who win the fifa world cup in 2018
2018 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony


The 2018 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony took place on Thursday, 14 June 2018, at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia at 3:30 (BST), about a half hour before the opening match which Russia won 5–0 over Saudi Arabia. Zabivaka™ (English: "The one who scores"), was the official mascot for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and was voted for by a 53% margin. The design is of a wolf who represents fun, charm, and charecter. Former world cup winning, Brazilian
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Iran national football team results (2010–19)


FIFA World Cup – Preliminary Round 2014 FIFA World Cup – Preliminary Round Friendly Friendly 2015 AFC Asian Cup – Preliminary Round 2015 AFC Asian Cup – Preliminary Round 2015 AFC Asian Cup – Preliminary Round 2015 AFC Asian Cup – Quarterfinal Friendly Friendly Friendly 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier – Second Round 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier – Second Round 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier – Second Round "* FIFA awarded Iran a 3–0 win as a result of India fielding the ineligible player Eugeneson Lyngdoh. The match initially ended 3–0 to Iran. 2018 FIFA World
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Iceland at the FIFA World Cup


After 12 failed qualification campaigns, Iceland qualified for the FIFA World Cup, for the first time, in 2018. The 2018 FIFA World Cup was Iceland's second major international tournament, having also qualified for UEFA Euro 2016. Iceland is the smallest nation to reach the World Cup finals, breaking the record set by Trinidad and Tobago. Following a 2–0 home win over Kosovo in the final round of the qualifiers, Iceland secured their spot in Russia 2018, finishing top of Group I by two points over Croatia, who had
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FIFA World Rankings


other words, a team could win a match and lose points. Prior to the seeding of the 2018 World Cup preliminary draw, Romania even appointed a ranking consultant, playing only one friendly in the year before the draw. Similar accusations had been made against Switzerland, who were a seeded team at the 2014 FIFA World Cup having played only three friendly matches in the previous year, and Poland before the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The use of regional strength multiplier in the ranking formula before 2018 was also accused of further reinforcing
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Iran national football team results (2010–19)


Cup Qualifier – Second Round Friendly 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier – Second Round 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier – Second Round 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier – Second Round 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier – Second Round Friendly Friendly 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier – Third Round 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier – Third Round 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier – Third Round 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier – Third Round Friendly 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier – Third Round Friendly 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier – Third Round 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier – Third Round Friendly 2018
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Trinidad and Tobago 2–1 United States (2018 FIFA World Cup qualification)


Trinidad and Tobago v United States (2017) was a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification match played on October 10, 2017 in Couva, Trinidad and Tobago. This match resulted in the United States missing their first World Cup since 1986, as well as Trinidad and Tobago's first win over the United States since 2008, and only their third win against them in international football. Following consecutive losses to Mexico and Costa Rica in the opening games of the final round of qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Jürgen Klinsmann was
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Philippe Coutinho


scored a hat-trick in a 7–1 win against Haiti. Brazil did not advance past the group stage after losing 0–1 to Peru. On 28 March 2017, Coutinho scored in a 3–0 win against Paraguay that ensured Brazil's 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification. In May 2018, Coutinho was named in the squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. On 17 June 2018, he scored in his FIFA World Cup debut with a trademark right-footed curling shot from outside the penalty area into the corner of the goal
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Thomas Meunier


FIFA World Cup. He was Belgium's first-choice right midfielder and played his first World Cup match, in a 3–0 win over Panama in their opening group game at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. In a next match against Tunisia on 23 June 2018, Meunier set up a goal for Romelu Lukaku, who scored his second goal of the game, in a 5–2 win to qualify for the Round of 16. He then played another role when he set up for Nacer Chadli to score in injury time to lift Belgium
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FIFA World Cup Trophy


, winners of the 2018 World Cup. The Jules Rimet Trophy was the original prize for winning the FIFA World Cup. Originally called "Victory", but generally known simply as the "World Cup" or "Coupe du Monde", it was renamed in 1946 to honour the FIFA President Jules Rimet who in 1929 passed a vote to initiate the competition. It was designed by French sculptor Abel Lafleur and made of gold-plated sterling silver on a lapis lazuli base. In 1954 this base was replaced with a taller
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National team appearances in the FIFA World Cup


the competition are currently Brazil, who have won the cup on five occasions. Five teams have appeared in FIFA World Cup finals without winning, while eleven more have appeared in semi-finals. Each successive World Cup has had at least one team appearing for the first time. This table shows the national associations in alphabetical order per year. Teams in parentheses are considered successor teams by FIFA. * The total number of teams which have participated in the World Cup through 2018 is 79, using FIFA's view on successor teams
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1966 FIFA World Cup Final


The 1966 FIFA World Cup Final was a football match played at Wembley Stadium, London, on 30 July 1966 to determine the winner of the 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth FIFA World Cup. The match was contested by England and West Germany, with England winning 4–2 after extra time to claim the Jules Rimet Trophy. The match is remembered for England's – as of 2018 – only World Cup and major international title, Geoff Hurst's hat-trick – the first and as of 2018 only one ever scored in
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United States 2022 FIFA World Cup bid


