RT brings you live updates from Moscow, where the Final Draw for the FIFA 2018 World Cup Russia is taking place at the State Kremlin Palace. Follow the updates below for all the build-up and the draw itself, which begins at 6pm local time (15:00 GMT).
01 December 2017
Here is your Final Draw 2018 FIFA World Cup wrap-up:
Group H
June 19: Poland vs. Senegal
June 19: Colombia vs. Japan
June 24: Japan vs. Senegal
June 24: Poland vs. Colombia
June 28: Japan vs. Poland
June 28: Senegal vs. Colombia
Group G
June 18: Belgium vs. Panama
June 18: Tunisia vs. England
June 23: Belgium vs. Tunisia
June 24: England vs. Panama
June 28: England vs. Belgium
June 28: Panama vs. Tunisia
Group F
June 17: Germany vs. Mexico
June 18: Sweden vs. South Korea
June 23: Germany vs. Sweden
June 23: South Korea vs. Mexico
June 27: South Korea vs. Germany
June 27: Mexico vs. Sweden
Group E
June 17: Costa Rica vs. Serbia
June 17: Brazil vs. Switzerland
June 22: Brazil vs. Costa Rica
June 22: Serbia vs. Switzerland
June 27: Serbia vs. Brazil
June 27: Switzerland vs. Costa Rica
Group D
June 16: Argentina vs. Iceland
June 16: Croatia vs. Nigeria
June 21: Argentina vs. Croatia
June 22: Nigeria vs. Iceland
June 26: Iceland vs. Croatia
June 26: Nigeria vs. Argentina
Group C
June 16: France vs. Australia
June 16: Peru vs. Denmark
June 21: France vs. Peru
June 21: Denmark vs. Australia
June 26: Australia vs. Peru
June 26: Denmark vs. France
Group B
June 15: Morocco vs. Iran
June 15: Portugal vs. Spain
June 20: Portugal vs. Morocco
June 20: Iran vs. Spain
June 25: Iran vs. Portugal
June 25: Spain vs. Morocco
Group A
June 14: Russia vs. Saudi Arabia
June 15: Egypt vs. Uruguay
June 19: Russia vs. Egypt
June 20: Uruguay vs. Saudi Arabia
June 25: Saudi Arabia vs. Egypt
June 25: Uruguay vs. Russia
LIST OF FINAL GROUPS
Group A: Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Uruguay
Group B: Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Iran
Group C: France, Australia, Peru, Denmark
Group D: Argentina, Iceland, Croatia, Nigeria
Group E: Brazil, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Serbia
Group F: Germany, Mexico, Sweden, South Korea
Group G: Belgium, Panama, Tunisia, England
Group H: Poland, Senegal, Colombia, Japan
Japan are drawn in Group H, alongside Poland, Senegal and Colombia.
Last out are Panama for Group G, and join Belgium, Tunisia and England.
Nigeria complete Group D, and will face Argentina, Iceland and Croatia.
South Korea are drawn in Group F, and join Germany, Mexico and Sweden.
Morocco are next out, and head to Group B alongside Spain, Portugal and Iran.
Australia and next out for Group C, and join France, Peru and Denmark.
Serbia are next out, but have to skip several groups that already have two European teams in them, and head to Group E with Brazil, Switzerland and Costa Rica.
Saudi Arabia are drawn in Group A!
So, Russia's group is clear: Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Uruguay.
Senegal are last out of Pot 3, and join Poland and Colombia in Group H.
Sweden head to Group F, joining Germany and Mexico.
Tunisia are next up and go to Group H, joining Belgium and England.
Costa Rica are next out for Group E, joining Brazil and Switzerland.
First-time finalists Iceland are next out and head to Group D, joining Argentina and Croatia. Viking handclap?
Denmark are next out, but have to skip Group B as it already has two European teams in it, meaning they head to Group C alongside France and Peru.
Iran are next out, and go to Group B – meaning head coach Carlos Queiroz gets his wish of playing homeland Portugal, as well as Spain!
