The wait for World Cup 2018 is nearly over, and just in time for the competition, SBOBET provides you with a comprehensive guide to the upcoming Russian spectacle.
FIFA’s summer showdown is unarguably the biggest sporting event in the world, but considering that it happens only once in every four years, it’s easy to lose track of the tournament basics.
So before you paint your face with your nation’s colours or dress your children with national team kits, make sure you have a good grasp of everything there is to know about this year’s World Cup.
The basics
What: FIFA World Cup 2018
When: June 14, 2018
Where: Russia (Hosts)
(Note: If you only care about the final, it is scheduled on July 15 at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. It is also where the opening game will be held.)
Who’s in—and out?
The 32 nations who qualified for the World Cup were drawn into eight groups of four teams. Unfortunately, powerhouse teams Italy and Chile won’t be joining the summer spectacle after failing to make the cut in their respective confederations.
Italy are the only former tournament winners who won’t make the trip to Russia, while Chile are the only top-10 nation who will miss the World Cup.
Here’s the draw for the World Cup 2018:
- GROUP A: Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Uruguay
- GROUP B: Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Iran
- GROUP C: France, Australia, Peru, Denmark
- GROUP D: Argentina, Iceland, Croatia, Nigeria
- GROUP E: Brazil, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Serbia
- GROUP F: Germany, Mexico, Sweden, Korea Republic
- GROUP G: Belgium, Panama, Tunisia, England
- GROUP H: Poland, Senegal, Colombia, Japan
World Cup format
A total of 64 games will be played across four weeks of action in Russia. The first phase of the tournament is the group stage in which each nation will face their group members in a round-robin format—meaning each team will play three games.
The top two teams with the best record in each group will move on to the Round of 16 for the first knockout phase. The winners will then qualify for the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.
Moreover, the two nations that will lose in the semi-finals will fight each other in a play-off for the third place.
Team and individual awards
Besides the winners of the World Cup trophy, there are also other awards that will be presented at the end of the tournament.
- Golden Ball: An award given to the best player of the World Cup final. The Silver Ball and Bronze Ball, meanwhile, are awarded to the second- and third-best players as voted by the media.
- Golden Boot: The top-scorer prize of the competition. There’s also a Silver and Bronze Boot presented to the second- and third-highest scorers.
- Golden Glove: An award for the best goalkeeper in the World Cup. The FIFA Technical Study Group decides on the winner after assessing each keeper’s performance throughout the tournament.
- Best Young Player: Recognition for the most outstanding World Cup player that is 21 years old or younger. Only those players born on or after January 1, 1997 is eligible for the honour this year.
- FIFA Fair Play Trophy: The prize given to the team with the best fair play record, which usually considers the number of yellow cards as well as conduct towards opponents and match officials. Only teams that made it to the knockout rounds are eligible for the award.
Who are the favourites?
Brazil, Spain, Germany, England and France are the top teams predicted to win the World Cup, according to the studies conducted by the CIES Football Observatory and the UBS.
In the research by CIES, they looked at the “number of matches players were involved in at domestic league level since July 2017” as well as the profile of clubs that they featured for. In the study, they revealed that Spain are likely to replicate their 2010 success.
On the other hand, UBS—using econometric tools that are more traditionally applied in assessing investment opportunities—points to Germany lifting the World Cup trophy again.
In both reports, Brazil came in second.
Meanwhile, in our expert review, we had Spain as the nation likely to lift the World Cup trophy in July, thanks in large part to Julen Lopetegui’s presence, their squad depth and championship experience. Furthermore, Germany’s chances of bagging the trophy dipped a little bit for us due to a number of concerning factors, including their form, fitness concerns and lack of a go-to striker.
(Read our World Cup preview about Spain, Germany and Brazil for an in-depth analysis of their title bids.)
Nations most likely to surprise
Belgium are at the top of our list of World Cup dark horses, and for a good reason. They are currently third in the FIFA men’s ranking and boast a squad aptly called the “Golden Generation.”
Besides the Red Devils, Iceland are also strong candidates to at least push for a place in the knockout phase.
And who could forget about Egypt? If their talismanic striker Mo Salah recovers in time, they could be in contention for the last 16 or even the last eight.
Players to watch
Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo are in search of their first World Cup trophy and will be the ones to keep an eye on.
Neymar, on the other hand, is keen to lead his Brazil team to victory after getting injured in the quarter-finals in 2014. Oh, and Brazil haven’t won the trophy since 2002, so that’s another reason for the Paris Saint-Germain man to play at his best.
Egypt’s Salah is perhaps the biggest name after the three abovementioned stars. He had a brilliant season with Liverpool, even powering the Reds to the Champions League final before getting injured.
There’s also Toni Kroos—Germany’s all-around midfielder—and Uruguay’s Luis Suarez as players likely to make a splash this summer.
(For more player highlights, check out our blog for the key players in each group and the top candidates for the Golden Boot award.)
World Cup Betting
Based on our latest World Cup 2018 betting odds, Brazil are favoured to claim their sixth FIFA trophy, with Germany a close second.
However, while it is interesting to bet on the outright winners immediately, the month-long football action in the World Cup promises to provide plenty of betting opportunities.
SBOBET will provide complete coverage of the event, so stay tuned on our World Cup Blog and our Betting Tips page for daily betting tips, predictions and World Cup 2018 updates.
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