The United States Soccer Federation submitted a bid with the hope of hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup. U.S. Soccer first said in February 2007 that it would put forth a bid for the 2018 World Cup. On January 28, 2009, U.S. Soccer announced that it would submit bids for both the 2018 and 2022 Cups. In October 2010 it withdrew from the 2018 bid process to focus on winning the 2022 edition. On December 2, 2010, it was announced that Qatar would be the host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup
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2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup bids


withdrew its bid for financial reasons. On 2 December 2010, Russia and Qatar were selected as the locations for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups respectively. The selection process involved several controversies. Two members of the FIFA Executive Committee had their voting rights suspended following allegations that they would accept money in exchange for votes. More allegations of vote buying arose after Qatar's win was announced. Eleven of the 22 committee members who voted on the 2018 and 2022 tournaments have been fined, suspended, banned for life or prosecuted for
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Zabikhillo Urinboev


Zabikhillo Urinboev (born 30 March 1995) is an Uzbekistani footballer who plays as a forward. He currently plays for J2 League team Tokushima Vortis. He made his debut for the Uzbekistan national football team in May 2018, against Iran in a friendly. He also have played for the Uzbekistan national youth teams in international tournaments such as 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup, 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup, 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup, and 2018 AFC U-23 Championship, in which he would win the latter tournament with Uzbekistan national under-23 football
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2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup bids


was ineligible because of the rotation policy at that time. On 2 December 2010, FIFA president Sepp Blatter announced the winning bids at FIFA's headquarters in Zurich. Russia was chosen to host the 2018 World Cup, and Qatar was chosen to host the 2022 World Cup. This made Russia the first Eastern European country to host the World Cup, while Qatar would be the first Middle Eastern country to host the World Cup. Blatter noted that the committee had decided to "go to new lands" and reflected a desire to
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2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup


The 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup was the ninth edition of the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, the biennial international women's youth football championship contested by the under-20 national teams of the member associations of FIFA, since its inception in 2002 as the FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship (age limit was raised from 19 to 20 in 2006). The tournament was held in Brittany, France between 5 and 24 August 2018, who would also host the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. Haiti and the Netherlands made
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List of FIFA World Cup winners


This is a list of all teams, players and coaches who have won the FIFA World Cup tournament since its inception in 1930. The 21 World Cup tournaments have been won by eight different nations. Brazil has won the most titles, five. The current champion is France, who won the title in 2018. Participating teams have to register squads for the World Cup, which consisted of 22 players until 1998 and of 23 players from 2002 onwards. Since 1978, winners' medals are given to all members of the winning
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2018 FIFA Club World Cup Final


The 2018 FIFA Club World Cup Final was the final match of the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup, an international club football tournament hosted by the United Arab Emirates. It was the 15th final of the FIFA Club World Cup, a FIFA-organised tournament between the winners of the six continental confederations, as well as the host nation's league champions. The final was contested between Spanish club and defending champions Real Madrid (who won the last two editions of the competition), representing UEFA as the reigning champions of the UEFA
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Panama at the FIFA World Cup


Panama has qualified once for the finals of a FIFA World Cup, the 2018 edition. They directly qualified after securing the third spot in the hexagonal on the final round. This meant that after 10 failed qualification campaigns, Panama appeared at the World Cup for the first time in their history. Following a 2–1 home win over Costa Rica in the final round of the hexagonal, Panama secured their spot in Russia 2018, finishing third in the CONCACAF qualification. Seven players were fielded in all three of Panama FIFA World Cup matches
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Oceanian nations at the FIFA World Cup


the All Whites were upset by New Caledonia, which in turn lost to Tahiti in the final. The French Polynesian squad competed in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, but New Zealand still managed to win the double round-robin group for the World Cup spot. In the playoff, the All-Whites were doubly defeated by Mexico, who finished with an aggregate score of 9-3 to get the World Cup spot. For 2018, the 2016 edition of the OFC Nations Cup again doubled as the second round of the
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England at the FIFA World Cup


), 1978 (Argentina) and 1994 (United States), and have failed to advance from the group stages on three occasions; at the 1950 FIFA World Cup, the 1958 FIFA World Cup and the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Their best ever performance is winning the Cup in the 1966 tournament held in England, whilst they also finished in fourth place in 1990, in Italy, and in 2018 in Russia. Other than that, the team have reached the quarter-finals on nine occasions, the latest of which
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Portugal–Spain 2018 FIFA World Cup bid


Spain and Portugal 2018 was an official joint Iberian bid for the right to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The International Federation of Football Association (FIFA) invited its member associations to bid for either the 2018 or the 2022 final tournaments, or both. The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) and the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) submitted together a bid for both editions, but with the focus on winning the privilege to host the 2018 finals. Due to the withdrawal of all non-European bids for the 2018
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Néstor Pitana


Néstor Fabián Pitana (; born 17 June 1975) is an Argentine football referee and former actor who refereed at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, 2015 Copa América and 2018 FIFA World Cup. He oversaw the opening match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup between Russia and Saudi Arabia. Pitana was appointed to take charge of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final between France and Croatia at Moscow on 15 July 2018. He became the second Argentine referee to take charge of the opening game and the Final in the same tournament (after Horacio Elizondo
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Gaël Bigirimana


squad for the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup. On 28 May 2013, he was named in the final squad by manager Peter Taylor. He made his debut on 16 June, in a 3–0 win in a warm-up game against Uruguay. On 15 November 2015, Bigirimana made his debut for Burundi during the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification as a starter against DR Congo. The match finished 2–2 but FIFA awarded DR Congo a 3–0 win as a result of the fielding of Bigirimana, who was ineligible. Bigirimana helped Burundi
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2022 FIFA World Cup


had cheated to win the hosting rights. Qatar has faced strong criticism due to the treatment of foreign workers involved in preparation for the World Cup, with Amnesty International referring to "forced labour" and stating that workers have been suffering human rights abuses, despite worker welfare standards being drafted in 2014. The bidding procedure to host the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups began in January 2009, and national associations had until 2 February 2009 to register their interest. Initially, eleven bids were made for the 2018 FIFA World Cup,
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC–CONMEBOL play-off)


