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15:21, 01-Dec-2017
Football stars send congratulations ahead of World Cup final draw
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Ahead of Friday's finals draw for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, players from each team appeared in a video congratulating each other for qualifying.
The 2018 tournament will be the 21st FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament contested by the men's national teams of FIFA's member associations.
A mascot for the 2018 Russia World Cup. /VCG Photo
A mascot for the 2018 Russia World Cup. /VCG Photo
It is scheduled to take place in Russia from June 14 to July 15, 2018, after the country was awarded the hosting rights on December 2, 2010.
This will be the first World Cup held in Europe since 2006; all but one of the stadium venues are in European Russia, west of the Ural Mountains to keep travel time more manageable.
A poster of the 2018 Russia World Cup is seen on the street of Moscow. /VCG Photo
A poster of the 2018 Russia World Cup is seen on the street of Moscow. /VCG Photo
The final tournament will involve 32 national teams, which include 31 teams determined through qualifying competitions and the automatically qualified host team Russia.
Of the 32 teams, 20 will be making back-to-back appearances following the last edition of the tournament in 2014, including defending champions Germany, while Iceland and Panama will both be making their first appearances at a FIFA World Cup.
A total of 64 matches will be played in 12 venues located in 11 cities. The final will take place on July 15 in Moscow at Luzhniki Stadium.