Pot 3 is next up…
Egypt head to Group A, joining Russia and Uruguay.
England are drawn in Group G alongside Belgium. Match-up of plenty of Premier League stars there...
Colombia are the last team out of Pot 2 and join Poland in Group H.
Maradona continues to draw the Pot 2 teams, and places Switzerland in Group E with Brazil.
Next out are Mexico, who are drawn into Group F with Germany. The pair met at the Confed Cup in the summer, when the Germans prevailed. A repeat on the cards?
Peru are next out and head to Group C, alongside France. Will the French be happy with that?
Next out is Spain! They'll head to Group B, with Portugal! Mouth-watering clash of Iberian superpowers there.
Poland complete the teams from Pot 1 and enter Group H – first game in Moscow on June 19 for them.
Uruguay are drawn in Group A – alongside hosts Russia! They take position A4.
Current champs Germany are in Group F, and will open their campaign at Moscow’s Luzhniki on June 17.
Belgium are drawn in Group G, and the first game will be in sunny Sochi on June 18 for them.
Brazil – five-time champs – are placed in Group E. That means a clash in Rostov-on-Don is first up for them on June 17.
Two-time winners Argentina head into Group D, meaning their group opener will be at Moscow’s Spartak Stadium on June 16.
France go into Group C – they’ll begin their campaign in Kazan on June 16.
Russia have been drawn into Group A (as pre-determined).
Portugal have been drawn in Group B – they’ll play their first game in Sochi.
Gary Lineker and Maria Komandnaya are going through the draw procedure – just a reminder that the 32 teams have been divided into four pots, and will be drawn into eight groups, A-H. Russia as hosts will automatically go into Group A.
Those pots again:
Pot 1: Russia, Germany, Brazil, Portugal, Argentina, Belgium, Poland, France
Pot 2: Spain, Peru, Switzerland, England, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay, Croatia
Pot 3: Denmark, Iceland, Costa Rica, Sweden, Tunisia, Egypt, Senegal, Iran
Pot 4: Serbia, Nigeria, Australia, Japan, Morocco, Panama, Korea Republic, Saudi Arabia
RT's very own Maria Komandnaya has taken to the stage with fellow co-host Gary Lineker, the former England striker who was top scorer in 1986.
The eight draw assistants are being introduced…
England goalkeeping great Gordon Banks is first up, followed by Soviet legend Nikita Simonyan.
Next up is 2010 Golden Boot winner from Uruguay, Diego Forlan.
The man after him hardly needs introduction – Argentine legend Diego Maradona.
Next up is French 1998 winner Laurent Blanc, who’s followed by Brazil hero – and two-time winner – Cafu.
Next is Carles Puyol, winner with Spain in 2010, followed by fellow defender Fabio Cannavaro – winner with Italy in 2006.
The audience is now being treated to a performance of a traditional Russian dance, accompanied by some good old-fashioned folk music.
FIFA chief Gianni Infantino has finished delivering his opening remarks, and the pre-draw ceremony is underway, starting with some footage of different Russian regions, before singer Alsu belts out a pop tune (in Russian, so not sure the assembled audience will understand much of that).
Vladimir Putin has taken to the stage at the State Kremlin Palace, along with FIFA chief Gianni Infantino.
He's making some opening remarks ahead of the draw.
Bulgarian football legend Hristo Stoichkov told RT that he sees Germany, Spain, Croatia and Mexico as the favorites of the 2018 World Cup.
The former Barcelona striker also talked about “bigger teams” like Bulgaria, Italy, Holland, Romania and Chile missing out on the event in Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will be in attendance tonight, and was a key backer in the Russian bid to bring the World Cup to the country for the first time.
If you want to know more about what Russians think about hosting the tournament, check out our feature article here (it’s a lengthy read, but worth it if you have time to kill before the business end of the ceremony).
Just 10 minutes until the draw ceremony kicks off. Here’s a reminder of the pots the teams have been divided into. Who do you want your team to be playing? Let us know!
