where is the fifa world cup 2018 being held
Tunisia at the FIFA World Cup


Tunisia have appeared in the finals of the FIFA World Cup on five occasions, the first being at the 1978 FIFA World Cup where they finished in ninth position. Between 1998 and 2006 they had a streak of three World Cup qualifications. They have made their fifth appearance at the finals in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. However, Tunisia has never been able to progress from the group stage in all occasions. As of 2018, Tunisia never survived the group stage of a World Cup. They have won two matches
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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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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)


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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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)


The top four teams qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and the fifth-placed team advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs. Unlike previous qualifying tournaments where the fixtures were pre-determined, the fixtures were determined by draw, which 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. For scheduling reasons, Argentina and Brazil were automatically positioned as Teams 4 and 5 respectively to
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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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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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Japan at the FIFA World Cup


Japan have appeared in the finals of the FIFA World Cup on six occasions, the first being in 1998 where they lost all three group games and finished in 31st position. Masashi Nakayama scored Japan's first ever goal in a World Cup Finals against Jamaica on 26 June 1998 in a 2-1 defeat. Keisuke Honda becomes the first Japanese player to score in three world cups: 2010, 2014, 2018. They made their sixth appearance at the finals in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Japan became the first
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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 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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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)


the W Hotel at Miami Beach, Florida, United States. The draw for the second round was held on 15 January 2015, 19:40 EST (), at the W Hotel at Miami Beach, Florida, United States. The draw for the third round 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 draw for the fourth round was held as part of the 2018 FIFA World Cup
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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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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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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)


The African 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 Confederation of African Football (CAF). A total of 5 slots in the final tournament were available for CAF teams. The CAF Executive Committee approved the format for the qualifiers of the 2018 FIFA World Cup on 14 January 2015, with three preliminary rounds before a final group stage featuring 20 teams. The number of preliminary rounds was reduced to two
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group D


The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group D was one of the nine UEFA groups for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification. The group consisted of six teams: Wales, Austria, Serbia, Republic of Ireland, Moldova, and Georgia. 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, Serbia, qualified directly for the
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group H


The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group H was one of the nine UEFA groups for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification. The group consisted of six teams: Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Estonia, Cyprus, and Gibraltar. 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. Gibraltar was added to the group after the draw,
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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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FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup


FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup was expected to be held in South Africa, but due to the country's withdrawal, a new host was chosen on 19 March 2015, and it was Papua New Guinea. The 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup was held in France from 5–24 August 2018; a year later France would host the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. The Golden Ball and Golden Shoe awards both went to Patricia Guijarro of Spain. The topscorer award. Awarded to the best player of the tournament. Awarded
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group C


The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group C was one of the nine UEFA groups for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification. The group consisted of six teams: Germany, Czech Republic, Northern Ireland, Norway, Azerbaijan, and San Marino. The draw was for the first round (group stage) which was not 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, Germany,
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group I


The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group I was one of the nine UEFA groups for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification. The group consisted of six teams: Croatia, Iceland, Ukraine, Turkey, Finland, and Kosovo. 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. Kosovo was added to the group after the draw, after becoming
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)


The Asian section of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification acted as qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, held in Russia, for national teams which are members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). 4.5 slots (4 direct slots and 1 inter-confederation play-off slot) in the final tournament were available for AFC teams. On 16 April 2014, the AFC Executive Committee approved a proposal to merge the preliminary qualification rounds of the FIFA World Cup and the AFC Asian Cup, which expanded to 24 teams starting
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68th FIFA Congress


The 68th FIFA Congress was held in Moscow, Russia, on 13 June 2018, prior to the 2018 FIFA World Cup. It was the first time since 1966 the FIFA World Cup Host was selected by the FIFA Congress. The bidding process was originally scheduled to start in 2015, with the appointment of hosts scheduled for the FIFA Congress on 10 May 2017 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. On 10 June 2015, FIFA announced that the bid process for the 2026 FIFA World Cup was postponed. However, following the FIFA Council
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (inter-confederation play-offs)