The 2018 FIFA World Cup OFC–CONMEBOL qualification play-off was a two-legged home-and-away tie between the winning team of the OFC Third Round, New Zealand, and the fifth-placed team from the CONMEBOL qualifying tournament, Peru. The matches were played on 11 and 15 November 2017. Peru emerged victorious and qualified for the finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The play-off marked the third consecutive intercontinental play-off participation for New Zealand after previously losing to Mexico in 2013 and
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1994 FIFA World Cup Final


30, 1992; the Rose Bowl was the largest stadium used for the tournament. The Brazilian team dedicated their win to the late triple Formula One motor racing world champion Ayrton Senna, who had died in an accident at that year's San Marino Grand Prix in Italy two and a half months before. With Italy finishing as runners-up, Franco Baresi became the sixth player in history to win gold, silver and bronze medals at the FIFA World Cup. In what was, and still is as of 2018, the
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2008 FIFA Club World Cup


The 2008 FIFA Club World Cup (officially the FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2008 presented by Toyota for sponsorship reasons) was the fifth FIFA Club World Cup, a football tournament for the champion clubs from each of FIFA's six continental confederations. The tournament was held in Japan from 11 to 21 December 2008. Manchester United defeated LDU Quito 1–0 in the final at the International Stadium in Yokohama on 21 December, to become the first and – as of 2018 tournament – only British team to win the competition. It was United
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Iran national football team results (2010–19)


FIFA World Cup Qualifier – Third Round 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier – Third Round 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier – Third Round Friendly Friendly Friendly Friendly Friendly Friendly Friendly Friendly Friendly Friendly 2018 FIFA World Cup – Preliminary Round 2018 FIFA World Cup – Preliminary Round 2018 FIFA World Cup – Preliminary Round Friendly Friendly Friendly Friendly Friendly Friendly 2019 AFC Asian Cup – Preliminary Round 2019 AFC Asian Cup – Preliminary Round 2019 AFC Asian Cup – Preliminary Round 2019 AFC Asian Cup – Round of 16 2019 AFC Asian Cup – Quarterfinal 2019 AFC Asian Cup –
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History of Real Madrid CF


defeated Viktoria Plzeň 2-1 in UEFA Champions League Group Stage, they were defeated in El Clasico 1-5. The following day Lopetegui was dismissed and replaced by then Castilla coach, Santiago Solari.[107] Real Madrid was then winning 4 consecutive matches. FIFA Club World Cup On 22 December 2018, Real Madrid beat Al Ain by 4–1 margin in the final of 2018 FIFA Club World Cup. With their win, Real Madrid became the outright record winners of the Club World Cup with four titles.They are the world champions
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Gabriel Jesus


Manchester City in January 2017 for a transfer fee of €32 million, and won the Premier League and EFL Cup in 2018 and 2019, as well as the FA Cup in 2019. After winning 21 caps and scoring seven goals at youth level, including reaching the final of the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup and winning an Olympic gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics, Jesus made his senior debut for Brazil in September 2016, and was part of the squad that took part at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, later also
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Arthur Melo


the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification. In May 2018, he was named in the standby list for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He made his international debut against United States in a 2–0 friendly win on the 7th of September 2018 coming on as a substitute. The Brazilian's first start was against El Salvador in a 5–0 win on the 12th of September. Tite praised the midfielder's playing style saying, "He always finds the best escape, the best pass out". Even if he doesn't provide the assist
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2018 FIFA World Cup officials


The following is a list of match officials (referees, assistant referees, and video assistant referees) who will officiate at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. On 29 March 2018, FIFA published the list of 36 referees and 63 assistant referees, on the basis of nationality, from all six football confederations for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. These were selected from a longlist of 53 trios. Out of these, one referee and one assistant referee were dropped from the list and were not replaced. The two assistant referees associated with
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Jakub Holúbek


Jakub Holúbek (born 12 January 1991) is a Slovak football midfielder who currently plays for the Ekstraklasa club Piast Gliwice. Holúbek was called up to the senior Slovakia squad for a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier against England in September 2016, but subsequently pulled out with an injury. He won his first cap in Ljubljana, in October 2016, against Slovenia, when he substituted for Dušan Švento in the 79th minute as a part of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification. In the following match, a 3-0 win against
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Damaris Egurrola


she also helped the 19s to qualify for the 2018 edition which they again won, but had moved to the higher age group by the time of the finals tournament – and the under-20 squad who were runners-up at the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. She made her Spain senior debut in May 2019, aged 19, appearing as a substitute for the closing minutes of a 4–0 friendly win over Cameroon in the build-up to the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, although she was not selected in the
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF Fifth Round