Pot 1: Russia, Germany, Brazil, Portugal, Argentina, Belgium, Poland, France
Pot 2: Spain, Peru, Switzerland, England, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay, Croatia
Pot 3: Denmark, Iceland, Costa Rica, Sweden, Tunisia, Egypt, Senegal, Iran
Pot 4: Serbia, Nigeria, Australia, Japan, Morocco, Panama, Korea Republic, Saudi Arabia
World Cup stat attack
Ahead of the draw, here are some World Cup stats to whet your appetites…
The first World Cup was held in 1930 in Uruguay, since then there have been 20 editions of the tournament.
Hosts Uruguay won the first ever event in 1930.
Eight nations in total have won the title:
Brazil - 5 times (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002)
Germany – 4 times, including as West Germany (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014)
Italy – 4 times (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006)
Uruguay – Twice (1930, 1950)
Argentina – Twice (1978, 1986)
England – Once (1966)
France – Once (1998)
Spain – Once (2010)
Only Brazil have participated at all 20 World Cup tournaments, although Germany and Italy have appeared at 18.
The top scorer at tournament finals is Germany’s Miroslav Klose, who netted 16 times at the Finals, followed by Brazil’s Ronaldo on 15 and German great Gerd Muller on 14.
Germany’s Lothar Matthaus has played the most games at finals – 25.
Brazil’s Cafu and Pele have appeared in the most finals – three – with both players victorious on two occasions.
Iran have never gone beyond the group stage at the World Cup, but are hoping to change that at Russia 2018, head coach Carlos Queiroz told RT.
“We’re going to try to be here not only to learn. We’re going to try our best – with the right motivation – to reach the second stage of the competition… This is our dream,” he said.
Iran will be in Pot 4 for the draw, with Portuguese national Queiroz saying that he’d like to be drawn in the same group as his home country.
Maradona has arrived. Lionel Messi will be trying to emulate the 1986 winner this year in Russia, after missing out in Brazil – but who’s the better player?
The main draw will be hosted by England legend Gary Lineker and Russian sports journalist Maria Komandnaya, who is a familiar face at RT.
Lineker claimed the Golden Boot as the tournament’s top scorer in Mexico in 1986, bagging six goals in five games.
The pair will be assisted by eight legends of the game: Brazilian Cafu, who shares the most final apps (three) with Pele, and won the tournament in 1994 and 2002.
Argentina legend Maradona, who made two World Cup finals, winning in 1986 and famously producing the ‘Hand of God’ against England before scoring one of the best solo goals in World Cup history in the same game.
Italy’s Fabio Cannavaro – the only defender ever to win Ballon d’Or, and World Cup winner in 2006 with Italy.
Uruguay's Diego Forlan, who won the Golden Ball at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Nikita Simonyan, a Soviet football legend and former teammate of one of the greatest ‘keepers of all time, Lev Yashin.
Laurent Blanc, whose French team won their home 1998 World Cup, although Blanc missed the final due to suspension.
Carles Puyol, the most recent winner of World Cup among the draw assistants, captaining Spain to the title in 2010.
England’s Gordon Banks, member of the victorious 1966 team, and who produced one of the greates saves in history against Pele in Mexico 1970.
FIFA ambassador Victoria Lopyreva has arrived and is looking as glamorous as ever.
Today’s World Cup draw will be the 21st – here are some notable ones from down the years.
The first ever draw took place in 1930 in Montevideo, Uruguay, took place only when all the teams had arrived, three days before beginning of the tournament.
The first-ever televised draw came ahead of the 1966 World Cup in England.
There was something of shambles in the 1982 draw in Madrid, when teams were put into the wrong group, forcing a redraw.
The draw for Italia ‘90 was memorable for more positive reasons, with opera star Pavarotti performing at the Rome ceremony.
Iceland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson has arrived and has already had a chat with RT’s Stan Collymore.
With a population of just 330,000, the nation became the smallest ever to qualify for a World Cup when they topped their qualifying group ahead of Croatia.
