By Paul Nicholson
December 10 – Russia’s Federal Agency of Tourism is estimating there will be 30-40% more tourists visiting Russia during the 2018 World Cup, than there were during the Sochi Olympic games. During the whole period of the Sochi games, 2 million people visited the city.
By David Owen in Monte Carlo
December 9 – FIFA President Joseph Blatter appears to have left open the possibility that the 2022 World Cup may – after all – be played in January and February, in a prospect that will horrify winter sports federations.
December 8 – After much on/off deliberation, the site for the new stadium in Kaliningrad for the Russia 2018 World Cup will be on the Oktrabrskij Island, rather than on the site of the existing stadium.
December 8 – FIFA says it has “no indications” that football is implicated in the alleged systematic doping culture in Russian sport.
By Paul Nicholson
December 3 – Questionmarks over whether the 2018 World Cup hosting would make it to Kaliningrad have been dispelled by Russia’s sports minister Vitaly Mutko who said that matches won’t be transferred to another city from Kaliningrad.
December 3 – With precision timing exactly four years after they won the vote to stage the 2022 World Cup, Qatar organisers have unveiled designs for their fourth planned venue, the 40,000-seat Qatar Foundation Stadium.
By Paul Nicholson
November 28 – More details of infrastructure build and budgeted spends are emerging for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The Samara region is planning to spend more than RUB 77 billion (£1.1billion) in its preparations. While it has been announced that training bases will be set up in 20 Russian cities for national teams – World Cup matches will be played in 11 cities,
November 25 – As they await further developments in the ongoing saga over the investigation into the World Cup bidding process, 2022 hosts Qatar are pressing ahead with developing their infrastructure. Organisers have now unveiled the design for the renovation of the Khalifa International Stadium, the third venue formally proposed for the finals in the Gulf state.
November 23 – The 2017 Confederations Cup, the warm-up and main test event for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, will be played in Moscow, St Petersburg, Sochi and Kazan, said Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 21 – The whistleblower who worked on Qatar’s 2022 World Cup bid campaign says there is no doubt that Mohamed Bin Hammam – banned for life from football two years ago – was part of the team despite 2022 officials repeatedly denying he played any role.
November 20 – Russia’s sports minister Vitaly Mutko has said that the construction contract to build the 17 billion ruble ($365 million) stadium in Nizhniy Novgorod will be signed on November 25-26 with 50% of the payment being upfront.
By Paul Nicholson
November 18 – Russia’s first deputy prime minister Igor Shuvalov has said that the construction spend on stadia for the 2018 World Cup will remain fixed at 300 billion roubles ($6.4 billion) – the same figure that was set in 2010. Shuvalov made his remarks on a visit to Moscow’s recently complete Okritie-Arena, one of two venues in the capital that will host matches in 2018.
By Paul Nicholson
November 14 – Ray Whelan, the British director of FIFA’s World Cup marketing affiliate Match who was arrested at the World Cup in July, has in the last few days returned to the UK. Whelan was bailed in August from Brazil’s notorious Bangu prison but has only just received his passport.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 13 – Qatar is failing to make fast enough progress in dealing with the ill-treatment of migrant workers, Amnesty International has warned in a fresh report. Six months after the 2022 World Cup hosts laid down plans for major reforms, Amnesty says few concrete steps have been taken.
By Pail Nicholson
November 12 – As part of its 2018 World Cup planning the Russian emergencies ministry is setting up special task groups in FIFA World Cup host cities.