World Cup 2018 - Russia

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From today onward will start to discuss world cup 2018.

32 teams qualified had and draw will be on 1 Dec 2018 in Moscow, Russia.



Will try to feature every team and post juicy news.

Notable counties missed out in WC2018 namely
Holland
Italy
Czech Republic
Chile
Paraguay
Ghana
USA

First time playing in WC namely
Iceland
Egypt

All welcome to post and comment.

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Tough group or group of death will be

Germany, England, Costa Rica and Nigeria

Brazil, Spain, Sweden, Nigeria




Easier group or nice draw will be

Russia, England, Iran, Saudi Arabia

Argentina, Switzerland, Tunisia, Panama



Plenty of permutations and luck of the draw will play big part. What do you think and any comment?

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Current FIFA RANKING TOP 20

1. Germany
2. Brazil
3. Portugal
4. Argentina
5. Belgium
6. Spain
7. Poland
8. Switzerland
9. France
10. Chile
11. Peru
12. Denmark
13. Colombia
14. Italy
15. England
16. Mexico
17. Croatia
18. Sweden
19. Wales
20. Netherlands

Full rankings click here
http://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranki...men/index.html

** Highlighted teams not in the WC 2018

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When is the World Cup?

The World Cup gets underway on Thursday, June 14, with hosts Russia playing the opening match. The tournament will finish on July 15 at the Luzhniki Stadium, the same venue where it started a month earlier.

Before the final, the round of 16 matches get underway on June 30, with the quarter-finals on July 6 and 7 and the semi-finals on July 10 and 11.


Where will it be played?

Russia is a vast country with 11 time zones, but all the venues for the World Cup are in the west to avoid too many travel issues.

There are 12 venues across 11 cities, with Ekaterinburg the furthest east and Kaliningrad the furthest west.

The stadium in Ekaterinburg - the Ekaterinburg Arena - includes one of the more unique features of all the venues as it has two temporary stands outside the original perimeter to ensure it meets the FIFA-sanctioned minimum of 35,000 spectators.

The biggest stadium will be the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow and the other venues are the Kaliningrad Stadium, Volgograd Stadium, Fisht Stadium, Kazan Arena, Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Samara Stadium, Rostov-on-Don Stadium, Spartak Stadium, Saint Petersburg Stadium and Saransk Stadium.


When will matches kick off?

The opening match of the tournament will be played at 6pm Moscow time (4pm UK time) on Thursday, June 14.

Group stage matches will be played throughout the day, with some starting at 3pm Moscow time (1pm UK time) and others at 6pm and 9pm Moscow time (4pm and 7pm UK time).

The final will again be played at 6pm Moscow time.


Who are the favourites?

It's a close-run thing for favouritism with Sky Bet between defending champions Germany (5/1), France (11/2) and Brazil (11/2).

Spain are 13/2 while England are rated as 20/1 shots.

Iceland are the smallest-ever nation to reach a World Cup and they can be backed at 200/1 to spring a surprise and win the tournament.

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World Cup 2018 - which 32 teams have qualified for Russia?

Russia (hosts)

Pedigree: Stanislav Cherchesov's side will be the fourth Russia team to play at a World Cup - they first appeared at USA 94 - although the Soviet Union finished fourth in 1966.

Key player: Veteran goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev has won more than 100 caps and his experience could be vital. The 31-year-old, who has spent his entire career at CSKA Moscow, is likely to captain the hosts.

Premier League players: None.

Who's the boss? Cherchesov rallied behind his side after the Confederations Cup, saying his players would "mature" because of the experience. A former Soviet Union and Russia goalkeeper, he has been given the target of reaching the semi-finals next summer.

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Belgium

Pedigree: Having failed to qualify for the previous two tournaments, Belgium reached the quarter-finals at Brazil 2014, losing to eventual runners-up Argentina. The Red Devils' best finish was fourth in 1986.



Key player: Eden Hazard. The twinkle-toed Chelsea forward unlocks defences with his rapid change of pace, close control and eye for a pass. He also wears the captain's armband for Roberto Martinez's side.

Premier League players: Michy Batshuayi, Thibaut Courtois, Eden Hazard (all Chelsea), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool), Toby Alderweireld, Moussa Dembele, Jan Vertonghen, (all Tottenham), Kevin De Bruyne, Vincent Kompany (both Manchester City), Marouane Fellaini, Romelu Lukaku (both Manchester United), Steven Defour (Burnley), Nacer Chadli (West Brom), Kevin Mirallas (Everton), Christian Benteke (Crystal Palace), Divock Origi (Wolfsburg, on loan from Liverpool), Christian Kabasele (Watford).

