All you need to know about 2018 FIFA World Cup
What's the story
The FIFA World Cup is sport's biggest tournament with 32 nations competing for the prized trophy. This will be the 21st edition of the tournament and it has been played every four years (except 1942 and 1946 due to World War II) since its inception in 1930. This edition of the tournament is being held in Russia. Here's our tournament preview.
Football carnival
Russia to host 2018 tournament
Russia will host the 2018 edition of the tournament. Matches will be held across 11 different cities including Moscow, Sochi, Saint Petersburg, Ekaterinburg, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don, Nizhny Novgorod, Kaliningrad and Samara. The Luzhniki Stadium in south-west Moscow will host the opening match where hosts Russia take on Saudi Arabia. Moscow will also host the final.
Do you know?
Can 2018 World Cup surpass the last edition's goal tally?
The 2014 World Cup saw 171 goals being scored across all matches. The 20th edition is tied, for the most goals scored in the tournament, with the 1998 tournament in France.
8 groups
2018 World Cup to have 32 teams
The World Cup in Russia would be a 32 team affair. The teams have been divided into 8 groups. The teams will first play each other in the group phase after which the top two teams from each group will progress into the knock-out stages of the tournament. The World Cup winners have always been from Latin America or Europe.
64 game affair
FIFA World Cup final will be played on July 15
The 2018 FIFA World Cup will be held from June 14 to July 15 2018. The knock-out stages of the tournament will start from June 30 and the quarter-finals are scheduled for July 6 and 7. The semi-finals will take place on July 10 and 11 and the final is set for July 15. The third-place play-off match will be held on July 14.
Sony Network
Where can you watch the FIFA World Cup?
For India, Sony Network is the official broadcaster of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. India and the sub-continent countries can watch the tournament's live coverage on Sony Ten 2, Sony Six, Sony ESPN channels. For those of you who do not have access to a television, all the 64 matches can be streamed live on Sony LIV app.