I s football actually coming home? England are two games away from glory as they prepare for a World Cup semi-final against Croatia. Following France's victory over Belgium in the first semi-final we are down to the final three teams, with 29 nations now eliminted, including premature exits for Brazil, Germany, Argentina and Spain. 61 of the 64 games have been played, with just the small matter of England's semi-final and the final (along with the dreaded third-place play-off) left to decide who walks away with the biggest prize in football. One thing we do know is that the winners of the 2018 World Cup will definitely be European, with either Croatia or England set to join France in Sunday's showpiece. James Olley reflects on England reaching the World Cup semi-final When is the World Cup final? In Pictures | England's Fifa World Cup 2018 1 /50 In Pictures | England's Fifa World Cup 2018 The best pictures from England's World Cup campaign England players applauds fans following their 2-1 loss to Croatia in a nail-biting World Cup semi-final EPA Croatia's forward Mario Mandzukic scores his team's second goal past England's goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in extra time AFP/Getty Images England's Jordan Pickford saves a shot from Croatia's Mario Mandzukic Reuters Croatia's Ivan Perisic celebrates to level the score at 1-1 vs England Reuters Croatia's goalkeeper Danijel Subasic fails to stop a sublime set play from England's Kieran Trippier AFP/Getty Images England's Kieran Trippier opens the scoring vs Croatia EPA Fans react in Hyde Park following the game Getty Images England's Kieran Trippier vies for the ball vs Sweden's Emil Forsberg AFP/Getty Images England's Harry Maguire celebrates his goal vs Sweden EPA England fans in London celebrate after their team scored the second goal in their quarte-final match vs Sweden EPA England's Dele Alli scores their second goal Reuters Gareth Southgate celebrates after England reach the quarter-finals PA England's players celebrate after defeating Colombia in a penalty shoot-out AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan Dier steps up to score the winning penalty to send England into the quarter-finals Reuters Jordan Pickford denies Colombia's Carlos Bacca in the shoot-out. AFP/Getty Images Harry Kane scores from the penalty spot to give England the lead against Colombia EPA Belgium's Adnan Januzaj celebrates vs England AP Belgium's Adnan Januzaj scores against England Reuters Belgium's Mousa Dembele and Leander Dendoncker in action with England's Ruben Loftus-Cheek Reuters England's Gary Cahill and Belgium's Michy Batshuayi challenge for the ball AP England's Jamie Vardy and Belgium's Moussa Dembele in action EPA England's Jesse Lingard reacts as he celebrates with Raheem Sterling after scoring his team's third goal during their Group G match vs Panama Matthias Schrader/AP England's Jesse Lingard scores a sublime goal vs Panama Murad Sezer/Reuters An England fanatic in Nizhny Novgorod celebrates after their match against Panama PA England fans support their 'Three Lions' in Russia Getty Images The wives and girlfriends of England's World Cup players Rebekah Vardy Harry Kane and the team arrive back in St Petersburg after their win over Panama Harry Kane/Instagram England's Harry Kane celebrates after scoring his team's fifth goal during their Russia 2018 World Cup Group G match vs Panama at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium AFP/Getty Images England's Harry Kane celebrates scoring their second goal vs Panama Reuters England's Harry Kane scores his penalty vs Panama AP Steve Holland holding training notes in Repino Jeremy Selwyn England's midfielder Jesse Lingard takes part in a training session in Stadium Spartak in Zelenogorsk AFP/Getty Images Engl;and's Kieran Trippier, Jordan Pickford, Jesse Lingard and Harry Maguire race on