For the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, there were two scheduled inter-confederation play-offs to determine the final two qualification spots to the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The matches were originally scheduled to be played between 6–14 November 2017, and later confirmed to take place between 10–15 November. The draw for the inter-confederation play-offs 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. The four
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Switzerland at the FIFA World Cup


appeared in the finals of the World Cup on eleven occasions, the first being at the second finals in 1934 where they finished in seventh position. They have made their eleventh appearance in the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Switzerland's record at FIFA World Cups: The group stage used in the first World Cup was discarded in favour of a straight knockout tournament. Switzerland hosted the tournament in 1954 and reached the quarter-final for a third time, where the team was beaten 7–5 by neighbouring Austria. ---- After missing out
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2017 FIFA Confederations Cup


The 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup was the 10th and final FIFA Confederations Cup, a quadrennial international men's football tournament organised by FIFA. It was held in Russia, from 17 June to 2 July 2017, as a prelude to the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Russia was announced as the host on 2 December 2010 after the country was awarded the hosting rights of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The matches were played in four different stadiums across four cities: Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Kazan, and Sochi. It was the first
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Christian Benteke


2016, Benteke set a record for the fastest goal in a World Cup match—either qualifying or the finals—when he scored after 8.1 seconds against Gibraltar in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match, breaking the 23-year-old record previously held by Davide Gualtieri. He scored twice more to complete his first hat-trick for Belgium. He was left out of the final Belgium 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup despite initially being named in the preliminary squad. Benteke is a Christian. He points up to the
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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
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Adidas Telstar 18


The Adidas Telstar 18 was the official match ball of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which was held in the Russian Federation. It is designed by the company Adidas in Sialkot, Pakistan. A FIFA Partner and FIFA World Cup official match ball supplier since 1970, and based on the concept of the first Adidas's World Cup match ball. The Telstar 18 was presented in Moscow on November 9, 2017 by Lionel Messi. Retired Brazilian footballer Ronaldo opened the 2018 FIFA World Cup by introducing a Telstar 18 that was sent into
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FIFA Anthem


"FIFA Anthem" itself - which always played when the players walked out onto the stadium pitch, was replaced by "Seven Nation Army" of The White Stripes for that tournament. The trend has continued at all subsequent FIFA-sanctioned tournaments, including the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup, FIFA U-20 World Cup, and the FIFA Women's World Cup. The "Living Football" theme was used again at the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup, which was held in the United Arab Emirates
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Qatar at the FIFA World Cup


Qatar national football team has never qualified for any single FIFA World Cup since the country's independence at 1971. While Qatar has been a regular participant in the continental AFC Asian Cup, the national side has always fallen short in the final stage of World Cup campaigns. By hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup and its failure to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup held in Russia, Qatar became the second nation after Italy in 1934 FIFA World Cup to play in World Cup without qualifying for it. Previous disgraced President of FIFA
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2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup bids


to its 2018 bid. However, Australia ultimately withdrew from the bidding for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in favour of the 2022 FIFA World Cup on 10 June 2010, following comments from the chief of the Asian Football Confederation that the 2018 tournament should be held in Europe. Australia's largest stadiums are currently used by other major Australian sports whose domestic seasons overlap with the World Cup. The Australian Football League and National Rugby League claimed that loss of access to these major venues for eight weeks would severely disrupt their seasons and impact
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Luzhniki Stadium


The 2018 FIFA World Cup was awarded to Russia and the Luzhniki Stadium was selected by the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup bid as the venue for the opening match and also the final, which was held on 15 July 2018. The stadium joins Rome's Stadio Olimpico, London's old Wembley Stadium, Berlin's Olympiastadion and Munich's Olympiastadion as the only stadiums to have hosted the finals of the FIFA World Cup and UEFA's European Cup/Champions League and featured as a main stadium of the Summer Olympic Games (Saint Denis
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Jakob Johansson (footballer)


FIFA World Cup qualifier against France on 11 November 2016. On 10 November 2017 the Swedes won against Italy 1–0 in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Second Round Play-Off first leg at the Friends Arena, and the only goal coming when Jakob Johansson drilled home from 20 yards, via a Daniele De Rossi deflection. On 13 November 2017, in the game where Sweden held on to force a goalless draw in the second leg at the San Siro to defeat the Italians 1–0 on aggregate in their Russia 2018 World Cup play-
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FIFA World Cup hosts


to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup, making it the first time that the World Cup will be hosted in Eastern Europe and making it the biggest country geographically to host the World Cup. Qatar was selected to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, making it the first time a World Cup will be held in the Arab World and the second time in Asia since the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan. Also, the decision made it the smallest country geographically to host the World Cup. Bids: Under FIFA rules as
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2020 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup


The 2020 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup will be the 7th edition of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, the biennial international women's youth football championship contested by the under-17 national teams of the member associations of FIFA, since its inception in 2008. The tournament will be held in India. It will mark the first time that India has hosted a FIFA women's football tournament. Spain are the defending champions, having won their first title in 2018. On 25 July 2018, FIFA announced that bidding process had begun
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FIFA World Cup


tournament. However, the policy of continental rotation will not continue beyond 2014, so any country, except those belonging to confederations that hosted the two preceding tournaments, can apply as hosts for World Cups starting from 2018. This is partly to avoid a similar scenario to the bidding process for the 2014 tournament, where Brazil was the only official bidder. The 2026 FIFA World Cup was chosen to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, marking the first time a World Cup has been shared by three host nations
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC)


at OFC Headquarters in Auckland, New Zealand. The draw for the second round 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. While the results of the OFC Nations Cup knockout stage matches have no effect on the teams qualified for the third round of World Cup qualifying, for statistical purposes these matches are considered part of World Cup qualifying, with FIFA counting goalscorers in the qualifying statistics, and
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2018 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup


The 2018 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup was the 6th edition of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, the biennial international women's youth football championship contested by the under-17 national teams of the member associations of FIFA, since its inception in 2008. The tournament was held in Uruguay from 13 November to 1 December 2018. North Korea were the defending champions but were eliminated by Spain in the quarter-finals. The final took place at the Estadio Charrúa, Montevideo between Spain and Mexico a rematch from the group stage in
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)


The North, Central American and Caribbean 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 Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF). 3.5 slots (3 direct slots and 1 inter-confederation play-off slot) in the final tournament were available for CONCACAF teams. In a change to previous qualification tournaments for this confederation, the first three rounds were played as knockout rounds,
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)


The South American section of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification acted as qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup held in Russia, for national teams which are members of the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL). A total of 4.5 slots (4 direct slots and 1 inter-confederation play-off slot) in the final tournament were available for CONMEBOL teams. The qualification structure was the same as for the previous five tournaments. The ten teams played in a league of home-and-away round-robin matches.
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2019 FIFA Women's World Cup


tournament. The technology was previously deployed at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. The fifteen VAR officials were announced by FIFA on 2 May 2019. The draw for the final tournament was held on 8 December 2018, 18:00 CET (), at the La Seine Musicale on the island of Île Seguin, Boulogne-Billancourt. The 24 teams were drawn into six groups of four teams. The 24 teams were allocated to four pots based on the FIFA Women's World Rankings released on 7 December 2018, with hosts France
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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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Croatia at the FIFA World Cup


Croatia national football team have appeared in the FIFA World Cup on five occasions (in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2014 and 2018) since gaining independence in 1991. Before that, from 1930 to 1990 Croatia was part of Yugoslavia. Their best result thus far was reaching the 2018 final, where they lost 4-2 to France. CROATIA In the draw for the final tournament, held on 4 December 1997 at Stade Vélodrome in Marseille, Croatia was drawn to play in Group H, along with two other teams which
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF First Round


The first round of CAF matches for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification was played from 7 to 17 October 2015. A total of 26 teams (teams ranked 28–53 in the CAF entrant list) played home-and-away over two legs. The 13 winners advanced to the second round. The draw for the first round 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 seeding was based
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF Third Round


The third round of CAF matches for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification was played from 7 October 2016 to 14 November 2017. A total of 20 teams which had advanced from the second round were drawn into five groups of four teams to play home-and-away round-robin matches. The winners of each group qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The draw for the third round was held on 24 June 2016, 17:00 EET (), at the CAF headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. The seedings - initially released
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2018 CONIFA World Football Cup


The 2018 CONIFA World Football Cup was the third edition of the CONIFA World Football Cup, an international football tournament for states, minorities, stateless peoples and regions unaffiliated with FIFA organised by CONIFA. The tournament was hosted by Barawa Football Association, with all games held in and around London. The tournament was sponsored by Irish bookmaker Paddy Power. After being a late entry to the tournament, Kárpátalja won their first title on 9 June 2018, defeating Northern Cyprus 3–2 on penalties in the final. In June 2017, at the
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – OFC First Round


