Russian Roulette

With multiple credible contenders for top honours, the 2018 FIFA World Cup promises to be the most closely contested edition of the tournament yet.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup is now less than a week away. Will defending champions Germany lift the title again? Will Brazil be able to come out on top after humiliating loss (1-7) to Germany? Can host Russia spring a surprise? In just a few days, the world will witness some of the greatest football players taking the centre stage in the largest country of the planet.

Argentina, who suffered a disappointing (1-0) loss against Germany four years ago, will look to come through with flying colours this time. This might also be the last time for arguably the best soccer player on the planet, Lionel Messi, who has almost every trophy to his name except the World Cup. Will he have a World Cup in his kitty? The window may be closing for Cristiano Ronaldo, who will look to help Portugal win the competition.

Defending champs Germany will start their campaign against Mexico in their opening match.The first match of the tournament will kick off on Thursday where Russia will take on Saudi Arabia. A country spanning across 11 time zones, this is the first time that Russia will be hosting a World Cup tournament.

Here, The Sunday Guardian provides you all the tournament’s fixtures with latest dates and schedule for matches.