inflatable unicorns during a recovery session Rex Features England supporters celebrate at the Lord Raglan Pub in London after watching Harry Kane's winning goal vs Tunisia PA Gareth Southgate celebrates after defeating Tunisa Reuters Harry Kane of England celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the 2018 Fifa World Cup Russia Group G match vs Tunisia Matthias Hangst/Getty Images England's Harry Kane scores a late winner vs Tunisia Reuters England's Harry Kane celebrate scoring their first goal vs Tunisia Rex Features England's Harry Kane opens the scoring vs Tunisia Nicolad Asfouri/AFP/Getty Images England fans react at the Luna Beach Cinema in Brighton as they watch the 2018 Fifa World Cup Group G Belgium vs England match PA Football fans pour onto the streets in London following a the 2018 FIFA World Cup Group G Belgium vs England match Getty Images England's Dele Alli, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Raheem Sterling and Ruben Loftus-Cheek get ready for the official squad photo ahead of the Fifa World Cup in Russia Rex Features England's Harry Kane and Jesse Lingard get ready for the official squad photo ahead of the Fifa World Cup in Russia Rex Features England stand for a minute's silence in tirbute to Grenfell Jeremy Selwyn England manager Gareth Southgate and England's Harry Kane receive gifts before their first training session Lee Smith/Reuters England fans drink beer at the FIFA Fan Zone in Volgograd, Russia EPA England Players go Ten Pin Bowling in Russia Rex Features England's Jesse Lingard reacts after an insect lands on him ahead of their 2018 FIFA World Cup Group G match vs Tunisia Getty Images England fans up before their match vs Tunisia Reuters The 21st Fifa World Cup concludes on Sunday, July 15. Kick-off is scheduled for 6pm local time (4pm BST). Where is the World Cup final being hosted? REUTERS The final will take place at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, which was also the venue for the tournament's opening game on Thursday, June 14. The stadium is the biggest in Eastern Europe, with 81,000 seats it has previously hosted the final of the Champions League, in 2008, and was the main stadium at the 1980 Summer Olympics. It was demolished in 2013 and rebuilt in 2017 ahead of the World Cup. Where can I watch the World Cup final on TV?<doc-sep>The FIFA World Cup final is rapidly approaching, and although the Socceroos were knocked out in the group stage there will be many Aussies still tuning in. France and Croatia will go head to head for the right to be crowned world champion. When is the World Cup final? The 2018 World Cup final will be played at 1:00am (AEST) on Monday July 16 Here's all the details you need to know on how to tune in and watch. When is it? You'll need to set the alarms pretty early for this one (or just stay up all night. Your choice). The final will be played on Monday, July 16. Kick off is at 1:00am AEST. If you fall asleep before 1:00am (or snooze through your alarm), it'll be replayed at 7:00am on SBS. How to stream or tune in On TV, SBS will be airing the final. Pre-game coverage begins at 11:00pm, Sunday July 15. This means you can also watch the match later via SBS On Demand. You can also stream it live directly on the SBS website. And, there's also SBS radio in digital and analogue for those who may be driving during the finale. You can also sign up to Optus Sport and watch the final there. Alright! Tell me a bit about France France's Kylian Mbappe, left, celebrates with teammate Lucas Hernandez after scoring his side's third goal against Argentina. ( AP: David Vincent One of the pre-tournament favourites has ended up where plenty of football pundits expected it would be — in the decider. France went undefeated in the group stages (including a 2-1 victory over the Socceroos) then won a thrilling 4-3 last 16 clash against