The first round of OFC matches for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (and 2016 OFC Nations Cup qualification) was played from 31 August to 4 September 2015 in Tonga. In this round, four teams, as determined by the OFC in March 2014, played a single round-robin tournament held in a single country which was later decided to be in Tonga. All matches were held at the Loto-Tonga Soka Centre in Nuku'alofa. Samoa, the winner, advanced to the 2016 OFC Nations Cup, held from 28 May
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Croatia at the 2018 FIFA World Cup


Croatia participated in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. This was their fifth appearance. Croatia was in Group I of UEFA's World Cup qualifications. They played alongside Iceland, Ukraine, Turkey, Finland and Kosovo. Croatia finished as runner-up in the group and entered the second-round play-offs where the team beat Greece and qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Croatia national team was led by manager Ante Čačić until 7 October 2017 when he was, due to a series of bad results, replaced by Zlatko
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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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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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List of England international footballers


in the 1990 FIFA World Cup, finishing his England career on 125 caps. The goalscoring record is held by Wayne Rooney, with 53 goals in 120 matches, scored between 2003 and 2018. He set the record with his 50th goal on 8 September 2015, in a 2–0 home win over Switzerland in a UEFA 2016 qualifier. England's second highest goalscorer is Bobby Charlton, with 49 goals from 106 matches, who held the record for 45 years before being surpassed by Rooney. England's highest scorer in FIFA World Cup
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2023 FIFA Women's World Cup bids


by more than one country. Africa has never hosted the tournament. On 4 June 2018, The South African Football Association announced that they will bid for the event of 2023. Having previously hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup, it is hoping to play host to the first ever Women's World Cup held in the African continent. South Africa agreed to officially launch the bid after South Africa qualified for the Women's World Cup for the first time on 3 December 2018 for the 2019 event. as of December 2018 they were
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF Third Round


The third round of CONCACAF matches for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification was played from 4 to 8 September 2015. A total of 12 teams (teams ranked 7–8 in the CONCACAF entrant list and 10 second round winners) played home-and-away over two legs. The six winners advanced to the fourth round. The draw for the third round 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
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF Second Round


The second round of CAF matches for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification was played from 11 to 17 November 2015. A total of 40 teams (teams ranked 1–27 in the CAF entrant list and 13 first round winners) played home-and-away over two legs. The 20 winners advanced to the third round. The draw for the second round 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
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)


shown in brackets) Note: Niger had to enter the first round as they had fewer FIFA ranking points (345.31) than Benin (345.46) and Libya (345.35). In the FIFA World Rankings, teams share the same ranking if their ranking points round to the same whole number. The schedule of the competition was as follows. The draw for the first round 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
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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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2014 FIFA World Cup


The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting rights in 2007. It was the second time that Brazil staged the competition, the first being in 1950, and the fifth time that it was held in South America. Many fans and pundits alike also consider this edition of the World Cup to be one of the greatest ever held
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2018 OFC U-19 Championship


World Cups at Under 20 level. In March 2015, FIFA decided that the OFC gets two slots at every FIFA U-20 and U-17 World Cup. So, the top two teams of the tournament qualified for the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland as the OFC representatives. New Zealand, the defending champions, won the title for the seventh time, and qualified together with runners-up Tahiti. The tournament structure was as follows: The draw for the tournament was held on 2 February 2018 at the OFC Headquarters in Auckland
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2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup bids


United States, the last non-European candidate in the 2018 bidding cycle, withdrew its bid for that year; hence the 2018 tournament will have to be held in UEFA. This in turn meant that CONMBEBOL and UEFA were ineligible for 2022. For both the 2018 and 2022 editions of the World Cup, the FIFA Executive Committee voted to decide which candidate should host the tournament. The multiple round exhaustive ballot system was used to determine the tournament host. All eligible members of the FIFA Executive Committee had one vote. The
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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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2014 FIFA World Cup preparations


The costs of the 2014 FIFA World Cup tournament in Brazil were estimated to be the highest in the history of the FIFA World Cup up till then. Costs of the tournament totalled $11.6 billion, making it the most expensive World Cup to date, until surpassed by 2018 FIFA World Cup which cost an estimated $14.2 billion. FIFA was expected to spend US$2 billion on staging the finals, with its greatest single expense being the US$576 million prize money pot. This expenditure has largely been on stadium works and infrastructure
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Sport in South Korea


