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.
Updated:June 12, 2018, 6:27 PM IST
(Image: FIFA)
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.
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:
Date
Match
Venue
TME IST
Thursday, June 14
Russia v Saudi Arabia (A)
Moscow (Luzhniki)
08:30PM
Friday, June 15
Egypt v Uruguay (A)
Ekaterinburg
05:30PM
Friday, June 15
Morocco v Iran (B)
St Petersburg
08:30PM
Friday, June 15
Portugal v Spain (B)
Sochi
11:30PM
Saturday, June 16
France v Australia (C)
Kazan
03:30PM
Saturday, June 16
Argentina v Iceland (D)
Moscow (Spartak)
06:30PM
Saturday, June 16
Peru v Denmark (C)
Saransk
09:30PM
Saturday, June 16
Croatia v Nigeria (D)
Kaliningrad
12:30AM
Sunday, June 17
Costa Rica v Serbia (E)
Samara
05:30PM
Sunday, June 17
Germany v Mexico (F)
Moscow (Luzhniki)
08:30PM
Sunday, June 17
Brazil v Switzerland (E)
Rostov-on-Don
11:30PM
Monday, June 18
Sweden v South Korea (F)
Nizhny Novgorod
05:30PM
Monday, June 18
Belgium v Panama (G)
Sochi
08:30PM
Monday, June 18
Tunisia v England (G)
Volgograd
11:30PM
Tuesday, June 19
Colombia v Japan (H)
Saransk
05:30PM
Tuesday, June 19
Poland v Senegal (H)
Moscow (Spartak)
08:30PM
Tuesday, June 19
Russia v Egypt (A)
St Petersburg
11:30PM
Wednesday, June 20
Portugal v Morocco (B)
Moscow (Luzhniki)
05:30PM
Wednesday, June 20
Uruguay v Saudi Arabia (A)
Rostov-on-Don
08:30PM
Wednesday, June 20
Iran v Spain (B)
Kazan
11:30PM
Thursday, June 21
Denmark v Australia (C)
Samara
05:30PM
Thursday, June 21
France v Peru (C)
Ekaterinburg
08:30PM
Thursday, June 21
Argentina v Croatia (D)
Nizhny Novgorod
11:30PM
Friday, June 22
Brazil v Costa Rica (E)
St Petersburg
05:30PM
Friday, June 22
Nigeria v Iceland (D)
Volgograd
08:30PM
Friday, June 22
Serbia v Switzerland (E)
Kaliningrad
11:30PM
Saturday, June 23
Belgium v Tunisia (G)
Moscow (Spartak)
05:30PM
Saturday, June 23
South Korea v Mexico (F)
Rostov-on-Don
08:30PM
Saturday, June 23
Germany v Sweden (F)
Sochi
11:30PM
Sunday, June 24
England v Panama (G)
Nizhny Novgorod
05:30PM
Sunday, June 24
Japan v Senegal (H)
Ekaterinburg
08:30PM
Sunday, June 24
Poland v Colombia (H)
Kazan
11:30PM
Monday, June 25
Uruguay v Russia (A)
Samara
7:30PM
Monday, June 25
Saudi Arabia v Egypt (A)
Volgograd
7:30PM
Monday, June 25
Spain v Morocco (B)
Kaliningrad
11:30PM
Monday, June 25
Iran v Portugal (B)
Saransk
11:30PM
Tuesday, June 26
Denmark v France (C)
Moscow (Luzhniki)
7:30PM
Tuesday, June 26
Australia v Peru (C)
Sochi
7:30PM
Tuesday, June 26
Nigeria v Argentina (D)
St Petersburg
11:30PM
Tuesday, June 26
Iceland v Croatia (D)
Rostov-on-Don
11:30PM
Wednesday, June 27
South Korea v Germany (F)
Kazan
7:30PM
Wednesday, June 27
Mexico v Sweden (F)
Ekaterinburg
7:30PM
Wednesday, June 27
Serbia v Brazil (E)
Moscow (Spartak)
11:30PM
Wednesday, June 27
Switzerland v Costa Rica (E)
Nizhny Novgorod
11:30PM
Thursday, June 28
Japan v Poland (H)
Volgograd
7:30PM
Thursday, June 28
Senegal v Colombia (H)
Samara
7:30PM
Thursday, June 28
England v Belgium (G)
Kaliningrad
11:30PM
Thursday, June 28
Panama v Tunisia (G)
Saransk
11:30PM
LAST 16
Saturday, June 30
1C v 2D (Match 50)
Kazan
7:30PM
Saturday, June 30
1A v 2B (Match 49)
Sochi
11:30PM
Sunday, July 1
1B v 2A (Match 51)
Moscow
7:30PM
Sunday, July 1
1D v 2C (Match 52)
Nizhny Novgorod
11:30PM
Monday, July 2
1E v 2F (Match 53)
Samara
7:30PM
Monday, July 2
1G v 2H (Match 54)
Rostov-on-Don
11:30PM
Tuesday, July 3
1F v 2E (Match 55)
St Petersburg
7:30PM
Tuesday, July 3
1H v 2G (Match 56)
Moscow (Spartak)
11:30PM
QUARTER-FINALS
Friday, July 6
Winner 49 v winner 50 (57)
Nizhny Novgorod
7:30PM
Friday, July 6
Winner 53 v winner 54 (58)
Kazan
11:30PM
Saturday, July 7
Winner 55 v winner 56 (60)
Samara
7:30PM
Saturday, July 7
Winner 51 v winner 52 (59)
Sochi
11:30PM
SEMI-FINALS
Tuesday, July 10
Winner 57 v winner 58
St Petersburg
11:30PM
Wednesday, July 11
Winner 59 v winner 60
Moscow (Luzhniki)
11:30PM
THIRD-PLACE PLAY-OFF
Saturday, July 14
Losers of two semi-finals
St Petersburg
7:30PM
FINAL
Sunday, July 15
Winners of two-semi-finals
Moscow (Luzhniki)
08:30PM
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.