2018 FIFA World Cup
The 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia: France crowned champions in a tournament marked by controversy and first-time participants.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, held in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018. It was the first World Cup held in Russia and the most expensive until surpassed by the 2022 tournament. The final was played on 15 July at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, where France defeated Croatia 4–2 to win their second World Cup.
- Tournament
- 2018 FIFA World Cup, Russia
- Group
- F (Germany, Sweden, South Korea, Mexico)
- Manager
- Juan Antonio Carrillo
- Group Record
- 2 wins, 1 draw, 0 losses (5 points, 2nd place)
- Knockout Result
- Round of 16 – eliminated 1–2 by Brazil
- Notable Players
- Guillermo Ochoa, Hirving Lozano, Oribe Peralta, Andrés Guardado
Lore & Background
The tournament featured 32 teams, including debutants Iceland and Panama. Germany, the defending champions, were eliminated in the group stage for the first time since 1938. Host nation Russia was eliminated in the quarter-finals. The bidding process was controversial, with allegations of corruption and human rights abuses. Russia won the hosting rights in the second round of voting on 2 December 2010.
In Their Own Story
The Kazan Arena hummed with a low, electric tension before kickoff. In the tunnel, Carrillo's voice was quiet, almost a murmur over the white noise of boots on concrete. He did not shout. He pointed at the board where the Brazil shape was drawn in red chalk and said, simply, "We do not chase. We wait. We punish." Ochoa, already in his gloves, nodded. Lozano laced his boots and stared at nothing, his jaw tight. The floodlights turned on and the pitch became a green rectangle of possibility. Mexico pressed high for the first twenty minutes, Guardado sliding into a tackle that sent a Brazilian winger sprawling, and for a moment the whole stadium felt the Tri could crack the world's best. Then the ball found the space between the lines, and the dream folded like a page in a book no one wanted to close. The final whistle came, and in the stands a sea of green and white stood in a silence that was somehow louder than any roar.
Reader's Guide
The tournament consisted of 64 matches played in 12 venues across 11 cities. Groups contained four teams each. The only match result mentioned in the source is a 0–0 draw between Denmark and France. No other group standings or match results are provided in the source.
Did You Know?
- Croatian player Luka Modrić won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player.
- England's Harry Kane won the Golden Boot with six goals.
- Belgium's Thibaut Courtois won the Golden Glove for best goalkeeper.
- Kylian Mbappé was voted Best Young Player and became the second teenager to score in a World Cup final, after Pelé.
- Over 3 million people attended the matches.
More in Tournaments & Campaigns
Elsewhere in the Mexico National Team universe
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