April 4 – Russia’s chief World Cup figurehead says the subway blast in St Petersburg that killed 11 people should not be used by the country’s critics to call into question next year’s finals or the confederations cup this coming summer.
March 29 – Brazil have become the first team to qualify for next year’s World Cup after the five-times champions beat Paraguay 3-0 for their eighth successive win in the South American qualifying competition.
March 7 – A Russian politician has proposed a somewhat unorthodox solution to the country’s hooliganism problem ahead of next year’s World Cup: legalise it and turn it into a spectator sport.
March 3 – Fans will need special identity cards to attend the 2018 World Cup and this summer’s Confederation Cup in Russia in a move to combat hooliganism which reared its ugly head at Euro 2016 – with Russia in the thick of it.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 17 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino says he has no fears about fan violence at the World Cup in Russia next year despite chilling threats against English supporters made in a television documentary.
By Paul Nicholson
February 7 – Russia has increased its government spending on the 2018 World Cup by 19.1 billion rubles ($325 million) according to documents published on a government website. Total spend on the World Cup is now going to hit $10.8 billion.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 2 – With his country under global scrutiny because of the ongoing doping scandal, Alexei Sorokin, the public face of the 2018 World Cup, has come out fighting and taken a swipe at Russia’s mounting number of critics.
By Paul Nicholson
January 11 – The Institute of National Anti-Doping Organisations (iNADO) statement calling for a ban on all Russian participation and hosting of international sporting events – which would include the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and 2018 World Cup – has been described as “strange” and “beyond the scope of their activities” by Russian minister of sport Pavel Kolobkov (pictured).
By Andrew Warshaw
January 5 – Russia’s staging of the 2018 World Cup has been placed under fresh scrutiny following reports that a Moscow-based non-governmental think tank specialising in monitoring racism and extremism has been blacklisted by the authorities.
Let’s be clear: the McLaren Investigation Report, the second part of which was unveiled in London last week, poses no threat to Russia’s World Cup.
November 11 – Donald Trump’s victory in the United States presidential election has provided an “added layer” to today’s eagerly awaited World Cup qualifier between the US against Mexico, according to US captain Michael Bradley.
By Samindra Kunti
November 11 – Neymar and Phillipe Coutinho starred in Brazil’s comprehensive 3-0 win against Argentina in Belo Horizonte. The result leaves Argentina in danger of missing out on Russia 2018.
November 9 – Israel has warned fans not to attend the upcoming World Cup qualifier in Albania even though the match has been relocated to a different part of the country because of a planned Islamic State terrorist attack.
November 4 – FIFA have denied a claim by the Bolivian football federation (FBF) that sanctions imposed for fielding an ineligible player have been lifted.
November 2 – South America’s regional World Cup qualifying competition has taken a significant twist with Bolivia ordered by FIFA to forfeit two matches for fielding an ineligible player, a ruling that improves Chile’s chances but harms Argentina’s.