World Cup 2018: Fixtures, draw, tickets & your complete guide to the finals in Russia
World Cup 2018: Fixtures, draw, tickets & your complete guide to the finals in Russia
There is no bigger sporting event on earth than football's quadrennial international championship, which draws more television viewers than even the Olympic Games.
And the 2018 tournament is particularly notable for being the last before the current World Cup status quo becomes a distant memory.
WHEN WAS THE DRAW MADE?
WHAT ARE THE WORLD CUP FIXTURES?
The 2018 edition of the World Cup kicks off on June 14 as hosts Russia take on Saudi Arabia in the opening game. Each group then has six games before the top two progress to the knockout stage which begins on June 30.
The first huge game of the tournament takes place on the second day with Portugal taking on Spain in Sochi. One of the games on June 17 is a repeat of the 2017 Confederations Cup semi-final with Germany facing Mexico at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. Joachim Low's side won 4-1 in that game before going on to defeat Chile in the final, and Mexico will be looking for revenge in Russia.
HOW CAN I BUY WORLD CUP TICKETS?
Tickets for the World Cup went on sale on Thursday, September 14 on . According to FIFA WORLD CUP, fans will not only be able to buy individual tickets but also ticket packages for multiple matches involving a specific team or host city.
Tickets went on sale in two phases, which were each divided into two stages. The first stage of phase one began on September 14 and ended on October 12. During this stage, it did not make a difference what day applications were submitted; they all had the same chance of success, with notification to be delivered by November 16.
The second stage of phase one began on November 16 and concluded on November 28. During this period, tickets were allocated to applicants on a first-come, first-served basis.
Phase two began after the draw for the World Cup, with a random-selection approach - like in the first stage of phase one - applied for the first period between December 5 to January 31.
The second stage of phase two begins on March 13 and ends on April 3, with tickets being allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
There will also be a last-minute sales phase, which will run from April 18 to July 15 - the day of the World Cup final.
How much do World Cup tickets cost?
The individual tickets are split up into four categories and the prices for each category - converted to British pounds from U.S. dollars - are shown below. Tickets from category four are only available to Russian residents, and have been converted from rubles.
| Match | Cat 1 | Cat 2 | Cat 3 | Cat 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opening match | £432 | £306 | £173 | £43 |
| Group matches | £165 | £130 | £83 | £17 |
| Round of 16 | £193 | £145 | £90 | £30 |
| Quarter-finals | £287 | £200 | £138 | £51 |
| Semi-finals | £589 | £377 | £224 | £60 |
| Third-place play-off | £287 | £200 | £138 | £51 |
| Final | £864 | £558 | £358 | £94 |
Most tickets will be sold in advance online, but 'last-minute' tickets for games that have not already sold out will also be available to buy during the tournament at sales centres in Russia.
HOW CAN I WATCH THE WORLD CUP ON TV?
As was the case for the World Cup in 2014, BBC and ITV will share the TV rights to the tournament in the UK.
They have struck another two-tournament, combined deal with FIFA that will also see them air the 2022 competition. The cost of that deal is unknown, but their previous agreement - for the 2010 and 2014 World Cups - was worth £220 million.
Both BBC One and ITV will broadcast the final, with the rest of the knockout stage and the group stage split. In 2014, the BBC had first pick of the round-of-16 and semi-final matches, while ITV chose first in the quarter-finals.
In the US, Fox will broadcast the World Cup in English and Telemundo will air the tournament in Spanish. Their combined $1 billion deal also includes the 2022 World Cup and Women's World Cups in 2015 and 2019.