2018. Pyeongchang won on its third consecutive bid. After a series of large cities (Nagano to Sochi), for the first time since Lillehammer 1994 the Winter Olympics returned to a mountain resort. The 2002 FIFA World Cup was held in Korea and Japan with extreme success. More than 10 million Koreans came to the streets to support their team in the semifinals against Germany. The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June.
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC First Round


The first round of AFC matches for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (and 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification) was played from 12 to 23 March 2015. A total of 12 teams (teams ranked 35–46 in the AFC entrant list) played home-and-away over two legs. The six winners advanced to the second round. The draw for the first round was held on 10 February 2015, 15:30 MST (), at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The seeding was based on the FIFA World Rankings
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2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)


The African section of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification will act as qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, to be held in Qatar, for national teams which are members of the Confederation of African Football (CAF). A total of 5 slots in the final tournament are available for CAF teams. A previous proposal to merge the qualification rounds for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations with those for the World Cup was turned down after a CAF meeting on 11 June 2018. CAF reverted to the format used for the 2014
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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 squads


The 2018 FIFA World Cup was an international football tournament held in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018. The 32 national teams involved in the tournament were required to register a squad of 23 players, including three goalkeepers. Only players in these squads were eligible to take part in the tournament. A provisional list of 35 players per national team was submitted to FIFA by 14 May 2018, one month prior to the opening match of the tournament. From the preliminary squad, the final list of 23 players per national team
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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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2010 June rugby union tests


simultaneously hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup. FIFA regulations call for World Cup venues to be handed over to FIFA 15 days before the World Cup starts. FIFA also prohibits any other major sporting events from being held in host cities from 7 days before the opening of the World Cup until 7 days after its end. An agreement was reached between the South African Rugby Union and the local World Cup organising committee to allow the match against France to be held at SARU's intended venue of Newlands in Cape Town, a non-
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Senegal at the FIFA World Cup


world, with an estimated 715.1 million people watching the 2006 tournament final. Senegal have appeared in the finals of the FIFA World Cup on two occasions, in 2002 where they reached the quarter finals, and in 2018. They were the first team in World Cup history to be eliminated using the fair play rule after being tied with Japan on the first six tiebreakers. Head coach: Bruno Metsu Defending champions France were eliminated from Group A without scoring a goal after defeats to Denmark and debutants Senegal, who both progressed at the
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FIFA Anthem


The "FIFA Anthem" or "FIFA Hymn" is an instrumental song played at the beginning of FIFA-sponsored events, such as futsal and association football matches and tournaments (like international friendlies, the FIFA World Cup or any other association football competitions), usually as the participants enter the playing area. Occasionally there have been instances where a different song has been used in its place; in the 2002 FIFA World Cup Vangelis' "Anthem" was used and in the 2018 FIFA World Cup and 2019 FIFA Women's
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Asian nations at the FIFA World Cup


After an opening 0–0 draw with Nigeria, the Iranian defense held Argentina goalless for most of the match before a Lionel Messi goal in injury time. Needing to beat the already-eliminated Bosnia and Herzegovina to clinch the group's second spot in the knockout stages, Iran wound up defeated 3–1. The 2018 FIFA World Cup, held in Russia, marked the first time five Asian teams qualified for the FIFA World Cup. Only Japan advanced past the group stage, a feat aided by fair-play points in tie-breaking
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Brazil at the 2018 FIFA World Cup


The following article concerns the performance of Brazil at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. They reached the quarter-finals, eventually being knocked out 2–1 by Belgium. Coach: Tite Brazil's final squad was announced on 14 May 2018. The two teams had met in eight matches, including one game at the 1950 FIFA World Cup group stage, a 2–2 draw. Paulinho's close-range effort forced Yann Sommer into a save. The first goal was scored shortly after when Philippe Coutinho scored from outside the penalty area with a
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF Fourth Round


) advanced to the fifth round (also called the 'Hexagonal' or 'Hex'). The draw for the fourth round 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 seeding was based on the FIFA World Rankings of August 2014 (shown in parentheses). The six direct qualifiers are seeded into two pots: Each group contained a team from Pot 1, a team from
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FIFA World Cup


hosts. South Africa became the first African nation to host the World Cup in 2010. The 2014 FIFA World Cup was hosted by Brazil, the first held in South America since Argentina 1978, and was the first occasion where consecutive World Cups were held outside Europe. The host country is now chosen in a vote by FIFA's Council. This is done under an exhaustive ballot system. The national football association of a country desiring to host the event receives a "Hosting Agreement" from FIFA, which explains the steps and
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Brazil v Poland (1938 FIFA World Cup)


