Explore the largest country in the world, Russia‘s metropolis Moscow, as well as fascinating natural landscapes, teams, World Cup stadiums and fixtures, homemade football evenings.

FOOT BALLRUSSIA 2018

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R U S S I A

Moscow

Yekaterinburg

Kaliningrad

Kasan

Nizhny Novgorod

Rostov, Don

St Petersburg

Samara

Saransk

SochiVolgograd

On June 14, 2018, the World Cup kicks off in Moscow: for four weeks, Russia will be all about football. We have put together the most important information about the venues, stadiums and teams.

FOOT BALL

CONTENT

4 BEST OF ... r RUSSIA P. 4 r SBORNAJA P. 5

6 RUSSIA LAND OF CONTRASTS

12 VENUES AND STADIUMS

18 THE TEAMS

MATCH-SCHEDULE 22

WORLD CUP AT HOME 26

IMPRINT 28

Venues and stadiums→ p. 12

To complete from the group matches to the final

World Cup at home → p. 30

2 | 3

Rusia → p. 6

THE 32 PARTICIPANTSNorth- and Central Amerika:

Costa Rica Mexico Panama

South Amerika: Argentina Brasil Colombia Peru Uruguay

Asia: Australia Iran Japan Saudi-Arabia South Korea

Africa: Egypt Morocco Nigeria Senegal Tunisia

Europe: Belgium Denmark Germany England France Iceland Kroatia Poland Portugal Russia Sweden Schwitzerland Serbia Spain

Match-schedule → p. 22

RUSSIA Diverse and mysterious

BEST OF ...

r Sweating in the BanyaThe banya or traditional sauna is typical to Russian wellness. In the high-class baths of the big cities and holiday centres you can relax in a noble atmosphere and even the classic Russian dacha often has a simple banya → P. 7

r Dolls within dollsThe matryoshka is the classic Russian souvenir. The more colour-fully painted dolls they contain, the more precious they are. Now-adays they are also available in modern versions with pop stars, politicians or athletes.

r Table football for kopecksThe Museum of Soviet Arcade Machines in Moscow is a terrific place to spend the day. If table football and penalty shoot-outs are too easy, you can give ice hockey a try. All games have a vintage charm. If you win, you can reward yourself with a cup of kvas from an old-school vending machine.

r Grand splendour in the Bolshoi Fairy-tale operas and ballet in a classic setting. The recently renovated Bolshoi Theatre (photo left) in Moscowis now even

more impressive, as the splendour of the tsarist era has been restored. In addition to classic productions, the theatre also

hosts experimental works – a hot topic of debate in Russia.

THE

GIAN

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r r These points indicate the best-of tips in the following chapters

FOOTBALL HISTORY ... ... in Russia and the Soviet Union

r Sbornaja Rossii po futboluThe Russian national football team Sbornaja has qualified for four World Cup (1994, 2002, 2014 and 2018 as host) and five European Championship tournaments (1996, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016). The Russian national team becameFIFA’s direct successor to the national teams of theCIS and the USSR.

r Strength in unityFrom Yuri Shirkov to Andrey Arshavin, Russian football has always producedoutstanding players. The most successful year in Soviet times was 1988. With the most modern offensive football at the time, the USSR squad were runners-up in the European Cham-pionships and became Olympic champions.

r All-rounderThe all-rounder of Soviet football was undoubtedly Lev Yashin. Be-fore he became a legend as a national team goalkeeper with his wide excursions into the opposing half, he was a gifted ice hockey goalie. In between, he set his sights on a career as a chess pro-fessional. He also made it to championships in tennis, basketball, water polo and fencing, by the way.

r A coach like a statueOne of the most famous coaches of the USSR national team came from Ukraine: Valeriy Lobanovskyi. His trademark was his stoic calm on the sidelines. In this early 1970s, Lobanovskyi was a guest of Bayern Munich and Borussia Mönchengladbach, among others. His modern, analytical way of tactically coaching teams was a style-defining factor for many of today’s coaches → p. 8

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SBORN

AJA

RUSSIA – LAND OF CONTRASTS

Glittering skyscrapers next to onion domes and Soviet buildings – Russian cities are a rich architectural mix. When you leave the big cities behind, colourful wooden houses stretch along the road-side. The plain is rarely interrupted by rolling hills. If you want to relax on the beach, head to the Black Sea. If you are interested in sacred art, you will find plenty of Old Russian culture on the Golden Ring. And those who love restau-

rants, expensive boutiques or boisterous parties until dawn are in good hands in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

DATSCHAA counterbalance to everyday life

and a place to getaway on weekends and holidays: depending on your budget, inheritance and hobbies, the dacha can be a secluded dump, a flow-

RUSSIA – LAND OF CONTRASTS Icons, matryoshkas and “White Nights” – Russia is an immense realm of contrasts and superlatives

ery garden idyll, a highly productive vegetable farm or a veritable suburban villa. A proper dacha also has a r ban-ya, or freestanding sauna.

