There will be 32 teams fighting for this trophy in 2018. (Getty)
One year from now the 2018 World Cup will be upon us. Russia will serve as the host country as the World Cup stretches from June 14, 2018 to the final on July 15, 2018.
Teams are reaching the final stages of qualifying to determine what teams will be heading to Russia. The draw will take place on December 1 to determine the eight groups of four. Russia automatically qualifies given its host country status.
According to FIFA, ten cities have been confirmed to host matches. The following cities will host World Cup games: Saint Petersburg, Ekaterinburg, Saransk, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Moscow, Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Rostov-On-Don and Sochi.
Russia will get a bit of a test run this year during the Confederations Cup. The tournament gets started on June 17 with the final taking place on July 2.
Russia and seven other teams will compete in the World Cup tune-up. Germany, Portugal, Mexico, Chile, Cameroon, Australia and New Zealand square off in this year’s tournament. St. Petersburg, Moscow, Sochi and Kazan are the four cities that will host matches.
The United States missed out on the Confederations Cup, but are in prime position to make it to the World Cup. They are part of the final six CONCACAF teams, and the top three teams punch a ticket to the World Cup. The United States were in third place heading into their match with Mexico.
Fans wishing to attend the World Cup should be prepared to pay a premium price for tickets. According to CNN, 2018 will mark the first time tickets have crossed the $1,000 threshold. The most expensive ticket for the final is $1,100 up from the 2014 price of $990. Fans just wishing to go to a match can find a ticket to some of the group stage matches for as low as $105.