Brazil v Poland was a football match held during the 1938 FIFA World Cup in France and still remembered by many Polish fans as Poland's first ever FIFA World Cup match. It is also Brazil's highest-scoring match in a FIFA World Cups tournament. The match held the record for highest-scoring World Cup match until 1954, when Austria beat Switzerland 7–5 in extra time. To Strasbourg, France, where Poland was going to play its first game versus Brazil (5 June 1938), Kałuża and Spoida took 15
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Unofficial Football World Championships


later, when Brazil won the UFWC title after winning 2014 Superclásico de las Américas. Brazil held onto the title to take it into Copa América 2015, where it ended up with tournament winners Chile. Chile lost the title to Uruguay who took it into the Copa América Centenario, but regained it before winning the tournament. The UFWC was exchanged between CONMEBOL sides during 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, and remained in South America despite being contested by outside teams during Chile's successful 2017 China Cup campaign. Ultimately it was Peru took
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Pejman Montazeri


AFC Asian Cup qualification and 2012 WAFF Championship by coach Carlos Queiroz. On 1 June 2014, he was called into Iran's 2014 FIFA World Cup squad by Carlos Queiroz. He played full 90 minutes in all three matches for Team Melli, where Iran eliminated in the group stage. However, he missed 2015 AFC Asian Cup due to injury. He was also called up to play in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification and made a strong partnership with Morteza Pouraliganji as Iran qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup without conceding a
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FIFA eWorld Cup


the number of participants increased significantly, compared to previous years when the FIWC was only available on PlayStation 3. 2.3 million players attempted to qualify for the Grand Final in New York City. On March 22, 2016, Mohamad Al-Bacha from Denmark won the FIWC title in the Apollo Theater, beating Sean Allen from England in the final match. In 2018, the FIFA Interactive World Cup (FIWC) was renamed to the FIFA eWorld Cup (FeWC). The 2018 Grand Finals was held between August 2, 2018
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Video assistant referee


FIFA World Cup during the FIFA Council meeting on 16 March 2018 in Bogotá. This tournament became the first competition to use VAR in full (at all matches and in all venues). The 2018 World Cup marked the system's World Cup debut. A total of 335 incidents were checked by the VAR over the course of the group stage, averaging seven per match, and fourteen calls made by referees were changed or overruled after being reviewed by the VAR. According to FIFA, the VAR system had a success rate of
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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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2018 Emperor's Cup


on 16 December 2018. However, the semi-finals were rescheduled to be held on 5 December after Kashima Antlers won 2018 AFC Champions League and advanced to the Emperor's Cup semi-finals, due to the schedule conflict with 2018 FIFA Club World Cup. The final was originally scheduled to be held on 24 December 2018. However, the final was rescheduled to be held on 9 December 2018 after Kashima Antlers won 2018 AFC Champions League and advanced to the Emperor's Cup semi-finals, due to the schedule conflict
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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 (CONCACAF)


single calendar year, but instead began in November 2016 and concluded in October 2017. The draw for the fifth round (to decide the fixtures) was held on 8 July 2016, 10:00 EDT (), at the CONCACAF headquarters in Miami Beach, United States. The draw for the inter-confederation play-offs 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. The fourth-placed team from
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Sergio Agüero


. Agüero was selected to represent the senior team in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the 2011 Copa América, the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the 2015 Copa América, and the Copa América Centenario, reaching the finals of the latter three tournaments. He also participated in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where he scored his first and second World Cup goals for Argentina, and the 2019 Copa América, where he won a bronze medal. He wears "Kun" on his shirt, a childhood nickname based on the title character
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Tunisia at the FIFA World Cup


: Mexico in 1978, and Panama in 2018. Tunisia's first World Cup was the 1978 competition held in Argentina. They became the first African team to win a World Cup game, defeating Mexico 3–1 in Rosario. A 1–0 defeat to 1974 semi-finalists Poland followed. Although "The Eagles Of Carthage" then held reigning champions West Germany to a 0–0 draw, they failed to advance. Tunisia failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup again until twenty years later. Adel Sellimi's team were beaten 2–0 by England
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Football in Japan


in 2002, where they were knocked out by Turkey 1–0, in 2010, where they lost to Paraguay in penalties and in 2018 where they fell 2–3 to Belgium. Japan also qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The first worldwide popular association football-oriented Japanese animation (manga) series, "Captain Tsubasa", was started in 1981. "Captain Tsubasa" was extremely popular among children of both genders in Japan
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2018 Australia national soccer team season