E REMITAGEh For many, the State Hermitage

Museum is reason enough to come to St. Petersburg. The museum is rightly on par with the Louvre, the Prado or the “Met” in New York. The Hermitage is home to many world-class Western European paintings, but it is more than just a museum stocked with cultural treasures: the Winter Palace and its an-nexes, the former main residence of the Czar’s dynasty, are the most magnificent of the 60,000 exhibits.

GOLDEN RINGMoscow is the heart of Russia, the

political, economic and cultural centre of the country. North-east of Moscow, in the middle of the Central Russian plain, lie several cities that once played a key role in the development of the Russian state into “Holy Russia”.The pearls of Russian art and culture shine in these cities, as if strung along a chain – hence the name h Golden Ring, coined in the 1870s as an ex-pression of the emerging national consciousness and a reflection on the historical, cultural and religious herit-age. The ring includes over twenty cit-ies, bounded on the north by Yaroslavl

and Kostroma, and are ideal for tour-ists interested in history and culture: city walls, fortress moats, white stone churches, masterpieces of wooden ar-chitecture as well preserved as frescoes and icons in cathedrals and museums. Many city centres have protected his-torical status and are UNESCO World Heritage SITES.

ICONS Russia is rich in images of saints. They

are found in many shapes and sizes in monasteries, cathedrals and museums. Icon painting emerged as a branch of Byzantine sacred art. The Christianisa-tion of Kievan Rus brought numerous painters to the country from Constan-tinople. The content was based on reli-gious literary sources like the Bible,

6 | 7Bild: Image: Kremlin and St. Basil's Cathedral in front of the modern city silhouette of Moscow

Steeped in history – the Hermitage in St. Petersburg

legends and hymns. The Moscow icon school, which reached its heyday primar-ily through the work of Andrei Rublev (1360–1430), was dominant well into the 17th century.

KREMLINMany old cities of Russia have a

kremlin. The best known is that on the Red Square in Moscow. From the 12th to the 15th centuries, these fortress-like districts were the core of larger settle-ments. The “castle towns” are mostly significant architectural ensembles with a cathedral, churches and a bell tower. They are often the seat of the archbish-op. The cathedral square in the middle of the well-fortified area was a central gathering place where important deci-sions were made and judgements were set down and enforced.

CYRILLICThe Russian Cyrillic alphabet origi-

nated from the Greek and has been in use in Russia since the 10th century. At

MANY COUNTRIES, ONE TEAMThe political situation affected all aspects of life – including Russian football. Players from many countries that are now independent took part in the selections of the USSR and the subsequent CIS. r Under coaching leg-end Lobanovskyi (→ p. 5), the USSR team was recruited almost exclusively from the

squad of Dynamo Kiev on several occasions. FIFA later made a clear cut and declared the Russian national team the direct successor to the CIS and USSR teams.

RUSSIA

that time in Kievan Rus there was an al-phabet based on that created bythe Slavic apostle, Cyril. The Russian language belongs to the family of East Slavic languages. The language reform by Tsar Peter I created the conditions for the development of Russian literary language from the Church Slavonic.

RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH

The Byzantine Greek Orthodox religion gained acceptance in Russia starting in

the 10th century. After Christianisation in 988, a metropolitan bishop was es-tablished in Kiev, and later in Vladimir and Moscow. Today the ecclesiastical leader is called Patriarch. After the October Revolution, the state opposed the Christian faith for over 70 years. With the Lenin Decree of 1918, the Orthodoxy was liquidated as a state church. Their possessions were confis-cated, thousands of churches were plun-dered and branded as a haven of agi-tation, and priests were sent to camps. Freedom of religion was re-established in 1990.

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The majestic Moscow Kremlin along the Moskva shore

Freedom of religion was re-established in 1990.

SAKUSKA AND SUPToday’s Russian cuisine is around

150 years old. There are unmistakable influences from the Orient and Western Europe – particularly French cuisine, which was popular in the salons of the 17th and 18th centuries. Under Soviet rule, culinary delicacies of other nation-alities flowed into the country. Common examples include Ukrainian borscht or

georgian Saziwi, a cold dish of chicken or turkey.Two tempting standouts: the varied sakuski (starters) and the variety of sup (soups), which are the favourites of the strong Russian cuisine – sweet or sour, hot or cold.

