Many things have changed since the 2010 vote, platini is now a former UEFA President, Podolsk and Yaroslavl are no longer on the list of cities hosting the 2018 World Cup, but the excitement and anticipation are still intact, even though familiar faces such as the Netherlands, Italy and Chile are absent.
Football will say everything until the 2018 World Cup ends on July 15!
32 teams, 1 cup
4 years ago, the Brazilian team suffered a painful defeat at home, but one thing that has not changed in the World Cups is that they are still considered the most promising candidates. Brazil and the rest, that's for sure. However, it will not be easy for Neymar and his teammates if they want to win their 6th world championship title.
Because although Italy, the Netherlands and Chile cannot go to Russia, the race still has the defending German champion. And remember, Germany succeeded here a year ago in the Confederations Cup. Meanwhile, Spain has returned to being themselves, while the "golden generation" of Belgium is determined to win the gold cup while France wants a higher position than the runner-up title at EURO 2016. In short, it would be a surprise if the 2018 World Cup champions were outside the list of these 5 names.
In fact, the 2018 World Cup still has Argentina, the runner-up of the tournament 4 years ago, with Lionel Messi in the squad, or Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal after winning EURO 2016.
Waiting for surprises
A World Cup cannot be successful or complete without surprises. So where will people expect that, when the DPRK, the US, Chile... are not present?
Uruguay is led by Oscar Tabarez, the most experienced coach in the World Cup, and certainly cannot be underestimated. The 1930 and 1950 World Cup Champions lacked a quality squad like Brazil or Argentina but did not disregard them. Because with Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani up front, Uruguay will probably easily overcome a group with only Russia, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Of course, Egypt cannot be underestimated. They have just returned to the World Cup after 28 years, but their squad includes Mohamed Salah, who won individual awards in the English Premier League last season.
Denmark and Christian Eriksen are also likely to make a difference in Russia. Iran is very unpredictable and owns the top striker of the Dutch championship, Alireza Jahanbakhsh. Meanwhile, Sweden have not lost a group stage match since the 1990 World Cup and they came to Russia after a victory over the "river" Italy. And who can forget Iceland, a small team that reached the quarter-finals of EURO and participated in the World Cup for the first time?
Stars worth watching
It is worth mentioning that Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar are the brightest stars at the 2018 World Cup, but behind them is a dense list of names ready to win the Golden Ball for the best player of the tournament.
They are Antoine Griezmann (France), Salah (Egypt), Kevin De Bruyne ( Belgium), Eden hazard ( Belgium), Toni Kroos (Germany), Isco ( Spain), Robert Lewandowski (Poland), David De Gea ( Spain) or Harry Kane (England)... - who came to the World Cup with great excitement after a successful season.
Or Andres Iniesta (Spain), Luka Modric (Croatia), Sergio Ramos (Spain), Luis Suarez ( Uruguay), Edinson Cavani ( Uruguay), Guardialo Higuain (Argentina) and Marcelo (Brazil) have all entered their "fifties" but their form is still very good.
These include James Rodriguez ( Colombia), Manuel Neuer (Germany), Paul Pogba (France), Romelu Lukaku ( Belgium), Christian Eriksen ( Denmark), Sergio Aguero (Argentina) and Philippe Coutinho (Brazil) ...
Saying goodbye to another generation
The World Cup is the pinnacle of a player's career and also the place that puts an end to many stars. Therefore, Russia and the 2018 World Cup are preparing for farewells.
In the Spanish national team, Andres Iniesta - who scored the decisive goal in the 2010 final - will end his career with La Roja. It is likely that center back Gerard Pique will also follow him, similarly as captain Sergio Ramos.
And Lionel Messi (30 years old), Cristiano Ronaldo (33), Luis Suarez (31), Luka Modric (32), Mesut Ozil and Robert Lewandowski (29) could consider this their last World Cup. The final epic of the geniuses is worth waiting for.
Ironically, the 2018 World Cup is also a festival for veterans. Sergei Ignashevich returns at the age of 38, Rafa Marquez turns 39, in his 5th World Cup while Tim Cahill, his 4th World Cup with Australia at the age of 38...
Most notably, Egypt's Essam El-Hadary, at the age of 45, is likely to surpass Faryd Mondragon, 43 years old at the 2014 World Cup, to become the oldest player to play at the World Cup.
Russia is ready
It is necessary to talk about the home country's work and Stanislav Cherchesov's team preparation, although they are not highly appreciated. In fact, they showed their readiness and the best things at the Confederations Cup a year ago. Because in Kaliningrad or Moscow and many other cities, visitors are always warmly welcomed, experiencing a modern infrastructure system and above all safety!
