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The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, an international football tournament contested by the men's national teams of the member associations of FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018. It was the first World Cup to be held in Eastern Europe, and the 11th time that it had been held in Europe. At an estimated cost of over $14.2 billion, it was the most expensive World Cup ever.The 2018 World Cup was the most widely viewed sporting event in the world, with over 3.5 billion people tuning in, a record breaking figure. It was also one of the most thrilling and action-packed tournaments with lesser known teams from Africa and Asia making a name for themselves in the footballing world and convincing upsets.The 2018 World Cup was contested by 32 teams: 31 teams (qualifying through a qualification process) and hosts Russia who qualified automatically. Of those teams, 20 had appeared in at least one previous World Cup, while 12 teams, including Panama making their first appearance in a World Cup tournament. In total, 64 matches were played in 12 venues located in 11 cities.The World Cup was split into two stages. The first round was comprised of 8 groups (A to H) of 4 teams each, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the “knockout stage”. During the final stage, or “knockout round”, 16 teams competed in a single-elimination tournament. France ultimately won the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final against Croatia 4-2, winning a spot in the annals of football history.Headlining the World Cup were some of the greatest players of this era such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Gareth Bale as well as some fantastic breakthrough performances from the likes of Kylian Mbappe who ultimately became the youngest player in the tournament to score a goal. Overall, the tournament featured some dynamic and passionate football from promising up-and-coming players as well as longterm footballing icons.The 2018 FIFA World Cup was one of the most popular and exciting tournaments to date, setting records in terms of viewership, prize money distributed and technical innovations. With some of the most fierce competition on display, the tournament offered something for every football fan around the world.