Russia World Cup 2018 Groups
The tournament will run from 14 June to 15 July, 2018 with the opening match featuring the hosts to be played in the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow with the final scheduled for the same stadium.
Altogether there are 12 stadiums for World Cup 2018: the Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Spartak Stadium also in Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Mordovia Arena, Saransk, Kazan Arena, Samara Arena, Ekaterinburg Arena, Saint Petersburg Stadium in Russia's second city, Kaliningrad Stadium, Volgograd Arena, Rostov Arena and the Fisht Stadium, Sochi.
GROUP A
Russia Saudia Arabia Egypt Uruguay
This is a tough group for the hosts Russia who are not in the best of shape coming in to their home World Cup. Uruguay were the second best team in South America in qualifying and are heavy favourites with the bookmakers to win the group. Russia are also backed to join them in second place. Egypt have some useful players to trouble the hosts, though much will depend on the fitness of star winger Mohamed Salah, injured playing for Liverpool in the Champions League Final. Saudi Arabia are ranked just behind Russia in Fifa's World Rankings but are not fancied to make an impression.
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GROUP B
Portugal Spain Morocco Iran
Spain and Portugal are the bookmakers' favourites to progress from Group B with Morocco and Iran as also-rans.
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GROUP C
France Australia Peru Denmark
Group C should see France, one of the favourites to win the World Cup progress along with Denmark.
Australia look a weak team who struggled in qualifying and Peru have not appeared at a World Cup since way back in 1982.
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GROUP D
Argentina Croatia Iceland Nigeria
This is a very tough group indeed and probably the "Group of Death" if there is one at World Cup 2018.
Argentina with Lionel
Messi and a strong Croatian side are heavily fancied to progress at the expense of a very young Nigerian squad and an Iceland team appearing at their first ever World Cup finals.
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GROUP E
Brazil Switzerland Costa Rica Serbia
Joint favourites, Brazil, and Switzerland, now ranked in the world's top ten teams by Fifa are fancied to progress. Serbia have the talent to edhe out Switzerland and their match will be key to see who joins Brazil in the next round. Costa Rica defied the odds in 2014 getting out of the group at the expense of Italy and England, but surely not again in 2018 on another continent.
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GROUP F
Germany Mexico Sweden South KoreaGermany are the bookies' favorites to win the 2018 World Cup in Russia along with Brazil. They should breeze through the group along with Mexico in second place. South Korea are in a period of decline and Sweden, though resilient and well-organized, lack flair and goals.
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GROUP G
Belgium England Tunisia Panama
Belgium topped their group at World Cup 2014 and are fancied to repeat here. England were last in their group in Brazil but should come in second here. They last topped a group at World Cup 2006 in Germany. Tunisia will be tough opponents and difficult to break down. Panama have done well just to qualify for their first ever World Cup.
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GROUP H
Poland Senegal Colombia Japan
Colombia followed by Poland are favoured to exit this group, though Senegal may push them close. Japan under Akira Nishino are trying to move to three at the back and a recent 0-2 home loss to Ghana in a pre-tournament friendly may be a sign of what is to come in Russia.
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