This page summarises the Australia national soccer team fixtures and results in 2018. Australia participated in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, held in Russia in June and July. The draw took place in Moscow on 1 December 2017, with Australia drawn in Group C alongside France, Peru, and Denmark. On 25 January 2018, the FFA appointed Bert van Marwijk on a short-term contract for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. On 8 March 2018 the FFA announced that Graham Arnold would take over the head coach position from van Marwijk
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FIFA World Cup


The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the "" (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the inaugural tournament in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946 when it was not held because of the Second World War. The current champion is France, which won its second title at the 2018 tournament in Russia. The current format of the competition
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification


stages. The first round would be played during the FIFA international dates of 23–31 March 2015. CONCACAF announced the full details on 12 January 2015: The draw for the fifth round (to decide the fixtures) was held on 8 July 2016 at the CONCACAF headquarters in Miami Beach, United States. The qualification structure was the same as the previous five editions. The ten teams played in a league of home-and-away round-robin matches. The top four teams qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF First Round


The first round of CONCACAF matches for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification was played between 22 and 31 March 2015. A total of 14 teams (teams ranked 22–35 in the CONCACAF entrant list) played home-and-away over two legs. The seven winners advanced to the second round. The draw for the first round was held on 15 January 2015, 19:40 EST (), at the W Hotel at Miami Beach, Florida, United States. The seeding was based on the FIFA World Rankings of August 2014 (shown
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF Second Round


The second round of CONCACAF matches for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification was played from 7 to 16 June 2015. A total of 20 teams (teams ranked 9–21 in the CONCACAF entrant list and seven first round winners) played home-and-away over two legs. The ten winners advanced to the third round. The draw for the second round was held on 15 January 2015, 19:40 EST (), at the W Hotel at Miami Beach, Florida, United States. The seeding was based on the FIFA World Rankings
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2030 FIFA World Cup


according to Cameroonian channel CRTV. Interest is thought to be high among many sub-Saharan African countries with the most likely being two from: Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Central African Republic, Nigeria or Angola to join Cameroon in bidding for the 2030 World Cup. On 12 September 2018, Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sánchez discussed the possibility of Spain bidding for the 2030 FIFA World Cup with FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Royal Spanish Football Federation President Luis Rubiales. On 29 September 2018,
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Bulgaria at the FIFA World Cup


Bulgaria have appeared in the finals of the FIFA World Cup on seven occasions, the first being at the 1962 FIFA World Cup. They appeared in the FIFA World Cup subsequently in 1966, 1970, 1974, 1986, 1994 and 1998. Their best performance was in 1994, where they finished in fourth place. They have failed to qualify for FIFA World Cup since 1998. Bulgaria's first appearance at the World Cup was at the seventh edition of the tournament in 1962. Between 1962 and 1974, they participated at four
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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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2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup


The 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup was the fourteenth tournament of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, and the eleventh played since the change in age limits from under 16s to Under 17s in 1991. It was held in Mexico with games being played amongst various venues between 18 June and 10 July 2011. Mexico won the Cup, being the first team to achieve it as hosts defeating Uruguay 2–0 and managing their second title in the category. It was confirmed by the 58th FIFA Congress in Sydney, Australia that Mexico would be the host
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)


, Saint Petersburg, Russia. The draw for the second round 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 draw for the third round was held on 24 June 2016, 17:00 EET (), at the CAF headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. The following five teams from CAF qualified for the final tournament. After Morocco qualified for the tournament with a 2–0 victory over Ivory Coast,
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Mesut Özil


represented his country in three FIFA World Cups, as well as two UEFA European Championships, and was an integral part in both the 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2012, where he starred as the joint-highest assist provider in both competitions. Özil was also a key contributor in Germany's victorious 2014 FIFA World Cup campaign, gaining plaudits for his versatility and creativity. After the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Özil retired from international competition, alleging discrimination and disrespect by the German Football Association (DFB) and the German
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