Scottish Premiership player: Dedryck Boyata (Celtic)

Who's the boss? Roberto Martinez's big achievement in English football was guiding Wigan to FA Cup success in 2013, although they were relegated three days later.

The former Swansea and Everton manager's prowess in organising an attack has never been in question, but there were concerns over his defensive aptitude at club level. That shouldn't be a problem with this Belgium outfit, who have the likes of Tottenham defenders Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld, and Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany in their ranks.

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Croatia

Pedigree: Croatia gained admission to Fifa in June 1993, meaning they were too late to compete for a place at the finals in the United States in 1994. However, they qualified for a finals at the first time of asking at France 98 and have reached all but one of the five summer tournaments since. Their best performance to date remains their first, when Davor Suker, Zvonimir Boban et al helped them to a third place finish after losing to hosts and eventual winners France in the semis.

Key player: Luka Modric - once of Tottenham, now at Real Madrid - is the creative force at the heart of the Croatia side. Blessed with superb touch and vision, the 32-year-old has won the Champions League three times with his current club. He recently clocked up a century for his country, for whom he has scored 12 times.



Premier League players: Dejan Lovren (Liverpool), Nikola Vlasic (Everton)

Who's the boss? Zlatko Dalic's reign as Croatia national team boss has been short and sweet thus far. He only took over in October 2017, replacing Ante Cacic, who left with one qualifying game left and the country at serious risk of failing to make the play-offs. Dalic led Croatia to a 2-0 win in Ukraine in his first game in charge to seal a play-off spot, where they dispatched Greece 4-1 on aggregate. A midfielder in his playing days, he spent the first seven years of this decade coaching in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

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England

Pedigree: Since their solitary World Cup success in 1966, England have reached the semi-finals only once - in 1990, when they finished fourth. In 2014, the Three Lions were knocked out in the group stage. That was the first time since 1958 they failed to get out of their group, and the only time they have been eliminated after just two matches.



Key player: With 13 goals for club and country in September, Harry Kane is one of the world's most in-form strikers. His 27 goals in 2017 puts him only nine behind Lionel Messi.

Premier League players: The entire England squad play in the Premier League.

Who's the boss? Gareth Southgate will take charge of his first major tournament. England have lost twice under his stewardship - to Germany and France - and are unbeaten in qualification.

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France

Pedigree: France won the World Cup when they hosted the tournament in 1998 and also reached the final eight years later, losing on penalties to Italy. They reached the quarter-finals in Brazil in 2014 and were runners-up as hosts at Euro 2016.



Key player: Antoine Griezmann. The Atletico Madrid striker was the top scorer with six goals as France reached the Euro 2016 final and scored the second as France beat Belarus 2-1 to secure their qualification on 10 October.

Premier League players: Laurent Koscielny, Alexandre Lacazette and Olivier Giroud (all Arsenal), Tiemoue Bakayoko and N'Golo Kante (both Chelsea), Yohan Cabaye (Crystal Palace), Eliaquim Mangala and Benjamin Mendy (both Manchester City), Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba (both Manchester United), Kurt Zouma (Stoke, on loan from Chelsea), Hugo Lloris and Moussa Sissoko (both Tottenham).

Who's the boss? Didier Deschamps played 103 times for France and helped them win the 1998 World Cup and the European Championship in 2000. He has been national team boss since July 2012 and guided them to the final of Euro 2016, although they lost 1-0 to Portugal after extra time.

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Germany

Pedigree: The defending champions, four-time winners and number one team in the world.



Key player: Toni Kroos. Apart from Thomas Muller and Mesut Ozil, the Real Madrid midfielder is the most experienced player in the squad and keeps things ticking over. Since helping Germany win the 2014 World Cup, he has won two Champions League titles, one La Liga title and two Fifa Club World Cup titles.

Premier League players: Shkodran Mustafi (Arsenal), Antonio Rudiger (Chelsea), Emre Can (Liverpool), Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), Leroy Sane (Manchester City).

Who's the boss? Joachim Low. Worked as assistant manager to Jurgen Klinsmann from 2004 to 2006, before being given the top job. The 57-year-old guided Germany to victory in the 2014 World Cup final against Argentina, and also triumphed at the Confederations Cup last year.

The international clean sweep has eluded him, though, with Germany runners-up at Euro 2008 and third four years later.