The fifth round (also known as the "Hexagonal" or "Hex") of CONCACAF matches for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification was played from 11 November 2016 to 10 October 2017. Mexico, Costa Rica, and Panama qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, while Honduras qualified for (and was later eliminated in) the inter-confederation play-offs, and United States (who failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 32 years) and Trinidad and Tobago were eliminated in this round.
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Toni Kroos


was named on the ten-man shortlist for FIFA's Golden Ball award for the tournament's best player. The Castrol Performance Index, the official statistical analyser of the World Cup, rated Kroos as the best player at the 2014 World Cup, with a rating of 9.79 out of 10. Kroos is considered the only player from the former German Democratic Republic to ever win the World Cup. On 4 June 2018, Kroos was included in Germany's final 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. On 23 June,
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2018 FIFA World Cup Final


The 2018 FIFA World Cup Final was a football match that took place on 15 July 2018 to determine the winners of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. It was the final of the 21st FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial tournament contested by the men's national teams of the member associations of FIFA. The match was played by France and Croatia, and held at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia. Before 2018, France's only World Cup victory was in 1998 – though they had also reached the final in 2006 – while
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Second Round


qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Croatia won 4–1 on aggregate and qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Denmark won 5–1 on aggregate and qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Sweden won 1–0 on aggregate and qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1958. There were 13 goals scored in 8 matches, for an average of 13/8 round 2 goals per match. A player is automatically suspended for the next match for the following offences: The
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2018 FIFA World Cup Group F


the World Cup for the first time since winning their first two matches at the 2002 World Cup. Hernández is only the third player to score at three different World Cups for Mexico after Cuauhtémoc Blanco and Rafael Márquez. section begin=f3 /section end=f3 / The two teams had met in 36 previous matches, including four FIFA World Cup games, the latest of these being a 2–0 Germany win in the 2006 World Cup round of 16. Julian Draxler had a shot blocked from close range before he toe-poked a
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Alex Iwobi


, Iwobi scored for Nigeria in a 1–0 win over Zambia to secure the Super Eagles a spot in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He was named in Nigeria's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He said that the team needed to learn from its performance after going out in the group stages. In April 2019, he said he wanted to emulate his uncle Jay-Jay Okocha by winning the Africa Cup of Nations. He was included in Nigeria's squad for the 2019 tournament. At
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List of managers at the FIFA World Cup


for both most matches managed (25) and most matches won (16), all with West Germany in 1966–1978. Vittorio Pozzo is the only person who has won the World Cup twice as a manager, in 1934 and 1938 with Italy. Mário Zagallo in 1970 with Brazil, Franz Beckenbauer in 1990 with West Germany and Didier Deschamps in 2018 with France won the tournament as managers after having previously won it as players. For a complete list of title-winning managers, see "List of FIFA World Cup winners"
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Saeid Ezatolahi


the final list for the friendly match against Uzbekistan and the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Turkmenistan. He made his debut as a starter against Uzbekistan on 11 June 2015 in a 1–0 win. He scored his first senior national team goal during his fourth cap on 12 November 2015 in a 3–1 World Cup qualifying win over Turkmenistan. He became the youngest goal scorer for the Iranian national team at the age of 19 years and 42 days. In May 2018 he was named in Iran's preliminary squad for the 2018 FIFA World
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C.D. Guadalajara


-out, with all four players scoring. As a result of winning the title, Guadalajara qualified for the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup. However, despite the recent success, important figures of 2017 Clausura and the 2018 CONCACAF championship wins left the club. Important players such as Rodolfo Pizarro, Oswaldo Alanis and, Jose Juan Vasquez left the club as well as fan favorite coach, Matias Almeyda. This in turn led to poor results at the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup, were Chivas ended in sixth place losing to Kashima
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Alfredo Talavera


the tournament, failing to make it past the group stage. In May 2018 he was named in Mexico's preliminary 28-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, and in June 2018, he was named in Mexico's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but did not receive any minutes on the field during the tournament. Spanish newspaper "Marca" described Talavera as the best out of the other 2018 FIFA World Cup Mexico goalkeepers in aerial game, someone who knows how to play with his feet (
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Sports-related curses


a row to bow out at the group stages of the World Cup, and the fourth in 5 competitions. Previously, 1998 FIFA World Cup winners France, got eliminated at the group stages in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, 2006 FIFA World Cup winners, Italy got eliminated in the groups stages in 2010, then 2010 FIFA World Cup winners, Spain got eliminated in 2014 FIFA World Cup group stages, and the most recent occasion was 2014 winners Germany, who were also eliminated in the group stages of the 2018 FIFA World
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Román Torres


after Torres was called for a handball late in regulation. On 10 October 2017, during the final qualifying match for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Torres scored the game winning goal against Costa Rica with 3 minutes left in the game, which combined with the United States' loss to Trinidad and Tobago, helped Panama qualify for their first ever World Cup, making him a national hero. In May 2018, he was named in Panama's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Before Panama's final game
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2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup


provide the complete set of bidding documents by 31 October 2014. The FIFA Executive Committee would select the hosts in 2015. In principle, FIFA preferred the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup and the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup to be hosted by the same member association, but if circumstances required, FIFA reserved the right to award the hosting of the events separately. The following countries made official bids for hosting the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup and the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup by submitting their documents by
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Harry Maguire