Argentina. Les Bleus weren't really troubled after that as they marched over Uruguay and Belgium to book their spot in the final. Want to sound like a expert at your World Cup final party? You'll want to talk a lot about 19-year-old French phenom Kylian Mbappe. Spoiler: He's good. REALLY good. France is the deserved favourite heading into the final. Sorry, this video has expired World Cup: France beats Belgium 1-0 to reach final thanks to Samuel Umtiti's header How about Croatia? The Croatians came into the tournament with the dark horse label. They'll head into the final with the dark horse label. While all the attention was on England in their half of the draw, the Vatreni kept their cool to win back-to-back penalty shootouts against Denmark and Russia before sending the Three Lions (but not football) home. Sorry, this video has expired World Cup: Croatia beats England 2-1 in extra time as Mario Mandzukic winner secures first-ever final The nation with a population of just over 4 million has won through to its first ever World Cup final. Keep an eye on star midfielder Luka Modric (probably the winner of the Golden Ball for player of the tournament according to our experts), who'll need to fire if Croatia is going to upset France. Absolute underdogs, but this has been a tournament made for the underdogs. Where will it be held? The finale will take place in the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. The stadium was the main arena of the Olympic Games in 1980 and hosted the opening and closing ceremonies.<doc-sep>On Sunday, the French national team defeated the Croatian national team to capture the 2018 FIFA World Cup title in Russia. It's France's first world championship since 1998 when it hosted the tournament and shocked Brazil in the final in Paris. The quadrennial tournament lasted from June 14 through July 15 and it featured plenty of surprises. Reigning champions Germany crashed out in the group stage and other favorites like Spain, Argentina and Brazil packed their bags a lot earlier than many expected. Croatia turned heads by becoming the second smallest nation, and the smallest since Uruguay in 1950, to reach the final. It was a valiant effort by Luka Modric and company, but in the end his team came up short in the final match against Les Bleus. Below you'll find exactly how the tournament played out, with the complete schedule and results of every match. World Cup Bracket Illustration by Igor Mello World Cup knockout stage schedule, results Saturday, June 30 Score Location TV Round of 16: Match 50: France vs. Argentina FRA 4-3 Kazan Fox/FS1 Round of 16: Match 49: Uruguay vs. Portugal URU 2-1 Sochi Fox/FS1 Sunday, July 1 Score Location TV Round of 16: Match 51: Spain vs. Russia 1-1 (RUS wins 4-3 PKs) Moscow Fox/FS1 Round of 16: Match 52: Croatia vs. Denmark 1-1 (CRO wins 3-2 PKs) Nizhny Novgorod Fox/FS1 Monday, July 2 Score Location TV Round of 16: Match 53: Brazil vs. Mexico BRA 2-0 Samara Fox Round of 16: Match 54: Belgium vs. Japan BEL 3-2 Rostov Fox Tuesday, July 3 Score Location TV Round of 16: Match 55: Sweden vs. Switzerland SWE 1-0 Saint Petersburg FS1 Round of 16: Match 56: Colombia vs. England 1-1 (ENG wins 4-3 PKs) Rostov Fox Friday, July 6 Score Location TV Quarterfinal: Match 57: Uruguay vs. France FRA 2-0 Nizhny Novgorod FS1 Quarterfinal: Match 58: Belgium vs. Brazil BEL 2-1 Kazan FS1 Saturday, July 7 Score Location TV Quarterfinal: Match 60: Sweden vs. England ENG 2-0 Samara Fox Quarterfinal: Match 59: Russia vs. Croatia 2-2 (CRO wins 4-3 PKs) Sochi Fox Tuesday, July 10 Score Location TV Semifinal: Match 61: France vs. Belgium FRA 1-0 Saint Petersburg Fox Wednesday, July 11 Score Location TV Semifinal: Match 62: Croatia vs. England CRO 2-1 (a.e.t.) Moscow Fox Saturday, July 14 Score Location TV Third-place match: Belgium vs. England BEL 2-0 Saint Petersburg Fox Sunday, July 15 Score