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FIFA World Cup Schedule, Grouping, Big Stars and Power Rankings
Important Notices: In order to enjoy a better 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™, R4PG decide to give away thousands of Chaos Orbs - just shared this article on your Facebook/Twitter, and then contact us(Our Facebook and Twitter), we will give you 200 Chaos Orb, we want to say that we love video games, but it doesn't mean that we don't love football and World Cup! All R4PG staffs are crazy fans of football, so we'd like to share more happiness with Path of Exile players.
2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™
2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ is 21st World Cup. The competition will be held in 12 of the 11 cities in Russia from June 14th to July 15th, 2018. This is the first time that the World Cup has been held in Russia. It is also the first time that the World Cup has been held in Eastern Europe. At the same time, after the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the World Cup is once again held in Europe. In the Russian World Cup, 32 teams from the five continents are participating in the competition; in addition to the host Russia, which automatically acquires the qualifications, the other 31 teams are eligible to participate in the qualifier. During the World Cup, 64 championships will be held in Russia.
Schedule
Saturday 16 June
France vs Australia (Group C) - Kazan - 11am - BBC
Argentina vs Iceland (Group D) - Moscow (Spartak) - 2pm - ITV
Peru vs Denmark (Group C) - Saransk - 5pm - BBC
Croatia vs Nigeria (Group D) - Kaliningrad - 8pm - ITV
Sunday 17 June
Costa Rica vs Serbia (Group E) - Samara - 1pm - ITV
Germany vs Mexico (Group F) - Moscow (Luzhniki) - 4pm - BBC
Brazil vs Switzerland (Group E) - Rostov-on-Don - 7pm - ITV
Monday 18 June
Sweden vs South Korea (Group F) - Nizhny Novgorod - 1pm - ITV
Belgium vs Panama (Group G) - Sochi - 4pm - BBC
Tunisia vs England (Group G) - Volgograd - 7pm - BBC
Tuesday 19 June
Colombia vs Japan (Group H) - Saransk - 1pm - BBC
Poland vs Senegal (Group H) - Moscow (Spartak) - 4pm - ITV
Russia vs Egypt (Group A) - St Petersburg - 7pm - BBC
Wednesday 20 June
Portugal vs Morocco (Group B) - Moscow (Luzhniki) - 1pm - BBC
Uruguay vs Saudi Arabia (Group A) - Rostov-on-Don - 4pm - BBC
Iran vs Spain (Group B) - Kazan - 7pm - ITV
Check full Schedule on https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/
Grouping
Who is likely to make it out of the groups?
Group A – Uruguay and Egypt
Host countries until recently tended to do better than expected.
Group B – Portugal and Spain
The two European nations in this group are the standout favourites for a reason.
Group C – France and Denmark
It's a tough group. Australia is no slouches, yet are arguably the weakest team in the group, while Peru is 11th in the world rankings, supposedly ahead of Denmark.
Group D – Argentina and Croatia
Iceland's overachieving stops here. The Croatia squad is a strong one, and with Argentina and Nigeria to also contend with, it's hard to see Iceland getting much out of this group.
Group E – Brazil and Switzerland
Serbia is a better side than they’ve been for a while, but Brazil and Switzerland should find this group relatively straightforward. Poor Costa Rica.
Group F – Germany and Mexico
What a group. What a horrible, horrible group. The world champions and three very competent sides that you'd back to get out of other groups.
Group G – Belgium and England
England has one of the more straightforward groups and you’d hope the Three Lions would get out of it.
Group H – Colombia and Poland
This is also a tricky group. Japan is a good footballing nation and they have their share of international stars too, but they’ll struggle in a group with Poland and Colombia.
The Big Stars
Leo Messi
So much has been said about the Argentinian star, Leo Messi, who has won every single title but the World Cup. He arrives in Russia in outstanding form after another brilliant domestic season, where he won both La Liga and the Copa del Rey. Messi has faced heartbreak after heartbreak with Argentina. At the age of 30, this could well be his last chance to win the World Cup, and after having lost the final four years ago, there is no doubt that he hopes to be in top form.