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Iceland

Pedigree: Iceland are heading to their first World Cup after victory over Kosovo on 9 October secured their place in Russia. This is clearly a golden era for the Icelanders after they reached Euro 2016, where they memorably defeated England in their second-round tie before losing 5-2 against hosts France in the quarter-finals.

Key player: It is difficult to look beyond Everton's Gylfi Sigurdsson. The 28-year-old midfielder scored the opening goal against Kosovo and is a superb striker of the ball from long range.



Premier League players: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Everton), Johann Berg Gudmundsson (Burnley).

Championship: Aron Gunnarsson (Cardiff City), Birkir Bjarnason (Aston Villa), Horour Bjorgvin Magnusson (Bristol City), Jon Dadi Bodvarsson (Reading).

Scottish Premiership player: Kari Arnason (Aberdeen).

Who's the boss? Keep smiling. Heimir Hallgrimsson, 50, is a dentist who was in joint charge of the team in France alongside Swedish veteran Lars Lagerback. Hallgrimsson took sole charge after Euro 2016 and has presided over a successful qualification campaign.

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Poland

Pedigree: Poland are ranked sixth in the world. They have never won the World Cup but many believe this is one of the country's strongest squads. Their highest previous finish is third, which they achieved in 1974 and 1982.



Key player: Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski has scored 16 goals in nine qualifying matches for Poland and is their all-time record goal-scorer. The skipper has scored 51 international goals in 91 games.

Premier League players: Lukasz Fabianski (Swansea), Grzegorz Krychowiak (West Bromwich Albion).

Championship players: Pawel Wszolek (Queens Park Rangers), Kamil Grosicki (Hull City).

Who's the boss? Adam Nawalka has been in charge since November 2013 and has overseen 39 matches as Poland manager. His contract is due to run out in December but he guided the team to the quarter-finals of Euro 2016, just two years after they failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup, so he is expected to remain in charge for his second major tournament.

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Portugal

Pedigree: Portugal are the reigning European champions, having beaten hosts France 1-0 in the final of Euro 2016. Their best performance at a World Cup came when they finished third in 1966 and they also reached the semi-finals in 2006 yet failed to make it out of the group phase in Brazil in 2014.



Key player: Who else? Cristiano Ronaldo. He has been voted the best player in the world four times, he is the country's most capped player and also their record goalscorer. The Real Madrid forward, a four-time Champions League winner, scored 15 goals for Portugal during their World Cup qualification campaign.

Premier League players: Adrien Silva (Leicester), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Cedric Soares (Southampton), Renato Sanches (Swansea, on loan from Bayern Munich), Jose Fonte (West Ham).

Championship player: Nelson Oliveira (Norwich)

Scottish Premiership player: Bruno Alves (Rangers)

Who's the boss? Fernando Santos took charge in September 2014 and guided Portugal to their first international success with victory in Euro 2016. He was manager of Greece during the 2014 World Cup, taking the team into the last 16, where they lost to Costa Rica on penalties.

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Serbia

Pedigree: Russia will be Serbia's 12th appearance at the World Cup - they did not get beyond the group stage in 2006 and 2010.



Key player: Branislav Ivanovic is closing in on his 100th cap and remains a key player for Serbia. He is their captain and leader. "We look forward to playing for you in Russia", he said in an address to the fans on the pitch after they secured qualification.

Premier League players: Nemanja Matic (Manchester United), Aleksandar Mitrovic (Newcastle), Lazar Markovic (Liverpool), Dusan Tadic (Southampton).

Who's the boss? Slavoljub Muslin, who was appointed in May 2016, is a widely travelled coach. He is in his first role at national level and has never been to a major tournament but he had domestic title success in Bulgaria.

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Spain

Pedigree: Currently ranked 11th in the world. They held the number one spot from 2008 until 2013. Spain were world champions in 2010, as well as European champions in 2008 and 2012.



Key player: Real Madrid attacking midfielder Isco has been in fine form during qualifying, with six goals and an assist in Spain's past seven matches. He has seven goals in 23 appearances in his international career.

Premier League players: Juan Mata (Manchester United), Nacho Monreal (Arsenal), Alvaro Morata (Chelsea), David de Gea (Manchester United), Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Ander Herrera (Manchester United), Pedro (Chelsea), David Silva (Manchester City).

Who's the boss? Julen Lopetegui was appointed in July 2016 and remains unbeaten in 13 matches in charge. He has won the European Championships with Spain's U21s and U19s, although he has never coached a side at a senior major tournament.