“Help yourself, I love that, here’s a new plate. Eat it up, there’s two more plates in the cellar.” This quote from the fab-ulist Ivan Krylov sums up the Russian attitude towards dining: they love to eat, eat well and entertain guests, in particular.

TEA , VODKA AND SCHAMPANSKOYE

The range of Russian national drinks is as rich as the culture of the country. One thing has prevailed across all time and climate zones: tea. A strong tea is served with hot water from a samovar, so that everyone can prepare it to their preferred level of strength. The tea is sweetened or flavoured with sugar, lemon or varenye. Vodka (which literally means “little water”) is always on hand when hav-ing sakuska. The traditional Russian brandy is distilled from wheat and corn, corn and potatoes, or just potatoes. The schnapps is colourless and almost odourless. In addition to this classic form, it can also be flavoured with lem-on, pepper or buffalo grass. In a restau-rant you order vodka by weight and the smallest portion is 50 g. On festive occasions, a bottle of spar-kling wine is essential. The brand Sovet-skoye Shampanskoye, whose name has not changed since the Soviet era, is a popular one. The Russians like it sweet, but you can also get semi-dry, dry or brut.

RUSSIA

TRANSSIBThe h longest railway line in the

world (9,296 kilometres) runs through Yaroslavl, Perm, Yekaterinburg, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude, Chita and Khabarovsk. Construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway began in Vladiv-ostok in 1891. The first section (to Iman, 404 km) was in operation a mere three years later. The mainline was also built over from the west. In 1895/96, 89,000 workers toiled on the line. 650 km were completed each year until the last track was laid in 1905. Initially, the train was single-tracked; a parallel track was add-ed in the 1930s.

WHITE NIGHTSThe time around the summer

solstice (from early June to mid-July) is something of the trademark for St. Pe-tersburg. It no longer gets dark at night due to the northern location, just below the 60th latitude. The sun dips below the northern horizon at around 10:30 at night, but the sunset lingers until dawn.

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St. Petersburg is particularly special during the "White Nights"

Ukrainian roots: borscht

KALININGRADRussia‘s westernmost region, known as Kö-nigsberg until 1946, is now an enclave in the EU. The city of 470,000 celebrated its 750th birthday in 2005. The most famous son of Kaliningrad is probably Immanuel Kant, whose grave is located in the cathedral. The wealth of the region shimmers from white to dark brown: 90 percent of the world’s amber comes from the area.

K ALININGRAD STADIUM

The new stadium on Oktyabrsky Island follows British models with its rectangular base layout and steep grandstands.p Home club: FK Baltika Kaliningrad p Capacity: 35,000 p Year of construction: 2017

KAZANModern residential neighbourhoods have emerged around the historic city centre and its Russian Baroque villas, minarets and mosques. The fascinating architectural mix that charac-terizes the Kazan (1.1 million inhabitants) re-sults from the coexistence of Muslims, Tatars and Russian Orthodox residents.

KAZAN ARENA

The multifunctional arena on the banks of the Kasanka River fits into the surrounding land-scape, with its curved roof in the shape of a water lily. p Home club: FK Rubin Kasan p Capacity: 45,000 p Year of construction: 2013

VENUES AND STADIUMS

Russia, as a sports nation with a great tra-dition, offers the best conditions to hold the World Cup tournament and its field of 32 participants. The venues, home to first-class stadiums, are the focus, of course. Many host cities will put off huge fan festivals during the World Cup with varied cultural events.

YEKATERINBURGThe history of the city is closely linked to the last tsarist family of the Romanov dynasty. Tsar Peter I founded Yekaterinburg on the riv-er Isset in 1723. He named the new city after the patron saint of miners, who was also the namesake of his wife: Yekaterina. Today Yeka-

terinburg (1.35 million inhabitants) is the cul-tural, financial and research hub of the Urals.

YEKATERINBURG ARENA

The stadium in Yekaterinburg is an exciting blend of old and new. An external steel grand-stand has increased capacity for the World Cup.p Home club: FK Ural Yekaterinburg p Capacity: 36,000 p Year of construction: 1953

VENUESAND STADIUMSEleven Russian cities with extraordinary and state-of-the-art stadiums will host the world of football in 2018

12 | 13Bild: Image: Passionate Russian football fans cheer on their team

RUSSIA 2018

MOSCOWMoscow, a city on seven hills, is a bustling metropolis with ten million inhabitants. The most famous building is thehKremlin. The city’s history began in the middle of the 12th century with the construction of the old fortress. The h Red Square is the historical centre of Moscow. At the northern end is the State Historical Museum, opposite the im-pressive St. Basil’s Cathedral. From the GUM department store you can see the red and black granite of Lenin’s Mausoleum. World Cup matches in Moscow are taking place at both Spartak Stadium and Luzhniki Stadium.

