FIFA Confirms Moscow Venue of World Cup Opening, Final Match

By Reuters

July 24, 2015

People stand inside the Luzhniki stadium under reconstruction in Moscow, Russia. Maxim Shemetov / Reuters

ST. PETERSBURG — Moscow's Luzhniki stadium will host both the opening match and final of the 2018 World Cup after the match schedule was confirmed by FIFA on Friday.

Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Sochi, Samara will be the quarter-final venues while St. Petersburg and Moscow will stage the semi-finals.

Russia, allocated as team A1, will play in the opening match on June 14. The final will be held on July 15.

The 2017 Confederations Cup, an eight-team tournament featuring the champions of each continent plus the hosts and world champions, will be held from June 17 to July 2, FIFA said.?

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