FIFA WORLD CUP RUSSIA 2018 ZAINULLIN E M

FIFA WORLD CUP RUSSIA 2018 ZAINULLIN. E. M. Group 51109

Preliminary Draw The eyes of the footballing world were on St. Petersburg on Saturday 25 July when the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ Preliminary Draw, the first major Kick-Off Event ahead of the tournament itself, took place.

Russia's 2018 World Cup director denies knowledge of prearranged decision General Director of the Russia 2018 Organizational Committee Alexei Sorokin has denied statements by FIFA President Joseph "Sepp" Blatter suggesting that Russia could have guaranteed itself the right to hold the 2018 soccer World Cup even before the vote, which took place in 2010. "If there were people who made the decision before December 2, fine. But we didn't know about it. We weren't aware of the executive committee's decision. I can swear on the Bible that we didn’t know, " the World Football Insider cites Sorokin as saying.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup main stadium

Football on Red Square: Russia celebrates 1, 000 days to World Cup A countdown clock to the start of the World Cup 2018 was officially launched in the center of Moscow on September 18. Igor Akinfeev and Alexander Kerzhakov, players from Russia’s national team, attended the ceremony. The date was not random – exactly 1, 000 days remain to the beginning of the World Cup.

Russia’s new stadiums and their Asian cousins The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics 2014 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup have led to a boom in stadium constructions in Russia. RBTH looks at some of these new Russian stadiums and tries to find their closest counterparts in Asia.

1. New Zenit Stadium and Shenzhen Universiade Sports Center New Zenit Stadium (or Gazprom Arena) in St. Petersburg will be opened in 2016. It will be a venue for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the home arena of FC Zenit St. Petersburg. It has a capacity of 70, 000 and the construction cost (at the current currency exchange rate) is $590 million.

2. Fisht and Beijing National Stadium Fisht was built for the 2014 Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Sochi. It has a capacity of 45, 000 and the construction cost (at the 2013 currency exchange rate) was $697 million. The Beijing National Stadium was built for the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. Its capacity is 80, 000 and construction cost was $423 million.

3. Kazan Arena and Taipei Municipal Stadium The Kazan Arena was opened in 2013 and is the home stadium of FC Rubin. The arena hosted the 2013 Summer Universiade football competition and the 2015 World Aquatics Championships. It will also be a venue for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Its capacity is 45, 105 and construction cost (at the 2013 currency exchange rate) was $454. 5 million. The Taipei Municipal Stadium was reconstructed for the 2009 Summer Deaflympics. Its capacity is 20, 000 and reconstruction cost was $423 million.

4. Otkritie Arena and Incheon Stadium The Otkritie Arena was opened in Moscow in 2014 as a home stadium of FC Spartak Moscow. It will be a venue for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. It has a capacity of 45, 000 and its construction cost (at the 2013 currency exchange rate) was $439 million. The Incheon Stadium opened in 2014 was the main venue of the 2014 Asian Games. Its capacity is 30, 000 and construction cost was $429 million.

5. Luzhniki and Bukit Jalil Luzhniki is now under reconstruction for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Its capacity will be 81, 000 and reconstruction cost (at the current currency exchange rate) is $295 million The Bukit Jalil National Stadium was built in Kuala Lumpur for the 1998 Commonwealth Games. Its capacity is 87, 411 and construction cost was $218 million.

6. Pyongyang The Rungrado 1 st of May Stadium was opened in Pyongyang in 1989. It is the largest stadium in the world with a capacity of 150, 000. The stadium is used for football matches and for traditional Arirang performances.

7. Singapore .

Putin believes Sepp Blatter deserves Nobel Prize Russian President Vladimir Putin believes that FIFA head Sepp Blatter deserves a Nobel Prize for his work. "I think that people like Blatter, the outstanding heads of international athletic federations and Olympic committees like him, deserve special recognition and gratitude, " Putin said in an interview with Switzerland's RTS television and radio station.

World Cup 2018 prize in St. Petersburg FIFA World Cup 2018 prize was presented on July 18 th in St. Petersburg. Source: RIA Novosti / Anatoly Medved

Alien and cat compete to be 2018 World Cup mascot A total of 51, 000 fans took part in an online poll on the website of FIFA held from May 1 -31, the organization's website reported. The most popular characters are an Amur tiger, a medieval Russian warrior, a wolf, a Far Eastern leopard, a firebird, an alien, an astronaut, a cat, a bear and a robot. Design students at Russian art institutes are encouraged to offer their mascot designs for the competition, to be held between September and November 2015. A jury will determine three best works, with one of them to be chosen as the official mascot.