LUZHNIKI STADIUM

Both the opening match and the final will take place in the biggest stadium of the tour-nament. The historic façade was completely preserved despite extensive reconstruction measures. p Home club: – p Capacity: 81,000 p Year of construction: 1956

SPARTAK STADIUM

Spartak Stadium resembles the arena in Munich with its honeycomb-shaped, col-our-changing façade structure.p Home club: Spartak Moskow p Capacity: 43,000 p Year of construction: 2014

NIZHNY NOVGORODNizhny Novgorod (1.3 million inhabitants) is the largest city in the Volga region. The “Lower Newtown”, founded in 1221, soon be-came the major trading metropolis and later the largest trade fair city inEurope. Nizhny Novgorod also became a centre of the metal-working industry among the Soviets .

NIZHNY NOVGOROD STADIUM

Circular in shape and surrounded by columns, Nizhny Novgorod Stadium recalls a Roman temple. The semitransparent façade contrib-uted to the ease of construction.

VENUES AND STADIUMS

p Home club: FC Olimpiyets Nizhny Novgo-rod p Capacity: 45,000 p Year of construction: 2017

ROSTOV-ON-DONRostov (1.1 million inhabitants) lies on the right bank of the river Don. The city was founded in 1749 as a customs station. The location accelerated the city’s development into a centre for trade with the south. Coal, grain, iron ore and wood shipped from the harbour. During the Second World War, Ros-tov suffered heavy destruction under German occupation. After the war, the city was rebuilt like a checkerboard.

ROSTOW ARENA

A semi-transparent façade surrounds the Rostov Arena like a flowing curtain. The roof, constructed as a sequence of barrel vaults, fits seamlessly with the façade. p Home club: FC Rostov p Capacity: 45,000 p Year of construction: 2017

SAMARAThe five-kilometre h promenade in Samara (1.2 million inhabitants) is considered one of the most beautiful on the Volga. It is a great place to meet for swimming, flirting and re-laxing. Founded as a Czarist fortress on the right bank of the Volga in 1586, Samara de-veloped into a settlement centre for the Volga Germans in the 18th century. A half-timbered house in the old town recalls that era.

SAMARA ARENA

The Samara arena reminds sci-fi fans of the legendary spaceship Orion. That’s no coinci-dence: Samara is the location of the aerospace industry. p Home club: FC Krylia Sovetov Samara p Capacity: 45,000 p Year of construction: 2017

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RUSSIA 2018

SAINT PETERSBURGAmerican poet and Nobel Prize winner Jo-seph Brodsky (1940-96) called his birthplace the „most beautiful city on the face of the earth“. The metropolis (4.7 million inhabitants) was built on 40 islands, which are connected by 350 bridges. For this reason, “Piter”, as the locals call it, is often referred to as the “Venice of the North”. Czar Peter I had the new capital built in just nine years of construction, begin-ning in 1703. Buildings like the h Winter Palace, the Stock Exchange or the Admiralty are especially spectacular.

ST. PETERSBURG STADIUM

Similar to the Mordovia Arena, St. Petersburg Stadium, designed by the Japanese architect Kishō Kurokawa, resembles a spaceship that landed in the middle of Krestovsky Island. p Home club: FC Zenit Saint Petersburg p Capacity: 68,000 p Year of construction: 2017

SARANSKSaransk (300,000 inhabitants) is the capital of Finno-Ugric Mordovia. Founded in 1641, the city owes its economic boom to the location on the central railway line that has connected Moscow with Kazan since 1893. The main attraction is themuch photographedh Cathedral of St. Theodore Ushakov.

MORDOVIA ARENA

Mordovia Arena will be reduced to a capacity of about 25,000 seats after the World Cup. The façade tiles of orange, red and white rep-resent the characteristic colours of the regional crafts.p Home club: FC Mordovia p Capacity: 44,000 p Year of construction: 2017

SOCHISochi (350,000 inhabitants) is called the „southern pearl of Russia“. The time-hono-red city was extensively modernized on the occasion of the 2014 Olympic Games and expanded by a large event park by the sea. Sochi has had a reputation as a spa town since the beginning of the last century, when

VENUES AND STADIUMS

mineral springs containing hydrogen sulphide became famous for their medicinal proper-ties. For Russians, the greater Sochi region is the number one holiday resort on the Black Sea coast.

FISHT STADIUM

Fisht Stadium was rebuilt for the 2014 Olympic Games and has since become a central part of the new Olympic Park on the Black Sea. p Home club: – p Capacity: 48,000 p Year of construction: 2013

VOLGOGRADVolgograd (population 1 million) came to fame under its old name, Stalingrad. The fierce fighting in World War II reduced the city to rubble. After the war, the city was rebuilt and redesigned. Checkerboard-like, it spreads over 75 km on the right bank of the Volga. In 1961 Volgograd was given its present name in the course of de-Stalinization.

