

The choice of Russia as host was controversial. The voting results were: 2018 FIFA bidding (majority 12 votes) England, which was bidding to host its second tournament, was eliminated in the first round.

The Portugal/Spain bid came second, and that from Belgium/Netherlands third. Russia won the right to be the 2018 host in the second round of voting. The 22-member FIFA Executive Committee convened in Zürich on 2 December 2010 to vote to select the hosts of both tournaments. As such, there were eventually four bids for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, two of which were joint bids: England, Russia, Netherlands/ Belgium, and Portugal/ Spain. During the bidding process, the three remaining non- UEFA nations ( Australia, Japan, and the United States) gradually withdrew from the 2018 bids, and thus all UEFA nations were ruled out of the 2022 bid. Initially, nine countries placed bids for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but Mexico later withdrew from the proceedings, and Indonesia's bid was rejected by FIFA in February 2010 after the Indonesian government failed to submit a letter to support the bid. The bidding procedure to host the 20 FIFA World Cup tournaments began in January 2009, and national associations had until 2 February 2009 to register their interest. It features an image of Soviet goalkeeper Lev Yashin. The 100- ruble commemorative banknote celebrates the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Main article: Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup bid Russian bid personnel celebrate the awarding of the 2018 World Cup to Russia on 2 December 2010. It has been estimated that more than 3 million people attended games during the tournament. Belgium's Thibaut Courtois won the Golden Glove, awarded to the goalkeeper with the best performance. England's Harry Kane won the Golden Boot as he scored the most goals during the tournament with six. France won the match 4–2, claiming their second World Cup and becoming the fourth consecutive title won by a European team, after Italy in 2006, Spain in 2010, and Germany in 2014.Ĭroatian player Luka Modrić was voted the tournament's best player, winning the Golden Ball. In the final, France played Croatia on 15 July at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. Host nation Russia was eliminated in the quarter-finals. Germany, the defending champions, were eliminated in the group stage for the first time since 1938. 64 matches were played in 12 venues across 11 cities. Of the 32, 20 had also appeared in the 2014 event, while Iceland and Panama each made their debut at the World Cup. The tournament phase involved 32 teams, of which 31 came through qualifying competitions, while as the host nation Russia qualified automatically. At an estimated cost of over $14.2 billion, it was the most expensive World Cup ever held until it was surpassed by the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. It was the eleventh time the championships had been held in Europe, and the first time they were held in Eastern Europe. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded the hosting rights in 2010. The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA.