Location TV Final: France vs. Croatia FRA 4-2 Moscow Fox World Cup group stage schedule, results Thursday, June 14 Score Location Russia vs. Saudi Arabia RUS 5-0 Moscow Friday, June 15 Score Location Egypt vs. Uruguay URU 1-0 Yekaterinburg Morocco vs. Iran IRI 1-0 Saint Petersburg Portugal vs. Spain 3-3 draw Sochi Saturday, June 16 Score Location TV France vs. Australia FRA 2-1 Kazan FS1 Argentina vs. Iceland 1-1 draw Moscow Fox Peru vs. Denmark DEN 1-0 Saransk FS1 Croatia vs. Nigeria CRO 2-0 Kaliningrad FS1 Sunday, June 17 Score Location TV Costa Rica vs. Serbia SER 1-0 Samara Fox Germany vs. Mexico MEX 1-0 Moscow FS1 Brazil vs. Switzerland 1-1 draw Rostov FS1 Monday, June 18 Score Location TV Sweden vs. South Korea SWE 1-0 Nizhny Novgorod FS1 Belgium vs. Panama BEL 3-0 Sochi FS1 Tunisia vs. England ENG 2-1 Volgograd FS1 Tuesday, June 19 Score Location TV Colombia vs. Japan JPN 2-1 Moscow Saransk FS1 Poland vs. Senegal SEN 2-1 Moscow Fox Russia vs. Egypt RUS 3-1 Saint Petersburg Fox Wednesday, June 20 Score Location TV Portugal vs. Morocco POR 1-0 Moscow FS1 Uruguay vs. Saudi Arabia URU 1-0 Rostov Fox Iran vs. Spain ESP 1-0 Kazan Fox Thursday, June 21 Score Location TV Denmark vs. Australia 1-1 draw Samara FS1 France vs. Peru FRA 1-0 Yekaterinburg Fox Argentina vs. Croatia CRO 3-0 Nizhny Novgorod Fox Friday, June 22 Score Location TV Brazil vs. Costa Rica BRA 2-0 Saint Petersburg FS1 Nigeria vs. Iceland NGR 2-0 Volgograd Fox Serbia vs. Switzerland SUI 2-1 Kaliningrad Fox Saturday, June 23 Score Location TV Belgium vs. Tunisia BEL 5-2 Moscow Fox South Korea vs. Mexico MEX 2-1 Sochi Fox Germany vs. Sweden GER 2-1 Rostov Fox Sunday, June 24 Score Location TV England vs. Panama ENG 6-1 Nizhny Novgorod FS1 Japan vs. Senegal 2-2 draw Yekaterinburg Fox Poland vs. Colombia COL 3-0 Kazan Fox Monday, June 25 Score Location TV Saudi Arabia vs. Egypt KSA 2-1 Volgograd FS1 Uruguay vs. Russia URU 3-0 Samara Fox Iran vs. Portugal 1-1 draw Saransk Fox Spain vs. Morocco 2-2 draw Kaliningrad FS1 Tuesday, June 26 Score/Time Location TV Australia vs. Peru PER 2-0 Sochi FS1 Denmark vs. France 0-0 draw Moscow Fox Iceland vs. Croatia CRO 2-1 Rostov FS1 Nigeria vs. Argentina ARG 2-1 Saint Petersburg Fox Wednesday, June 27 Time Location TV South Korea vs. Germany KOR 2-0 Kazan FS1 Mexico vs. Sweden SWE 3-0 Yekaterinburg Fox Switzerland vs. Costa Rica 2-2 draw Nizhny Novgorod FS1 Serbia vs. Brazil BRA 2-0 Saint Petersburg Fox Thursday, June 28 Score/Time Location TV Japan vs. Poland POL 1-0 Volgograd FS1 Senegal vs. Colombia COL 1-0 Samara Fox England vs. Belgium BEL 1-0 Kaliningrad Fox Panama vs. Tunisia TUN 2-1 Saransk FS1 For a complete calendar of World Cup matches in Spanish, visit our sister site, CNET.com.<doc-sep>USA TODAY The 2018 World Cup — the 21st edition of the international soccer tournament — will be held in Russia. This is the first time that the tournament will be held in Russia. A total of 32 teams will be competing, with the group stage set for June 14-June 28, Round of 16 from June 30-July 3, quarterfinals on July 6-7, semifinals on July 10-11 and the final on July 15. Germany are the defending champions (every World Cup winner). WHEN: June 14-July 15 TV INFO: English-language broadcast on FOX or FS1 (stream on Fox Sports Go). Spanish-language broadcast on Telemundo or NBC Universo. SCHEDULE (All times Eastern): GROUP PLAY Thursday, June 14 Russia 5, Saudi Arabia 0 Friday, June 15 Uruguay 1, Egypt 0 Iran 1, Morocco 0 Portugal 3, Spain 3 Saturday, June 16 France 2, Australia 1 Argentina 1, Iceland 1 Denmark 1, Peru 0 Croatia 2, Nigeria 0 Sunday, June 17 Serbia 1, Costa Rica 0 Mexico 1, Germany 0 Brazil 1, Switzerland 1 Monday, June 18 Sweden 1, South Korea 0 Belgium 3, Panama 0 England 2, Tunisia 1 Tuesday, June 19 Japan 2, Colombia 1 Senegal 2, Poland 1 Russia 3, Egypt 1 Wednesday, June 20 Portugal 1, Morocco 0 Uruguay 1, Saudi