2018 World Cup begins with match between Russia, Saudi Arabia

Fans celebrate the start of the World Cup in Moscow.
(Image credit: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

The world's most widely-viewed sporting event, the men's soccer World Cup, begins Thursday in Russia, where the host country's national team will face off against Saudi Arabia at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.

Russia is the lowest-ranked team in the 2018 World Cup, Sporting News notes, having failed to win their last seven friendly matches since October, while Saudi Arabia last reached the global finals in 1994. "Never mind that it's the least appealing World Cup opener ever," writes Henry Bushnell for Yahoo Sports. "If you're a soccer fan, you watch the World Cup opener."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.