kia]]<ref name="XazSE" />
*{{nowrap|[[Qatar Airways]]}}<ref name="1ETGn" />
{{col-2}}
*[[Visa Inc.|Visa]]<ref name="8Yi33" />
*{{nowrap|[[Wanda Group]]}}<ref name="JsaoX" />
{{col-end}}
|style="vertical-align:top;"|
{{col-start}}
{{col-2}}
*{{nowrap|[[Anheuser-Busch InBev]]}}<ref name="nTIsQ" />
*[[Hisense]]<ref name="0jUkL" />
*[[McDonald's]]<ref name="preI5" />
*[[Mengniu Dairy]]<ref name="8aeQa" />
*[[Vivo (smartphone)|Vivo]]<ref name="NwDfa" />
{{col-2}}
{{col-end}}
|style="vertical-align:top;"|
*{{nowrap|Egypt – Experience & Invest}}<ref name="tk2Nz" />
|style="vertical-align:top;"|
*Diking<ref name="asiansponsors" />
*Luci<ref name="asiansponsors" />
*[[Yadea]]<ref name="SZYh2" />
|style="vertical-align:top;"|
*[[Alfa-Bank]]<ref name="RCCcY" />
*[[Alrosa]]<ref name="OLt8A" />
*[[Rostelecom]]<ref name="jfpM2" />
*[[Russian Railways]]<ref name="MkebN" />
|}

==Audience==
A combined 3.572&nbsp;billion unique viewers (live global 1-minute reach) – more than half of the global population aged four and over – tuned in to world football's ultimate competition, according to audience data for official broadcast coverage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.<ref>{{cite web |title=More than half the world watched record-breaking 2018 World Cup |url=https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/2018russia/media-releases/more-than-half-the-world-watched-record-breaking-2018-world-cup |website=FIFA.com |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association |access-date=12 December 2021 |archive-date=6 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206040739/https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/2018russia/media-releases/more-than-half-the-world-watched-record-breaking-2018-world-cup |url-status=live }}</ref>

The average global live audience for every game of the tournament was 191&nbsp;million viewers (for a cumulative live audience of 12.224&nbsp; billion viewers), a 2.1% increase over the 2014 tournament average of 187&nbsp;million viewers, including that average audience in the early stages (group stage and round of 16) were bigger than in 2014. However, in 2018, the audience was 15 percent smaller for the semi-finals, 17 percent for the third place play-off, and 5.1 percent for the final, which was watched by 517&nbsp;million people on average (only in-home TV viewers), compared to 545&nbsp;million in 2014. Presumably, the reason for that is the smaller countries involved in the top four games compared to those in 2014, and only one global region (Europe) being represented in 2018 (compared to [[South America]] and Europe in 2014). However the live global 1-minute reach of the final was 1.12 billion people (884.37 in-home TV viewers and 231.82 million out-of-home and (or) digital-only viewers).<ref>{{cite web |title=2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Global broadcast and audience summary |url=https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/2589b77c20849beb/original/njqsntrvdvqv8ho1dag5-pdf.pdf |website=FIFA.com |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association |access-date=12 December 2021 |archive-date=11 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711030019/https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/2589b77c20849beb/original/njqsntrvdvqv8ho1dag5-pdf.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Association football|Russia}}
* [[FIFA World Cup]]
* [[FIFA World Cup hosts]]
* [[2017 FIFA Confederations Cup]]
* [[2019 FIFA Women's World Cup]]

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}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Wikivoyage|World Cup 2018|2018 FIFA World Cup}}
* [https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/2018russia FIFA.com 2018 website]
* [https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/649e84967b086928/original/evdvpfdkueqrdlbbrrus-pdf.pdf Official Technical Report]
* [https://www.rsssf.org/tables/2018full.html Results at RSSSF]
* {{YouTube|id=MiAcU2DvbXM|title=Official Film}}

{{2018 FIFA World Cup}}
{{2018 FIFA World Cup finalists}}
{{2018 FIFA World Cup stadiums}}
{{2018 FIFA World Cup referees}}
{{FIFA World Cup}}
{{Football in Russia}}
{{World championships in 2018}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Portal bar|Sport|Association football}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fifa World Cup 2018}}
[[Category:2018 FIFA World Cup| ]]
[[Category:2018 in association football]]
[[Category:2017–18 in Russian football]]
[[Category:FIFA World Cup tournaments|2018]]
[[Category:International association football competitions hosted by Russia|2018 Fifa World Cup]]
[[Category:June 2018 sports events in Russia]]
[[Category:July 2018 sports events in Russia]]
[[Category:FIFA World Cup controversies]]