The electric atmosphere, the incredible fans, the thumping tackles, the last gasp winners, the underdog fairytales, the biggest stars on the planet, the surprise packages, the despairing defeats and the joyous victories. This is the World Cup and this is what makes the World Cup so great! Bring on Russia 2018!
The 2018 Fifa World Cup gets under way on Thursday when hosts Russia face Saudi Arabia following an opening ceremony at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium. Football's attractive event features 32 teams, including holders Germany, competing in 64 games over 32 days.
The 21st journey will be played out in 12 stadiums and across 11 cities. The month-long tournament is expected to attract one and a half million fans to Russia and an estimated global television audience of over three billion viewers. Ultra HD TV can be accessed through a high-speed internet connection and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
It's time to start thinking about the future before the end of the group stage on June 28. Who has the easiest path to the knockout stage? Is it Lionel Messi and Argentina, with Iceland, Croatia and Nigeria in their group? What about Neymar and Brazil, paired with Serbia, Poland and Costa Rica? Nobody knows for sure, Still Wait & Watch…