Arabia 0 Spain 1, Iran 0 Thursday, June 21 France 1, Peru 0 Australia 1, Denmark 1 Croatia 3, Argentina 0 Friday, June 22 Brazil 2, Costa Rica 0 Nigeria 2, Iceland 0 Switzerland 2, Serbia 1 Saturday, June 23 Belgium 5, Tunisia 2 Germany 2, Sweden 1 Mexico 2, South Korea 1 Sunday, June 24 England 6, Panama 1 Japan 2, Senegal 2 Colombia 3, Poland 0 Monday, June 25 Saudi Arabia 2, Egypt 1 Uruguay 3, Russia 0 Portugal 1, Iran 1 Spain 2, Morocco 2 Tuesday, June 26 France 0, Denmark 0 Peru 2, Australia 0 Croatia 2, Iceland 1 Argentina 2, Nigeria 1 Wednesday, June 27 Sweden 3, Mexico 0 South Korea 2, Germany 0 Brazil 2, Serbia 0 Switzerland 2, Costa Rica 2 Thursday, June 28 Poland 1, Japan 0 Colombia 1, Senegal 0 Belgium 1, England 0 Tunisia 2, Panama 1 ROUND OF 16 Saturday, June 30 France 4, Argentina 3 Uruguay 2, Portugal 1 Sunday, July 1 Russia 1, Spain 1 (Russia wins 4-3 in PKs) Croatia 1, Denmark 1 (Croatia wins 3-2 in PKs) Monday, July 2 Brazil 2, Mexico 0 Belgium 3, Japan 2 Tuesday, July 3 Sweden 1, Switzerland 0 England 1, Colombia 1 (England wins 4-3 in PKs) QUARTERFINALS Friday, July 6 France 2, Uruguay 0 Belgium 2, Brazil 1 Saturday, July 7 England 2, Sweden 0 Croatia 2, Russia 2 (Croatia wins 4-3 in PKs) SEMIFINALS Tuesday, July 10 France 1, Belgium 0 Wednesday, July 11 England vs. Croatia (in Moscow), 2 p.m. on FOX THIRD-PLACE MATCH Saturday, July 14 Belgium 2, England 0 FINAL Sunday, July 15 France vs. Croatia (in Moscow), 11 a.m. on FOX MUST-READ STORIES: World Cup power rankings:Rating all 32 teams, from hopeless to hopefuls World Cup:Top 50 players to watch in Russia World Cup:Five early upsets that could shape tournament World Cup:11 compelling reasons to watch World Cup:Notable teams that failed to qualify World Cup snubs:A team of the best players not going to Russia FIFA World Cup:11 greatest players to never win Every FIFA World Cup champion:From 1930 Uruguay to 2014 Germany FIFA World Cup:Top 10 best moments in tournament history FIFA World Cup:Top 10 craziest moments ever 2018 World Cup:Why the USMNT won't be in Russia STADIUMS: Kaliningrad - Kaliningrad Stadium (35,000 capacity) Kazan - Kazan Arena (45,000 capacity) Moscow - Luzhniki Stadium (80,000 capacity) Moscow - Spartak Stadium (45,000 capacity) Nizhny Novgorod - Nizhny Novgorod Stadium (45,000 capacity) Rostov-on-Don - Rostov Arena (45,000 capacity) Samara - Samara Arena (45,000 capacity) Saransk - Mordovia Arena (44,000 capacity) Sochi - Fisht Olympic Stadium (45,000 capacity) Saint Petersburg - Krestovsky Stadium (67,000 capacity) Volgograd - Volgograd Arena (45,000 capacity) Yekaterinburg - Central Stadium (35,000 capacity) More:Guide to the 12 World Cup stadiums across Russia<doc-sep>
C roatia and France will face off for the biggest prize in football as the two European nations meet in the World Cup Final this afternoon. France overcame Belgium 1-0 in the semi-finals, with Samuel Umtiti securing a 1-0 victory as the Red Devils were unable to find a way through the dogged defence of Les Bleus. Croatia, meanwhile, showed great resolve to battle back from a goal down against England to eventually win 2-1 in extra-time courtesy of a Mario Mandzukic volley. Scroll down for Standard Sport's comprehensive preview... When is the World Cup final? The 21st Fifa World Cup concludes on Sunday, July 15. Kick-off is scheduled for 6pm local time (4pm BST). Where is the World Cup final being hosted? REUTERS The final will take place at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, which was also the venue for the tournament's opening game on Thursday, June 14. The stadium is the biggest in Eastern Europe, with 81,000 seats it has previously hosted the final of the Champions League, in 2008, and was the main stadium at the 1980 Summer Olympics. It was demolished in 2013 and rebuilt in 2017 ahead of the World Cup. Where can I watch the World Cup final on TV?