2018 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign. Maguire was named in the 23-man England national team squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He assisted Harry Kane's winner against Tunisia on 18 June 2018 in England's World Cup opener. England won 2–1. Maguire scored his first England goal on 7 July 2018 with a 30th-minute header from Ashley Young's cross in a 2–0 win over Sweden in the quarter-final. Maguire's brothers, Joe and Laurence, are also footballers. He attended St Mary's Roman Catholic High
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2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage


6 / The teams had faced each other in 28 previous matches, which included three matches in 1962 FIFA World Cup qualification, Switzerland winning twice (3–2 and 2–1) and Sweden winning once (4–0), and also twice in 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification, both matches ending in a 2–1 Sweden win. Stephan Lichtsteiner and Fabian Schär were both ruled out through suspension. Albin Ekdal's volley missed the target prior to the break from a Mikael Lustig cross. Ola Toivonen fired over when well positioned inside the penalty area before
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Åge Hareide


team to qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. This was achieved with a 5-1 aggregate play-off win over Ireland. Hareide was the Danish coach at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. One month before the beginning of the competition, he said of the French National team, which Denmark was to play in the first round: "The great nations at the World Cup are the best, but not France." This proved to be one of the most ill-advised comments, since most great
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Czech Republic at the FIFA World Cup


Republic and Slovakia, the official successor football team Czech Republic has been less successful at the World Cup than Czechoslovakia, qualifying only for one out of five tournaments (the 2006 FIFA World Cup) without surviving the group phase. The Czech failed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, having ended third in their continental qualifying group. Throughout the World Cup history, Brazil became the team's historical rival. The two countries have met each other five times but the Czechs (always as Czechoslovakia) never managed to win,
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Real Madrid CF


Ain by a 4–1 margin in the final of 2018 FIFA Club World Cup. With their win, Real Madrid became the outright record winners of the Club World Cup with four titles. They are considered to have been the world champions for grand total of seven time because FIFA recognises the Intercontinental Cup as the predecessor of FIFA Club World Cup. They also extended the record for most consecutive titles with their third in a row. On 11 March 2019, Real Madrid reinstated Zidane as the head coach of the club. The first
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France–Italy football rivalry


The France–Italy football rivalry is a football rivalry between the national football teams of Italy and France, having achieved six FIFA World Cups between the two countries. Italy has won four FIFA World Cups in 1934, 1938, 1982 and 2006, while France has won two FIFA World Cups in 1998 and 2018. For many years Italy dominated (before 1982: 17 wins, three losses and six draws), while from 1982 the French team had not lost a single game against Italy (with five wins and four draws
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Andorra national football team


qualifying for every European Championship and World Cup but have had very little success. They have only ever won six matches, four of them at home. They have two wins in competitive matches, 1–0 wins against Macedonia in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying competition and against Hungary in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying competition. Though the Andorran Football Federation formed in 1994, and the domestic league started in 1995, the national team could not participate in major championships until it gained affiliation with governing bodies FIFA and UEFA in 1996.
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Visa history of Russia


the Russia-Belarus border if they travel via the motor road and railway routes through checkpoints that are not international. Similarly eased restrictions are planned for visitors to the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and to the 2018 FIFA World Cup. From 4 June to 25 July 2018, visas won't be required for those attending matches of the 2018 FIFA World Cup championship, who will be able to enter Russia with an ID and passport. Foreigners participating in events and FIFA athletes, will have to obtain visas, but with a simplified procedure
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Jonathan dos Santos


called up for the 2015 Gold Cup, starting in every match as Mexico won the tournament. In May 2018 he was named in Mexico’s preliminary 28-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, and in June, was named in Mexico's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. On 26 March 2019, he scored his first ever senior international goal, opening the scoring in a 4–2 friendly win over Paraguay. In June 2019, he was named in Mexico's 23-man squad for the 2019 Gold Cup.
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Australia 2022 FIFA World Cup bid


Australia submitted an unsuccessful bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. On 2 December 2010 FIFA announced that the event would be held in Qatar. Australia also lodged a bid for the 2018 World Cup, but withdrew the bid on 10 June 2010. The 2018 and 2022 World Cups will be the 21st and 22nd editions of the FIFA World Cup. The bidding procedure to host both the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup began in January 2009, and national associations had until 2 February 2009 to register their interest. The bid was
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France national football team


2000. France won the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2001 and 2003, and reached the 2006 FIFA World Cup final, which it lost 5–3 on penalties to Italy. The team also reached the final of UEFA Euro 2016, where they lost 1–0 to Portugal in extra time. France won the 2018 FIFA World Cup, defeating Croatia 4–2 in the final match on 15 July 2018. This was the second time they had won the tournament after winning it on home soil in 1998. France was the first national team that has won
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group A


The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group A was one of the nine UEFA groups for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification. The group consisted of six teams: Netherlands, France, Sweden, Bulgaria, Belarus, and Luxembourg. The draw for the first round (group stage) was held as part of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Preliminary Draw on 25 July 2015, starting 18:00 MSK (), at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg, Russia. The group winners, France, qualified directly for the 2018 FIFA
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Antonio Rüdiger


on 7 June. Rüdiger was part of the German national squad which won the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia. He played four matches in the tournament, including the 1–0 win over Chile in the final. On 8 October 2017, he headed his first international goal in a 5–1 home win over Azerbaijan in World Cup qualifying. Rüdiger was included in Germany's final 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup on 4 June 2018. On 24 June, he picked up for the second group stage match against Sweden as first
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List of FIFA Club World Cup finals


times since its inception. Teams from Spain have won the tournament the most times, with seven wins produced from that nation. The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) is the most successful confederation of the competition with eleven titles earned by six of its clubs. The current champions are Real Madrid, who were defending champions and won their fourth title, following a 4–1 win against Al-Ain in the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup Final at the Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The first
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2018 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship


-out is used to decide the winner if necessary (no extra time is played). Winners qualify for 2018 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. Losers enter the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup play-off. Winner qualifies for 2018 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. The following three teams from UEFA qualified for the 2018 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. Note: Goals scored in the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup play-off are included in this list, but are not counted by UEFA for statistical purposes
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2011 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Final


The 2011 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Final was the last match of the 2011 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup which took place on September 11, 2011 at the Stadio del Mare, in the Italian city of Ravenna. The final took place between Russia, who were taking place in their first ever final and defending champions Brazil, who were playing in their fourteenth final, aiming to win their fourteenth title. The result of the match saw Russia claim the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup crown, winning their first ever title and becoming
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Kevin Volland


made his debut in a friendly goalless draw against Poland five days later. He was also included in Germany's preliminary 30-man roster for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, however he did not make the final 23-man squad, who went on to win the World Cup Final. On 11 November 2016, Volland scored his first ever goal for Germany in a 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualification game against San Marino. Germany won 8–0. Volland married long term girlfriend Katja Fitchl in June 2017 and they celebrated the birth of their first
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National team appearances in the FIFA World Cup


(e.g., Russia is a successor of USSR and not a separate team, whereas Ukraine is a newer separate entity). As per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws. 3 points per win, 1 point per draw and 0 points per loss. Accurate as of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Source: The defending World Cup champions were formerly granted an automatic spot in the Cup finals field. As
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Culture of Syria


was ranked 75th in the world by FIFA as of 2018. Although Syria has never qualified for the World Cup finals, its national football team reached the fourth round in 2018 after tying with Iran. They tied with the Australian team on the 5th of October before losing to them 2-1 on the 10 October and disqualifying. A win would have seen them play Honduras in an intercontinental playoff, if they won that, they would have qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup The highest division of football in Syria is the
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FIFA Anthem


at the 2006 one. In 2018, FIFA commissioned Hans Zimmer and Lorne Balfe to compose a new theme to be used at 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. The theme, named "Living Football" to coincide with FIFA's new slogan, was played before every World Cup match, as the volunteers began to unveil the giant 2018 FIFA World Cup logo (replaced by the drawing of the FIFA World Cup Trophy in the final) at the pitch, along with the flags of the two nations in every match. The
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2018 FIFA Club World Cup


The 2018 FIFA Club World Cup (officially known as the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2018 presented by Alibaba Cloud for sponsorship reasons) was the 15th edition of the FIFA Club World Cup, a FIFA-organised international club football tournament between the winners of the six continental confederations, as well as the host nation's league champions. The tournament was hosted by the United Arab Emirates from 12 to 22 December 2018. Real Madrid were the defending champions, having won the previous two editions, and qualified for the 2018 edition as
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group E


The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group E was one of the nine UEFA groups for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification. The group consisted of six teams: Romania, Denmark, Poland, Montenegro, Armenia, and Kazakhstan. The draw for the first round (group stage) was held as part of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Preliminary Draw on 25 July 2015, starting 18:00 MSK (), at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg, Russia. The group winners, Poland, qualified directly for the 2018 FIFA
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group F


The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group F was one of the nine UEFA groups for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification. The group consisted of six teams: England, Slovakia, Scotland, Slovenia, Lithuania, and Malta. The draw for the first round (group stage) was held as part of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Preliminary Draw on 25 July 2015, starting 18:00 MSK (), at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg, Russia. The group winners, England, qualified directly for the 2018 FIFA
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group G


The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group G was one of the nine UEFA groups for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification. The group consisted of six teams: Spain, Italy, Albania, Israel, Macedonia, and Liechtenstein. The draw for the first round (group stage) was held as part of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Preliminary Draw on 25 July 2015, starting 18:00 MSK (), at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg, Russia. The group winners, Spain, qualified directly for the 2018 FIFA
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2018 FIFA World Cup


The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, an international football tournament contested by the men's national teams of the member associations of FIFA once every four years. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018. It was the first World Cup to be held in Eastern Europe, and the 11th time that it had been held in Europe. At an estimated cost of over $14.2 billion, it was the most expensive World Cup. It was also the first World Cup to use the
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History of the Germany national football team


Australia and Cameroon. Then, they won against Mexico 4–1 in the semi-finals to progress to the final. Unexpectedly, the young team managed to win Germany their first FIFA Confederations Cup title ever after a 1–0 win against Chile at the Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg. Despite winning their 10 matches in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification. Germany went out from the World Cup group stage, first exit in the first round since 1938, after two losses and only one win. The first match was against Mexico, the
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Morocco 2030 FIFA World Cup bid