VOLGOGRAD ARENA

With its lattice structure façade, the tapering cone on the banks of the Volga is one of the most architecturally impressive stadiums of the tournament.p Home club: FC Rotor Volgograd p Capacity: 46,000 p Year of construction: 2017

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RUSSIA 2018 THE TEAMSGR

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P A Russia

Russia qualifies automatically for the World Cup as host. In the test games, the Sbornaja rarely excelled. It will be interesting to see to what ex-

tent the home advantage benefits the young team, led by manager Stanislav Cherchesov. World ranking: 65*

Saudi Arabia

The greatest success of the Saudi national team dates back to 1994, when the Green Falcons made it to the round of 16. The Argentine Juan An-

tonio Pizzi took over the team in November 2017 after a brief interlude by his compatriot Edgardo Bauza. World ranking: 63*

Egypt

Egypt finished qualifying for the World Cup in Russia as group winners. Mohamed Salar from FC Liverpool is the star of the team. Coach Héctor

Cúper, who has already managed Valencia CF and Inter Milan, led the Pharoes to the final of the Africa Cup in 2017. World ranking: 31*

Uruguay

Two-time world Champion Uruguay left Argentina and Colombia behind in the qualifications. With top strikers Luis Suárez and Edinson Cavani, their of-

fence is heavily armed. La Celeste is managed by coaching legend Óscar Washington Tabárez. World ranking: 21* · World championship titles: 1930, 1950

Portugal

European champion Portugal is one of the top favourites at the World Cup in Russia. The offen-sive team around world footballer Cristiano Ron-

aldo scored a remarkable 32 goals in the qualifying round. The Seleção das Quinas has been coached by Fernando Santos since 2014. World ranking: 3*

Spain

The Spanish national team is on its way to their for-mer strength after early exits at the 2014 World Cup and the European Championships in 2016. Coach

Julen Lopetegui has built a strong team around veterans like Sergio Ramos and Andrés Iniesta. World ranking: 6* · World championship titles: 2010

Morocco

The Moroccan national team owes its first World Cup appearance since 1998 not least thanks to the tactical skills of their coach, Hervé Renard. He has

formed a strong team around Medhi Benatia of Juven-tus, and Morocco might prove surprising during the tournament. World ranking: 40*

Iran

The Iranians are true defensive artists: In the qualifi-cations, coach Carlos Queiroz led the team to only two goals scored against in ten games. The other

side of the coin is the low penetrating power among the offence. Iran has never made it past the preliminary round in its four World Cup participations. World ranking: 32*

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France

European Championship runner-up France heads to Russia as one of the top favourites for the tourna-ment. Since 2012, when Didier Deschamps took over

the coaching position, the Bleues have only gotten better and better. The offence in particular is very well-equipped with Giroud, Griezmann and Dembélé. World ranking: 9* · World championship titles: 1998

Australia

Australia made the qualifications exciting: after a 0: 0 in the first match, the Australians won a de-cisive game thanks to two penalties against

Honduras. The Socceroos' top player is Tim Cahill, who now plays in Melbourne after a number of success-ful years with FC Everton. World ranking: 39*

Peru

Peru's greatest accomplishments in terms of football were two quarter-final appearances in the 1970s. Under their Argentinian coach Ricardo Gareca, the

Blanquirroja is back on the path to success with Jefferson Farfán, Claudio Pizarro and Paolo Guerrero. World ranking: 11*

Denmark

Danish Dynamite is back at the World Cup for the first time since 2010. In the decisive play-off against Ireland, which ended 5:1, midfielder

Christian Eriksen from Tottenham Hotspur scored three goals. Norwegian Åge Hareide took over as manager from Morten Olsen in 2016. World ranking: 12*

Argentina

Argentina's participation in the World Cup has been precarious for some time. They only secured their World Cup ticket in the last qualification match

against Ecuador, thanks to three goals from superstar Lionel Messi. Jorge Sampaoli has managed the team since 2017. World ranking: 4* · World championship titles: 1978, 1986

Iceland

By qualifying for the World Cup in Russia, Iceland has proven that their rousing performance at the European Championship in 2016 was no fluke.