Cristiano Ronaldo
The same can be said for Portugal's star player, Cristiano Ronaldo, who is facing what is likely to be his last chance to win this trophy. The reigning Ballon d'Or has gone through some ups and downs this season with Real Madrid, but there's no denying his extraordinary skills when facing the opposing team’s goal. He scored 44 goals in 44 games for Madrid last season and is sure to prove pivotal for his country in the World Cup.
Mo Salah
At the beginning of the season, nobody would have guessed that Mo Salah would make anyone's top stars list. The Egyptian's superb performance with Liverpool, however, saw him win the best player of the Premier League award. His national team.
Neymar
Brazil's Neymar did everything he could to recover from his injury just in time for the World Cup. The Brazilian, whose World Cup hopes collapsed in 2014, when he was injured midway through the tournament, is seeking to win his first Ballon d'Or. He certainly has hopes of achieving this feat if his team are crowned world champions - and Brazil is indeed one of the favourite's to win the tournament.
Maradona: "Messi doesn't need to win a World Cup to be considered the best"
There is undoubtedly a fine line between the star players and those who go on to become legends. Euronews had the opportunity to talk about the stuff of legends with world football legend Diego Armando Maradona, who shared his insights.
World Cup Power Rankings
1. Brazil
Best case scenario: World Cup champs
Worst case scenario: Out in round of 16
Why ranked here: This has been the best team in World Cup qualifying and just dominated the most challenging region.
2. Germany
Best case scenario: World Cup champs
Worst case scenario: Out in quarterfinals
Why ranked here: They are the reigning champs. Loaded with talent but maybe not as good as the 2014 World Cup team, they still have what it takes to win the cup, and this could be the coming out party for striker Timo Werner.
3. France
Best case scenario: World Cup champs
Worst case scenario: Crashes out in knockout stage
Why ranked here: Nothing will compare to the magic of the 1998 team, but this French team is up there with the best in the world and is absolutely stacked in attack.
4. Spain
Best case scenario: World Cup champs
Worst case scenario: Out in round of 16
Why ranked here: Spain is back after that horrific display in Brazil, but is there enough talent up top? It's always all about the midfield in Spain, and Isco's emergence at Real Madrid has been a great sign.
5. Portugal
Best case scenario: World Cup champs
Worst case scenario: Out in knockout stage
Why ranked here: Don't tell me they should be higher. Sure, this team won Euro 2016, but they were only in the knockout stage due to that ridiculous cup expansion that resulted in some third-place teams advancing.
6. Uruguay
Best case scenario: World Cup champs
Worst case scenario: Out in round of 16
Why ranked here: The second best team in South America during World Cup qualifying, when you have Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani in attack and a world class defender like Diego Godin at the back
7. Argentina
Best case scenario: World Cup champs
Worst case scenario: Out in knockout stage and Lionel Messi retires from national team
Why ranked here: Yeah, it's Lionel Messi and pretty much everybody else.
8. Belgium
Best case scenario: World Cup champs
Worst case scenario: Out in round of 16
Why ranked here: Roberto Martinez has his work cut out for him. There is no shortage of amazing players on this team
9. England
Best case scenario: Semifinals
Worst case scenario: Out in knockout stage
Why ranked here: It's England, which means disappointment is expected. While the English have seemingly won every tournament this year at the youth level
10. Colombia
Best case scenario: Semifinals
Worst case scenario: Out in group stage
Why ranked here: It's James Rodriguez's team, and this is a squad with a fantastic coach is Jose Pekerman, who got them to the quarterfinals at the last World Cup.
Do you think which team will win this 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™? You can leave your prediction below in the comment section. And don't forget to share this article to get 200 chaos, if your friends are playing Path of Exile too, tell all of them this news!
