FIFA World Cup 2018 Full Schedule in IST: Date, Time Table and Venues of All the Games

FIFA World Cup 2018 is scheduled to be held in Russia this year, and will kick off on June 14th with hosts Russia taking on Saudi Arabia in a Group A encounter at the Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow. The FIFA World Cup 2018 final will be held on July 15th at the same stadium as the opening match - Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. The defending champions Germany will play their first match against Mexico.

Some of the biggest superstars of the world will be touching down in Russia in their respective bids to etch their names in history forever. The two current best players in the world — Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo — know that this could be their final chance to get their hands on the trophy and will push their teams forward to realise their dreams.

Not to forget the likes of Spain, Brazil and France who possess unbelievably strong squads on paper and are being touted as top contenders for the cup. But defending champions Germany — the most consistent team in the history of the world cup will once again — have a huge say in which team goes onto win the title.

FIFA 2018 WORLD CUP POINTS TABLE

The World Cup will take place at cities in including Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Sochi, and Nizhny Novgorod among others. The opening match, semi-final and final World Cup games will be played at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, a stadium which can accommodate 80,000 spectators.

At the tournament, the fans will celebrate by clacking their "lozhkas" - spoons that beat out an insistent, but quieter rhythm.

Folk musicians using the traditional instruments - two wooden spoons held back to back and struck by a third - have already become a feature at official receptions.

Schedule:

The World Cup will see a total of 32 teams taking part for the second last time, with Qatar in 2022 being the last edition before the 2026 World Cup opens up 16 more slots to make it a 48 team event. The 32 teams have been divided into four groups, with the biggest misses being Italy and Holland in terms of the traditional powerhouses. Hosts Russia, are in Group A, with top contenders Spain in Group B along with European champions Portugal. Defending champions Germany have been placed in Group F.