One thing seems certain: the team, coach Heimir Hall-grímsson and their enthusiastic fans will provide for a great atmosphere in Russia. Huh! World ranking: 22*

Croatia

Croatia is known for its technically excellent, yet ro-bust style of play. The Croats have a top roster: the team, managed by Zlatko Dalić, includes Real Ma-

drid's Luka Modrić, FC Barcelona's Ivan Rakitić and Mario Mandžukić from Juventus. World ranking: 17*

Nigeria

The Super Eagles from Nigeria left famous oppo-nents like Algeria and Cameroon behind in the qualifications, and may prove surprising in the

World Cup. Gernot Rohr has been in charge of the team since 2016 and recently extended his contract until 2020. World ranking: 50*

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18 | 19*World ranking list at the time of the World Cup group draw in early December 2017

Brazil

After the bitter 1:7 debacle against Germany during the home tournament in 2014, the Se-leção has completely repositioned themselves.

Tite took over the trainer position in 2016. Under his leadership, the team around superstar Neymar quali-fied confidently for the 2018 World Cup. World rank-ing: 2* World championship titles: 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002

Switzerland

The Swiss just barely secured their World Cup spot. A controversial penalty in the play-offs against North-ern Ireland made the difference. Nati manager

Vladimir Petković will rely on the offensive skills of Granit Xhaka of Arsenal and others at the World Cup. World rank-ing: 8*

Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a regular at world championships: for the fifth time in a row, the Ticos secured their participation in a World Cup final. In Brazil in

2014 they made it to the quarter-finals. Coach Óscar Ramírez has set reaching the final 16 as a minimum goal for Russia. World ranking: 26*

Serbia

One the one hand, Serbia qualified convincingly for the World Cup in Russia. On the other, the contract with successful manager Slavoljub Muslin was termi-

nated unexpectedly in October 2017. It remains to be seen to what extent the team's troubles have a negative effect on their performance. World ranking: 37*

Germany

As the reigning world champion and Confed Cup winner, the German team is one of the top fa-vourites. Die Mannschaft under manager

Jogi Löw has terrific players in all positions and quali-fied for the World Cup without any losses. World ranking: 1* World championship titles: 1954, 1974, 1990, 2014

Mexico

The Mexican team under trainer Juan Carlos Osorio are well-equipped, particular when it comes to of-fence, thanks to Raúl Jiménez of Benfica Lissabon und

Chicharito of West Ham United. The team made it to the final sixteen six times in a row, so the quarter-finals are the ambitious minimum goal for Russia. World ranking: 16*

Sweden

Sweden defeated big-name favourite Italy in the play-offs with a decisive defensive performance. After the resignation of superstar Zlatan Ibrahi-

mović, trainer Janne Andersson reorganised the team. World ranking: 18*

South Korea

South Korea has regularly earned a spot in the World Cup since 1986. In 2002, the team made it as far as the semi-finals, losing narrowly to Germany in a 0:1

match. Shin Tae-Yong replaced Uli Stielike as trainer in July 2017 after modest recent performance. World ranking: 59*

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P E Belgium

Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne – these three names represent the phalanx of terrific young players of the Roten Teufel. Under coach Rob-

erto Martínez, the team finished the World Cup qualifica-tions with a convincing nine point win over Greece. World ranking: 5*

Panama

Panama made it to the World Cup for the first time, leaving behind both Honduras and the highly favoured USA behind in the qualifications.

Hernán Darío Gómez, who participated in World Cups in the past with Columbia and Ecuador, has been the manager since 2004. World ranking: 56*

Tunisia

Tunisia secured their ticket to the World Cup in Russia as group winners. Coach Nabil Maaloul relies on team spirit in his balanced squad. This will be Tunisia's fifth

World Cup participation after 1978, 1998, 2002 and 2006. As of yet, they have only made it as far as the first round. World ranking: 27*

England

The Three Lions are among the narrow circle of favourites, as is always the case before the World Cups – although they have not won the world title

since 1966. For Russia, coach Gareth Southgate is bet-ting on youth with players like Jack Wilshere, Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane. World ranking: 15 * World Championships title: 1966

Poland

Poland has earned top positions in the world rankings in recent years with consistently good performances. With Bayern top striker Robert Lewandowski at the

helm, the White and Reds, coached by Adam Nawałka, qualified confidently for the World Cup in Russia as group winners. World ranking: 7*

Senegal

Senegal's path to Russia was a bit unusual: the decisive encounter against South Africa had to be repeated because the referee was convicted of

fixing the previous match in favour of South Africa. Under the management of coach Aliou Cissé, Senegal won the second match with 2:0. World ranking: 23*

Colombia

Colombia jumped in the South American group only at the last minute on the world championship draw. With top stars like Radamel Falcao from AS Monaco

and James Rodríguez from Bayern Munich, however, the team, coached by Argentinian José Pékerman, has a great line-up. World ranking: 13*

