(8 Jun 2018) LEADIN
The upcoming World Cup runs from June 14 until July 15 in Russia.
Here's a guide to the event.
STORYLINE
The World Cup was first held in 1930, and was contested by just thirteen teams.
Today that has all changed. 32 teams will take part in this year's event in Russia after a two year qualifying process.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup is spread across 12 stadiums in 11 host cities.
They range from St. Petersburg, which is so far north that the sun doesn't set on some summer days, to Sochi and its subtropical climate on the Black Sea coast.
STADIUM GUIDE:
LUZHNIKI STADIUM
City: Moscow
Capacity: 81,006
Cost: 24 billion rubles ($410 million) for rebuild
A vast bowl built in the 1950s to showcase the sporting might of the Soviet Union, Luzhniki has been transformed to host the World Cup final.
The old stands were ripped out and the athletics track from the 1980 Olympics torn up as the stadium was converted into a football-specific venue.
That increases capacity and comfort, while bringing fans closer to the action.
Luzhniki reopened on Nov. 11 when Argentina beat Russia 1-0 in a friendly. Russian fans praised the rebuild, but many were angered by lengthy delays in accessing nearby public transport. That improved for subsequent friendlies, but allow plenty of time for travel to Luzhniki and back.
A fan zone will show games on big screens near Moscow State University, on the other side of the river.
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SPARTAK STADIUM
City: Moscow
Capacity: 43,298
Cost: 14.5 billion rubles ($250 million)
Home of the 2017 Russian Premier League champion Spartak Moscow, this stadium opened in 2014 and is already well tested as a venue for Champions League and Confederations Cup games.
It is usually known as the Otkritie Arena, but FIFA rules on sponsorship mean a temporary name change for the tournament.
The towering statue of a gladiator outside is a nod to Spartak being named after the Roman slave rebel Spartacus.
It is the only World Cup stadium built without government money. Transport is relatively easy from central Moscow, though chronic traffic jams mean most fans prefer the subway.
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ST. PETERSBURG STADIUM
City: St. Petersburg
Capacity: 68,134
Cost: 43 billion rubles ($735 million)
Almost everything that could go wrong did go wrong with the St. Petersburg stadium.
Severe delays and soaring costs were just the start for a project which became notorious for employing North Korean laborers, one of whom was among at least eight people to die on the stadium and 17 across all World Cup construction sites, according to the trade union Building and Wood Workers' International.
A deputy governor of St. Petersburg has admitted his role in a 50-million-ruble ($850,000) scheme to siphon off the stadium's budget, though officials say the true picture of corruption was much larger.
The spaceship-like arena - which will host a semifinal - remains plagued by a leaking roof and a pitch which had to be replaced repeatedly.
Confederations Cup games, however, passed largely without incident and Russia says it's working to iron out any more problems.
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FISHT STADIUM
City: Sochi
Capacity: 47,700
Cost: 23.5 billion rubles ($400 million) for initial construction, 4 billion rubles ($68 million) to convert for football
While memories of the Sochi Olympics became dominated by Russia's doping scandals, one part of the legacy is still gleaming.
Nestled by the Black Sea, Fisht Stadium hosted the lavish opening and closing ceremonies for the 2014 Winter Olympics, and then Confederations Cup games.
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KAZAN ARENA
City: Kazan
Capacity: 44,779
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SAMARA ARENA
City: Samara
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