The World Cup

Ere we go, ere we go, ere we go! The most prestigious trophy, the FIFA World Cup 2018, has kicked off in Russia and will continue until 15th July - with the world's top players making up the 32 finalists who are competing in the championship.

Gareth Southgate's England have been drawn in Group G, alongside Belgium, Tunisia and Panama. Kicking off at 7pm, their first match is on Monday 18th June against Tunisia at the Volgograd Stadium. Whether they can win the prized trophy, thus emulating England's only World Cup victory in 1966, remains to be seen.

History of the World Cup

The first FIFA World Cup took place in 1930, after FIFA announced it wished to have its own unique tournament, following the success of the Olympic football tournament. After meeting in 1928, the FIFA Congress fine-tuned the idea of a world championship with Italy, Hungary, the Netherlands, Uruguay, Sweden and Spain applying to host the event.

Uruguay was the favourite because it was celebrating the centenary of its independence in 1930 and was prepared to cover all the costs - even the accommodation and travel expenses of all the teams! Meeting again in 1929, the FIFA Congress announced Uruguay was the first host country of the World Cup.

The first tournament opened at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, on 18th July 1930. Unfortunately, only four European sides competed, as teams travelling to Uruguay would have to endure a long sea journey - and national leagues didn't want to lose their top players for two months. Uruguay was the eventual winner of the first FIFA World Cup.

In the 88 years since the first tournament, the FIFA World Cup has gone from strength to strength. It is held every four years and comprises a two-year qualifying process, involving 200 initial teams. They are whittled down to 32 finalists through a process of elimination matches and group qualifying stages.

Russia 2018

This year's event is the 21st World Cup. It was awarded to Russia on 2nd December 2010. The bidding process began in January 2009, when nine countries applied to host the 2018 tournament. The shortlisted final four bids were submitted by England, Russia, Netherlands and Belgium and Portugal and Spain, the latter two being joint bids.

Russia was finally awarded the accolade of hosting the event, which is the first World Cup to be held in Eastern Europe. All of the stadiums involved in the tournament are in European Russia, due to the travelling distances for teams and fans in the vast, expansive country.

It is also going to be the most expensive World Cup in history, with the estimated budget being a massive 11.8 to 14 billion US dollars. The final is due to take place at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on 15th July and the winner will automatically qualify for the 2021 FIFA Confederations Cup.



Youth over experience

The England squad is the youngest and most inexperienced in the championship, with many pundits saying it may be a step too far for the youngsters this year. In the past, some England squads have been criticised for the average age being too high.

This year, in an attempt to inject some youthful energy, Southgate has gambled on a younger squad - only five players remain from the 2014 World Cup squad and the average age is 26. It seems whatever he does will be wrong as far as some fans and the press are concerned, as media reports have claimed, "You won't win with kids!"

Key England players

However, the pundits believe Southgate's commitment to a three-man defence - adjusting the existing 4-2-3-1 system employed throughout the qualification campaign - is the way forward. He feels the variation of 3-5-2 or 3-4-3 is the ideal way to ensure possession and performance.

Initially, it appeared to be a somewhat risky tactic, considering many critics feared England wasn't blessed with the best centre-halves. However, since Manchester City's Kyle Walker joined the back line as the right-sided central defender in March and Kieran Trippier came in at wing-back, Southgate's decision now seems inspired.

The selection also has another Manchester City defender, John Stones, at its heart, with a choice of Eric Dier, Harry Maguire and Gary Cahill on the left. England's wing-backs are seen by many as the team's main assets, with Danny Rose being a strong contender on the flank.

Raheem Sterling's early promise at Liverpool has been honed by his manager at Manchester City, Pep Guardiola, turning him into one of England's most lethal attacking forces. The odds of England winning were 16/1 at the start of the event.

Brazil went into the tournament 17/4 favourites, with 2014 winners Germany at 26/5 and Spain at 7/1.

Spain shake-up

Spain remain one of the favourites, despite the shock sacking of their manager, Julen Lopetegui, two days before their first match, after it was revealed he was taking the vacant manager's job at La Liga club Real Madrid as soon as the World Cup was over.

The Spanish football federation, the RFEF, announced on Wednesday that Lopetegui was being fired, after federation president Luis Rubiales was informed of his new job only five minutes before it was announced in the press - prompting him to criticise Lopetegui's conduct.

Spain's sporting director, Fernando Hierro, is taking charge for the World Cup. Spain didn't lose a match with Lopetegui - they won 14 of 20 games and drew the remaining six. Some media reports suggest his sacking hasn't been a popular move in the dressing room.

Possible outcomes

If England win Group G, they will be up against the Group H runner-up in the last 16. It's hard to predict who that will be, but looking at the nations' current world rankings, it's likely to be Columbia - the second-best team on paper, behind Poland.

The journey to victory won't be an easy one, but although the pundits seem to be giving England only a slim chance of winning, this hasn't deterred 32,300 English fans from buying their tickets to Russia. The UK Home Office has banned 1,200 fans who have a history of football-related disorder or violence from travelling to the tournament, on the grounds it's a "festival of football" and "no place for violence."

Watching on TV

For fans not travelling to the World Cup, there will be extensive TV coverage on the terrestrial channels, BBC and ITV. In the UK, the live coverage is shared between the two service providers. Every match will be televised and there will also be a live online stream.

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E.N.G.E.R.L.A.N.D!