Japan

Japan has already qualified for the World Cup six times. Among the best-known players in the team coached by Bosnian Vahid Halilhodžić are Shinji

Kagawa of Borussia Dortmund, captain Makoto Hasebe of Eintracht Frankfurt and Keisuke Honda of AC Milan. World ranking: 55*

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RUSSIA 2018 THE TEAMS

20 | 21*World ranking list at the time of the World Cup group draw in early December 2017

RUSSIA 2018 MATCH SCHEDULEGR

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Russia – Saudi Arabia: Moscow* June 14 > 5pm1

Egypt – Uruguay: Yekaterinburg June 15 > 2pm2

Russia – Egypt: St. Petersburg June 19 > 8pm17

Uruguay – Saudi Arabia: Rostov-on-Don June 20 > 5pm18

Uruguay – Russia : Samara June 25 > 4pm33

Saudi Arabia – Egypt: Volgograd June 25 > 4pm34

Portugal – Spain: Sochi June 15 > 8pm3

Morocco – Iran: St. Petersburg June 15 > 5pm4

Portugal – Morocco: Moscow* June 20 > 2pm19

Iran – Spain: Kazan June 20 > 8pm20

Iran – Portugal: Saransk June 25 > 8pm35

Spain – Morocco: Kaliningrad June 25 > 8pm36

France – Australia: Kazan June 16 > 12pm5

Peru – Denmark: Saransk June 16 > 6pm6

France – Peru: Yekaterinburg June 21 > 2pm21

Denmark – Australia: Samara June 21 > 5pm22

Denmark – France: Moscow* June 26 > 4pm37

Australia – Peru: Sochi June 26 > 4pm38

Argentina – Iceland: Moscow** June 16 > 3pm7

Croatia – Nigeria: Kaliningrad June 16 > 9pm8

Argentina – Croatia: Nizhny Novgorod June 21 > 8pm23

Nigeria – Iceland: Volgograd June 22 > 5pm24

Nigeria – Argentina: St. Petersburg June 26 > 8pm39

Iceland – Croatia: Rostov-on-Don June 26 > 8pm40

Brazil – Switzerland: Rostov-on-Don June 17 > 8pm9

Costa Rica – Serbia: Samara June 17 > 2pm10

Brazil – Costa Rica: St. Petersburg June 22 > 2pm25

Serbia – Switzerland: Kaliningrad June 22 > 8pm26

Serbia – Brazil: Moscow** June 27 > 8pm41

Switzerland – Costa Rica: Nizhny Novgorod June 27 > 8pm42

Germany – Mexico: Moscow* June 17 > 5pm11

Sweden – South Korea: Nizhny Novgorod June 18 > 2pm12

Germany – Sweden: Sochi June 23 > 8pm27

South Korea – Mexico: Rostov-on-Don June 23 > 5pm28

South Korea – Germany: Kazan June 27 > 4pm43

Mexico – Sweden: Yekaterinburg June 27 > 4pm44

Belgium – Panama: Sochi June 18 > 5pm13

Tunisia – England: Volgograd June 18 > 8pm14

Belgium – Tunisia: Moscow** June 23 > 2pm29

England – Panama: Nizhny Novgorod June 24 > 2pm30

England – Belgium: Kaliningrad June 28 > 8pm45

Panama – Tunisia: Saransk June 28 > 8pm46

Poland – Senegal: Moscow** June 19 > 5pm15

Colombia – Japan: Saransk June 19 > 2pm16

Poland – Colombia: Kazan June 24 > 8pm31

Japan – Senegal: Yekaterinburg June 24 > 5pm32

Japan – Poland: Volgograd June 28 > 4pm47

Senegal – Colombia: Samara June 28 > 4pm48

GROU

P EGRO

UP F

GROU

P GGRO

UP H

22 | 23All kick-off times correspond to the CEST. Moscow*: Luzhniki Stadium · Moscow **: Spartak Stadium

