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World Cup 2018 LIVE: Latest updates as USA, Mexico and Canada host 2026 tournament, Spain sack manager and more


The Russia World Cup 2018 is just hours away and the excitement is palpable. The teams are arriving, England have posed for their send-off picture and the first whistle is only days away.

Here's our guide on how to watch every second of the action. From this Thursday, we will be in for a feast of pretty much non-stop football.

Last December's draw put England in Group G with Belgium, Tunisia and Panama and the good news is that all three of the games have been scheduled at sociable times. You can hear the sighs of relief from office bosses all around the country.

The full World Cup 2018 fixture schedule is included below, with timings, venues and TV channels included.

All times BST. Local times are BST +2 apart from games played in Kaliningrad (+1), Samara (+3) and Ekaterinburg (+4).

Group stages

Thursday 14 June

Russia vs Saudi Arabia (Group A) - Moscow (Luzhniki) - 4pm - ITV

Friday 15 June

Egypt vs Uruguay (Group A) - Ekaterinburg - 1pm - BBC

Morocco vs Iran (Group B) - St Petersburg - 4pm - ITV

Portugal vs Spain (Group B) - Sochi - 7pm - BBC

Saturday 16 June

France vs Australia (Group C) - Kazan - 11am - BBC


What time is the World Cup opening ceremony?

The curtain for the 2018 World Cup will be raised on the tournament at 3:30pm (BST) on Thursday June 14, just 30 minutes before the opening game between Russia and Saudi Arabia.

Where is the opening ceremony?

At Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium which will also host the final.

There will also be a concert held in the city's famous Red Square concurrently with the opening ceremony.

What will the opening ceremony involve?

The event will focus on a series of musical acts, with Robbie Williams headlining.

Around 500 dancers, gymnasts and trampolinists will also be performing in an opening extravaganza that will pay homage to all things Russian.

Who will be performing with Robbie Williams?

England will have representation in the opening ceremony in the form of 90s pop icon, Robbie Williams.

Williams, who helped mastermind another edition of Soccer Aid for Unicef, will perform for the capacity crowd inside the Luzhniki Stadium and millions more watching on around the world.

“I’m so happy and excited to be going back to Russia for such a unique performance. I’ve done a lot in my career, and opening the FIFA World Cup to 80,000 football fans in the stadium and many millions all over the world is a boyhood dream,” said Williams.


It’s the eve of the World Cup 2018 with the eyes of the globe turning towards Russia.

It promises to be an action-packed, drama-filled month as 736 players from 32 nations arrive for a feast of football. Brazil, Spain and Germany arrive as tournament favourites with Gareth Southgate's England heading in with plenty of hope if not much expectation. They face Tunisia in Volgograd on Monday before taking on Panama and Belgium in Group G.

The Three Lions are settling in in Repino having arrived yesterday, with the tournament kicking off in earnest on Thursday afternoon when the hosts face Saudi Arabia.

We will have all the latest news, views, pictures and video direct from Russia throughout the day as we build up to the biggest football tournament in the world.

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Image copyright Reuters

More than 1,200 people banned from attending football matches have surrendered their passports ahead of the World Cup, the Home Office says.

Of 1,312 individuals with football banning orders, 1,254 have given up their documents before the tournament in Russia, which starts on 14 June.

Police say they will continue working to trace the remaining 58.

Police minister Nick Hurd said the action would ensure "thugs" would not "ruin the tournament for real fans".

About 10,000 people from the UK are expected to travel to Russia for the World Cup.

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Fans making the trip have been advised by the Foreign Office to read the latest travel advice before departing.

Supporters are being encouraged to be "good guests", read up on the host cities and carry £200 in roubles at all times to cover emergency expenses.

In March, English police had to reassure Russian authorities only "genuine fans" would make the journey, after more than 100 supporters were arrested when England played the Netherlands in Amsterdam.

There were also violent clashes between Russia and England supporters when the two countries played each other in Marseille at Euro 2016.

As well as the banning orders, police will be deployed at major UK ports during the World Cup to stop known troublemakers from travelling to Russia.

A delegation from the UK will travel to the country to work with their police counterparts during the tournament.

Football banning orders are imposed by courts and can last for up to 10 years.

There are currently 327 banned individuals who do not hold passports and they are not required to report to police.

Two years ago 1,406 people were ordered to surrender their passports prior to Euro 2016 in France, while 1,456 were asked to give them up before the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Deputy Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the national lead for football policing, said: "A comprehensive policing operation has been in place across the country to account for passports of those on banning orders, which has once again seen only a handful of those outstanding."

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