The national football association of Morocco is scheduled to bid to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup. The bid will be led by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, who officially confirmed it on 15 June 2018. On 25 July 2018, Royal Moroccan Football Federation president Fouzi Lekjaa, confirmed Morocco will apply for the 2030 World Cup bid. The 2030 bid is Morocco's sixth bid to host the FIFA World Cup after a record five unsuccessful attempts in 1994, 1998, 2006, 2010 and 2026. If successful, it will be
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Brazil at the FIFA Women's World Cup


After the Brazilians have not won a game since July 2018, they could win against Jamaica without World Cup top goalscorer Marta 3-0. All goals scored Cristiana, who had not played since winning the South American Championship international match. In the second game against Australia, they went 2-0 in the lead, with Marta scored the first goal and her 16th goal of the World Cup with a transformed penalty, equaling with [[Miroslav Klose]], the men's world record scorer. In extra time in
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2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage


Yerokhin of Russia entered the pitch in the 97th minute. section begin=r16-3 /section end=r16-3 / The teams had met in five matches, which included two matches played in 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification, the first fixture ending in a 1–1 draw and the reverse fixture a 3–1 Denmark win. In the first minute, a long throw into the Croatia penalty area by Jonas Knudsen, allowed a run to Thomas Delaney who touched the ball on to Mathias Jørgensen, who side-footed it into the
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Harry Winks


up to the senior England squad, for their 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Slovenia and Lithuania. He made his debut when starting in England's 1–0 away win over Lithuania, which was the team's final match in their successful 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign. Phil McNulty of BBC Sport stated that, on the night, Winks was "England's best performer. Neat and tidy and almost scored. Eye-catching among so much mediocrity". Winks missed the World Cup due to injury, but returned to the
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Sports-related curses


It has since been seen by fans of the club as the moment the curse was lifted. Derby County went on to win the match 4–1. Until the 2018 FIFA World Cup England had never won a game on a penalty shootout in a competitive international competition. The curse was broken with a penalty victory against Colombia in the 2018 World Cup last 16. Additionally the curse affected the women’s national team in the 2019 Women’s FIFA World Cup with the team missing all 3 penalties kicks awarded to them as a foul.
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Didier Deschamps


, the final of UEFA Euro 2016, and he won the final of 2018 FIFA World Cup beating Croatia 4–2. After France's victory at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Deschamps became the third man to win the World Cup as both a player and a manager; alongside Mário Zagallo and Franz Beckenbauer, following Beckenbauer as only the second to do so as captain. Deschamps was born in Bayonne in the French part of the Basque area. After a short passage at rugby in the Biarritz Olympique club, Deschamps started his football
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification


The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification process was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations to decide 31 of the 32 teams which would play in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, with Russia qualifying automatically as hosts. All 210 remaining FIFA member associations were eligible to enter the qualifying process, and for the first time in World Cup history, all eligible national teams registered for the preliminary competition, but Zimbabwe and Indonesia were disqualified before playing their first matches. Bhutan, South Sudan, Gibraltar and Kosovo made their FIFA World
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC)


The Oceanian section of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification acted as qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, to be held in Russia, for national teams which are members of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC). A total of 0.5 slots (i.e. 1 inter-confederation play-off slot) in the final tournament was available for OFC teams. The 2016 edition of the OFC Nations Cup once again doubled as the second round of the OFC qualifying competition for the 2018 FIFA World Cup (similar to the 2012 OFC Nations
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Massimiliano Irrati


and Greek club AEL Limassol in the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League second qualifying round. On 30 April 2018, Irrati was selected by FIFA as one of the video assistant referees for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, the first FIFA World Cup to use the technology. Irrati was appointed as VAR in his first World Cup match between Russia and Saudi Arabia on 14 June 2018 in Group A, the opening match of the tournament. On 12 July 2018, Irrati was appointed as the VAR for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final
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Megan Rapinoe


Megan Anna Rapinoe (; born July 5, 1985) is an American professional soccer player who plays for and captains Reign FC in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), playing primarily as a winger. As a member of the United States women's national soccer team, she helped the U.S. win the 2015 and 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup tournaments, a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics, and finish runners-up at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. Since 2018, she co-captains the
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)


The European section of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification acted as qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which is being held in Russia, for national teams that are members of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). Apart from Russia, who qualified automatically as hosts, a total of 13 slots in the final tournament were available for UEFA teams. The qualifying format was confirmed by the UEFA Executive Committee meeting on 22–23 March 2015 in Vienna. The qualification process started on 4 September 2016, almost two months after
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England 2018 FIFA World Cup bid


Portsmouth (who later withdrew) were also among the list of possible venues until the 12 'final cities' were announced on 16 December 2009. England's bid for the World Cup was unsuccessful, only receiving 2 out of 22 votes from the FIFA executive committee in the first round of voting. The rights to host the 2018 World Cup were eventually awarded to Russia. At a conference in Qatar in March 2012, Premier League chairman and deputy chairman of the 2018 bid, Dave Richards, said FIFA allowed the FA to
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2018 FIFA World Cup


update to "FIFA 18" that added content related to the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The 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. Panini continued their partnership with FIFA by producing stickers for their World Cup sticker album. Panini also developed an app for the 2018 World Cup where fans could collect and swap virtual stickers, with five million fans gathering digital stickers for the tournament. The official song
9519498
History of the France national football team