They won hearts around the world with their Euro 2016 campaign - will they repeat their heroics in Russia?
So, how will the Final Draw work exactly?
It’s a pretty complex process, but in a nutshell, the 32 qualified teams have been divided into four pots of eight teams each.
The top-ranked FIFA teams who have qualified are in Pot 1, along with hosts Russia, who go into that pot automatically.
The remaining three pots are also populated by teams depending on their FIFA rankings (so the eight next highest-ranked teams are in Pot 2, then the following eight in Pot 3, and the lowest-ranked teams are in Pot 4.
The teams will be drawn into eight groups, labeled A-H.
Russia, as hosts, automatically go into Group A, and receive the first position in that group (A1).
The rest of the teams in Pot 1 are then allocated a group (the second team drawn goes into Group B, the third into Group C, and so on).
All the teams from Pot 1 are given the top positions in the groups (A1-H1).
After Pot 1 is emptied, the Pot 2 teams are allocated a group, again alphabetically (so first drawn goes into Group A, second into Group B, etc). Crucially, they are also given a position within the group (eg A3, B2, etc). The same goes for Pots 3 and 4.
Notably, no teams from the same FIFA Confederation can be drawn in the same group, with the exception of Europe, which has 14 qualifying teams and can have up to two teams in any one group.
There are some other specifics that are fully explained in our ‘Ultimate Draw Guide’ here.
The coaches are arriving thick and fast at the State Kremlin Palace!
If you want to know more about the 32 teams that have qualified for Russia 2018, you can find out all the details in our round-up here. There are some interesting stats in there on first-time qualifiers, record-breaking goalscorers, and big upsets (sorry, Italy…)
German coach Joachim Loew has arrived, although the boss of the current champions look best pleased. Must be the Moscow weather.
Continuing the big names theme, Uruguay’s Diego Forlan, winner of the Golden Ball in 2010 in South Africa, has arrived…
Some big names are in town for the draw, including the eight draw assistants, four of whom are pictured here. From left: Brazil’s Cafu, France’s Laurent Blanc, Italy’s Fabio Cannavaro, and Spain’s Carles Puyol.
All former World Cup winners. Not a bad defensive line-up, eh?
RT’s Danny Armstrong has also bumped into former England ‘keeper David Seaman. Better not to mention that 40-yard Ronaldinho lob in 2002…
Traffic in Moscow is congested at the best of times, although it seems super-gridlocked at the moment, with the screenshot below showing major jams (in red) in the center of the city. Let’s hope none of the dignitaries get held up for the 6 o’clock kick off for the draw.
Today’s World Cup Final Draw is being held at the State Kremlin Palace in the heart of Moscow.
Built under Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, it opened in 1961 and architect Mikhail Posokhin was awarded the Lenin Prize for the building. Formerly known as the Kremlin Palace of Congresses, it held party conferences until 1991. It holds 6,000 people and has well over 800 rooms. Stars such as Mariah Carey, Tina Turner and Cher have performed there down the years.
RT Sport’s Danny Armstrong is at the venue now, and you can follow updates from him here:
If you want to know more about the prestigious venue, click here.
To set the scene, it’s a chilly 2C (35F) in Moscow at the moment and is typically overcast, with rain and sleet falling for most of the day. Not pleasant. Still, come next summer it will be markedly better for the teams and fans descending on Russia.
The wait is almost over for the 32 teams that have qualified for Russia 2018, and soon we’ll find out who will be playing each other at the World Cup in Russia next summer.
Before the star-studded Final Draw ceremony begins, we’ll fill you in on all you need to know about the draw, which will be attended by some of the biggest names in world football, as well as numerous dignitaries.
Check our FIFA World Cup 2018 Final Draw ultimate guide
Welcome to RT’s live updates for the FIFA 2018 World Cup Russia Final Draw from Moscow. The draw begins at 6pm local time (15:00 GMT), but we’ll be bringing you all the build-up ahead of the star-studded ceremony at the State Kremlin Palace.