In the final, France played Croatia on 15 July at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. Host nation Russia was eliminated in the quarter-finals. Germany, the defending champions, were eliminated in the group stage for the first time since 1938. 64 matches were played in 12 venues across 11 cities. Of the 32, 20 had also appeared in the 2014 event, while Iceland and Panama each made their debut at the World Cup. The tournament phase involved 32 teams, of which 31 came through qualifying competitions, while as the host nation Russia qualified automatically. At an estimated cost of over $14.2 billion, it was the most expensive World Cup ever held until it was surpassed by the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. It was the eleventh time the championships had been held in Europe, and the first time they were held in Eastern Europe. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded the hosting rights in 2010.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA.