France has won two World Cups, one in 1998 and another in 2018. France has also won two UEFA European Football Championships, first in 1984, led by Ballon d'Or winner Michel Platini, and then in 2000, led by FIFA World Player of the Year Zinedine Zidane. Following France's 2001 Confederations Cup victory, they became, along with Argentina, the only national teams to win the FIFA World Cup, the FIFA Confederations Cup, and the Olympic Tournament. The France national football team was created in 1904 around the
21115235
2019 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup


. A total of 16 teams qualified for the final tournament. In addition to Paraguay who qualified automatically as hosts, 15 other teams qualified from six separate continental competitions. The slot allocation was also decided at the FIFA Council meeting on 26 October 2018. The process of qualification to the World Cup finals began on 9 September 2018 and ended on 27 July 2019. "Note: All appearance statistics below include only the FIFA era (since 2005); see: National team appearances in the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup for inclusion
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Marcus Rashford


past three opponents, making him the best in that statistic for the whole team in that match. Rashford scored his first competitive goal for the senior team on 4 September 2017, with the winning goal in England's 2–1 win over Slovakia in 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification. He was named in the 23-man England national team squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The tournament saw Rashford make one start in a group stage match against Belgium, plus an additional five appearance as a substitute (in every match except Panama).
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2022 FIFA World Cup


the current 32. On 12 April 2018, CONMEBOL requested that FIFA expand the 2022 FIFA World Cup from 32 to 48 teams, four years before the 2026 FIFA World Cup as initially planned. FIFA President Gianni Infantino expressed willingness to consider the request. However, the FIFA congress rejected the request shortly before the beginning of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Infantino said the global football governing body would not discuss the possibility of having a 48-team World Cup, and that they would first discuss the matter with the host country. In
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Sinthaweechai Hathairattanakool


Cup qualification. In May 2015, he played for Thailand in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) against Vietnam, he also kept a clean sheet in the following game. On 5 September 2017, Sinthaweechai announced his early retirement from international football after the match with Australia in 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC Third Round. On 14 October 2018, Football Association of Thailand organised Sinthaweechai Testimonial Match with Trinidad and Tobago national football team at Suphan Buri Provincial Stadium and end with score 1-0 Thailand win Trinidad and
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group B


The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group B was one of the nine UEFA groups for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification. The group consisted of six teams: Portugal, Switzerland, Hungary, Faroe Islands, Latvia, and Andorra. The draw for the first round (group stage) was held as part of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Preliminary Draw on 25 July 2015, starting 18:00 MSK (), at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg, Russia. The group winners, Portugal, qualified directly for the 2018
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Bassem Srarfi


Toulouse in stoppage time. Srarfi received his first call-up for the Tunisia national team in August 2017, with Nabil Maâloul selecting him in the squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers versus DR Congo. He was an unused substitute in both fixtures. Srarfi made his senior debut for Tunisia in a 1–0 friendly win over Iran on 23 March 2018. In the following May, he was named in Tunisia's preliminary squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He was selected in the final 23. He made his World
12488922
Maya Yoshida


Cup qualifying campaign and participated in all of Japan's group stage games at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Yoshida was selected as a member of the Japanese team for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. He played Japan's opener match against debutant Palestine and scored the final goal in a 4–0 win. On 31 May 2018, Yoshida was selected in the 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He played every single minute in all the group stage matches against Colombia, Senegal and Poland. His side were knocked out
10691038
Peru national football team results


includes seven 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches and five friendlies. Peru played 9 matches. All nine were friendlies. Peru played 14 matches. This includes four 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches, six Copa America matches and four friendlies. Peru played 14 matches. This includes eight 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches, four Copa America matches and two friendlies. Peru played 10 matches. This includes eight 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches and two friendlies. Peru played 14 matches. This includes eleven friendlies and the 2018 FIFA World
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Jack Wilshere


UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying matches. His first England goals came on his 28th appearance on 14 June 2015, in a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match away to Slovenia, netting two long-range strikes as they came from behind to win 3–2 at the Stožice Stadium in Ljubljana. Wilshere was selected for the 2018 friendlies in preparation for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. On 16 May 2018, he was left out Gareth Southgate's 23-man England national team squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Wilshere is known for his movement
631726
FIFA World Rankings


2014 FIFA World Cup Final, as well as the 2015 Copa America Final. In November 2015, Belgium became the leader in the FIFA rankings for the first time, after topping their Euro 2016 qualifying group. Belgium led the rankings until April 2016, when Argentina returned to the top. On 6 April 2017, Brazil returned to the No. 1 spot for the first time since just prior to the 2010 World Cup, but Germany regained the top spot in July after winning the Confederations Cup. In August 2018, France
16826716
South America


in 2018. South America shares with Europe supremacy over the sport of football as all winners in FIFA World Cup history and all winning teams in the FIFA Club World Cup have come from these two continents. Brazil holds the record at the FIFA World Cup with five titles in total. Argentina and Uruguay have two titles each. So far four South American nations have hosted the tournament including the first edition in Uruguay (1930). The other three were Brazil (1950, 2014), Chile (1962), and Argentina
6978020
Dušan Tadić


fixture in both the squad and the team, and was an integral part of the national side during Serbia's unsuccessful attempt to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Tadić scored his first senior goal for his country in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification game at home to Wales on 12 September 2012 in a 6–1 victory, coming on the occasion of his eighth full cap. Tadić was one of Serbia's most influential players during the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifications, scoring four goals and helping them win their group
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