RUSSIA 2018LA

ST 16

1C 2D: Kazan June 30 > 4pm50

1A 2B: Sochi June 30 > 8pm49

1B 2A: Moscow* July 1 > 4pm51

1D 2C: Nizhny Novgorod July 1 > 8pm52

1E 2F: Samara July 2 > 4pm53

1G 2H: Rostov-on-Don July 2 > 8pm54

1F 2E: St. Petersburg July 3 > 4pm55

1H 2G: Moscow** July 3 > 8pm56

FIN

AL Winner – Winner: Moscow* July 15 > 5pm6461 62

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

QUA

RTER

-FIN

ALS S49 S50: Nizhny Novgorod July 6 > 4pm57

S53 S54: Kazan July 6 > 8pm58

S51 S52: Sochi July 7 > 8pm59

S55 S56: Samara July 7 > 4pm60

-

-

-

-

SEM

I-FIN

ALS : St. Petersburg July 10 > 8pm61

-

: Moscow* July 11 > 8pm62

-

-

-

S57 S58

S59 S60

Loser – Loser: St. Petersburg July 14 > 4pm6361 62

-3rd

PLAC

E

Moscow*: Luzhniki Stadium · Moscow **: Spartak Stadium

WORLD CUP AT HOME

26 | 27

SHOW YOUR COLOURS

How is this for a colourful, peaceful image during large sports events: the flags of par-ticipating nations hang from balconies and cars, in squares and gardens. These flags do not represent borders or separation, but a shared experience. So, fly your flag, if you like. The World Cup is an international festival, after all.

THEME PARTIES

A great idea for a football party: invite friends and serve food that represents the nations that are playing. Tapas are a great choice to begin a meal for the Spanish game. If the Japanese are playing, sushi is perfect ... Brazilian churrasco could be the main course, maybe later some cheese from France ... whether Asian, Persian or South American, the cuisines of the world offer plenty of delicious potential for game pairing. And who knows ... maybe German cuisine will be on the menu for the finals!

TEST PICTURE

Before you invite people over to the foot-ball party in the garden or on the balcony, be sure to test the light intensity of your screen or projector. The preliminary round games start as early as noon in some cas-es. A large cardboard box folded around the screen sometimes does wonders – but always make sure that it is securely held in place and that the ventilation on the TV is not blocked. After the game is before the

game: before you party, you should put the electronic equipment back inside – many times a TV set has fallen victim to a summer storm or night-time thaw.

Football, summer and barbecue belong together like Romeo and Juliet, like fire and smoke. Speaking of smoke: Infor-ming the neighbours before grilling is a good idea – and inviting the neighbours over is an even better one. Watching the match together turns football into a ce-lebration.

BBQ IS A GOOD TIME

Grilling delicious, satisfying food: In addi-tion to BBQ classics like bratwurst and neck steaks, you should also try a t-bone, rib eye

or porterhouse steak. The number one side is the potato – rosemary potatoes grilled in the bowl are always a hit and baked potatoes are just as good. Pre-cooked in advance, they are ready when the meat is. There are no limits to the imagination when choosing sauces, be it mint or Argen-tine chimichurri. In addition, one or two fresh salads and a cold beer – what more could a fan ask for?

WORLD CUP AT HOMECelebrate the World Cup at home – in the garden or on the balcony, with friends and a BBQ

WORLD CUP ON THE INTERNETp www.fifa.comFédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). The official page of the organizer with plenty of information about the tournament.p www.11freunde.deGerman magazine for football culture with many background reports on the tourna-ment.

p www.kicker.deThe page of the leading football magazine in Germany.p www.welcome2018.comWeb portal of the Russian World Cup Organ-izing Committee.p www.russia.travelThe official websites of the Russian Tourist Board.

IMPRINT

28

© 2018 MAIRDUMONT, MAIRDUMONT BUSINESS SOLUTIONS,Marco-Polo-Straße 1, 73760 Ost�ldern, Tel. 0711/4502-156, Fax -351, Mail: b2b@mairdumont.com, http://b2b.mairdumont.com, www.mairdumont.comApproved special edition for TelePart Distribution GmbH

The work including all its parts is protected by copyright. Any copyright-relevant exploitation without the consent of the publisher is inadmissible and punishable. This applies in particular to reproductions, translations, imitations, micro�lming and the storage and processing in electronic systems.

MAIRDUMONT is not responsible for the content of external links. The translation into English was done by TelePart Distribution GmbH.

Credits: © fotolia.com: liz_spb (1); © iStock.com: ser-alim (2, 6), Skadr (8/9), LarisaBlinova (10), Sergey Aleshin (11), gpointstudio (3, 26); © shutterstock.com: Baturina Yuliya (4); © picture alliance: augenklick/�ro Sportphoto (5), augenklick/GES/Markus Gilliar (7, 15 top left, 15 top right.), Sven Simon (3 top, 12), dpa/2018 FIFA World Cup Committee (13 top, 13 bottom right, 14 left, 14 right, 16 top, 17 left), dpa/Marcus Brandt (13 bottom left, 16 bottom, 17 right), dpa/Movsumov (15 bottom right), augen-klick/Rauchensteiner (3 middle right, 24), © StockFood: Jalag / Szczepaniak, Olaf (27)

Dear reader, The details in this guide, in particular the addresses, internet addresses and jersey colours, have been carefully re-searched. Nevertheless, no guarantee can be given for the correctness. We are not liable for any resulting damages. All information as of December 2017.

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