Schedule
In just over two weeks the 21st World Cup will commence. The World Cup 2018 location is in Russia and it will be the first time Russia has hosted the World Cup. Football fans around the world will be hoping for a feast of fantastic football. Competitions do not come bigger than the World Cup, and the excitement is building across the globe.
In this article we will have a look at the World Cup 2018 schedule including the World Cup 2018 dates. What will happen remains to be seen, but after reading this article, you will know which World Cup dates are worth noting in your diary!
World Cup 2018 Schedule Dates
When Does The World Cup Start 2018?
The World Cup 2018 start date will be the 14th June with the first match between hosts Russia and Saudi Arabia at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow at 16:00 GMT. From that day forward there will be at least three games played every day for the duration of the group stages.
Here is the full FIFA World Cup 2018 schedule:
- 14th June – 28th June: Group stage
- 30th June – 3rd July: Second round
- 6th – 7th July: The quarter-finals
- 10th – 11th July: The semi-finals
- 14th July: The third-place play-off
- 15th July: The World Cup final/World Cup 2018 final date
The Group Stage, World Cup 2018 Fixtures Dates
Let’s take a look at the FIFA World Cup 2018 fixtures for the World Cup 2018 groups. There are a number of tasty fixtures for us all to look forward to and we are sure that we will be treated to some drama in the group stage. In this section we will also give our prediction for who will progress from each group.
World Cup 2018 Fixtures, Group Stage
Group A: Egypt, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
- Russia v Saudi Arabia on 14th June
- Egypt v Uruguay on 15th June
- Russia v Egypt on 19th June
- Uruguay v Saudi Arabia on 20th June
- Uruguay v Russia and Saudi Arabia v Egypt on 25th June
A group which Uruguay should win pretty easily. The second spot is not as easy to predict but with being hosts, we think Russia will get it.
Group B: Morocco, Iran, Portugal, Spain
- Morocco v Iran and Portugal v Spain on 15th June
- Portugal v Morocco and Iran v Spain on 20th June
- Iran v Portugal and Spain v Morocco on 25th June
Portugal and Spain are the two clear favourites to progress from this group and we cannot see any other outcome. Spain to finish first.
Group C: Denmark, France, Australia, Peru
- France v Australia and Peru v Denmark on 16th June
- Denmark v Australia and France v Peru on 21st June
- Denmark v France and Australia v Peru on 26th June
France are the definite favourites to finish first in this group. It will be a close call between Denmark and Peru for the second spot, but we think Denmark will progress with France into the second round.
Group D: Argentina, Croatia, Iceland, Nigeria
- Argentina v Iceland and Croatia v Nigeria on 16th June
- Argentina v Croatia on 21st June
- Nigeria v Iceland on 22nd June
- Nigeria v Argentina and Iceland v Croatia on 26th June
The ‘group of death’. Argentina should top the group. That second spot is certainly up for grabs and any of those countries have got a chance of going through. Our pick for qualifying with Argentina is Croatia.
Group E: Costa Rica, Brazil, Switzerland, Serbia
- Costa Rica v Serbia and Brazil v Switzerland on 17th June
- Brazil v Costa Rica and Serbia v Switzerland on 22nd June
- Serbia v Brazil and Switzerland v Costa Rica on 27th June
Joint favourites Brazil should top the group pretty comfortably. In a similar fashion to Group D, any of the remaining countries could feasibly qualify along with Brazil. We think Serbia will be the team to do it.
Group F: Mexico, Sweden, Germany, South Korea
- Germany v Mexico on 17th June
- Sweden v South Korea on 18th June
- South Korea v Mexico and Germany v Sweden on 23rd June
- South Korea v Germany and Mexico v Sweden on 27th June
Germany are joint favourites to win the competition along with Brazil, and we expect the holders to finish first with no problems. In second place, we think Mexico will just pip Sweden to it.
Group G: Tunisia, Belgium, England, Panama,
- Belgium v Panama and Tunisia v England on 18th June
- Belgium v Tunisia on 23rd June
- England v Panama on 24th June
- England v Belgium and Panama v Tunisia on 28th June
The two favourites in this group are Belgium and England and we expect the two European sides to finish first and second respectively. Tunisia could cause an upset, though we don’t think it will happen.
Group H: Colombia, Poland, Senegal, Japan
- Colombia v Japan and Poland v Senegal on 19th June
- Japan v Senegal and Poland v Colombia on 24th June
- Japan v Poland and Senegal v Colombia on 28th June
This is likely to be a tight group and there might not be too much between the teams. We predict Colombia to finish first and Poland in second.
World Cup 2018 Argentina Fixtures
Argentina are the fourth or fifth favourites to win the World Cup depending on which sport betting site you use. The odds are around 9/1 on Argentina going all the way and lifting the World Cup trophy on the 15th July.
Argentina have a formidable attack which will strike fear into any defence they come up against. Sergio Aguero, Paulo Dybala, Angel Di Maria, Gonzalo Higuain, Manuel Lanzini and of course, Lionel Messi will all be travelling to Russia which shows how good the Argentine attack is. It is perhaps the most talented attack in the whole competition.
Defensively, there are problems, and this may be Argentina’s undoing. But it is without question that Argentina have a good chance of winning the World Cup in Russia.
As we mentioned, we predict that Argentina will finish first in Group D. Should they do so, Argentina are likely to meet Denmark in the second round, which is a match they should win. It is possible that Argentina will face Spain in the quarter-finals, which will be a tough game, but if they win this match, they will be confident of beating anybody in the competition.
Very soon the World Cup will be under way and we cannot wait here at Fortune Frenzy! We hope this mini schedule guide has got you excited and provided all the little bits of information you wanted to know. The 14th June is nearly here!
