England will be well represented at the 2018 FIFA World Cup draw, which takes place in Moscow on Friday 1 December.
Former Three Lions striker Gary Lineker, who played in the 1986 and 1990 World Cups, will conduct the draw at the State Kremlin Palace.
And he will be joined in the Russian capital by former England goalkeeper Gordon Banks, a winner in 1966, who is assisting the draw as our representative from the eight different nations to have won the World Cup.
Who has qualified?
There will be 31 nations heading to join hosts Russia next June. From Europe, qualifying group winners Belgium, England, France, Germany, Iceland, Poland, Portugal, Serbia and Spain are joined by the four successful play-off teams Croatia, Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland.
From Africa, we have Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia.
North and Central America and the Caribbean’s representatives are Costa Rica, Mexico and Panama.
South America's sides are Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Peru and Uruguay, with the Asian contingent formed from Australia, Iran, Japan, Saudi Arabia and South Korea.
How will the draw work?
Countries have been seeded according to FIFA’s latest world rankings into four separate pots, each containing eight teams in order of their ranking. England are in pot two, while Russia are included in pot one as World Cup hosts. There will be eight different four-team groups drawn out, with one team included from each pot. No nations from the same region will be drawn in the same group, with the exception of European teams with a maximum of two in any group, depending on the draw.
So, who’s in which pot?
The seedings for the draw are as follows:-
Pot One: Russia (Hosts), Germany (Holders), Brazil, Portugal, Argentina, Belgium, Poland, France.
Pot Two: Spain, Peru, Switzerland, England, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay, Croatia.
Pot Three: Denmark, Iceland (Debutants), Costa Rica, Sweden, Tunisia, Egypt, Senegal, Iran.
Pot Four: Serbia, Nigeria, Australia, Japan, Morocco, Panama (Debutants), South Korea, Saudi Arabia.
When and where?
The 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia kicks-off on Thursday 14 June and runs until Sunday 15 July when the Final will be held in Moscow, with 64 games being played in total across 12 different venues.
The dates
Group Matches: Thursday 14 - Thursday 28 June
Round of 16: Saturday 30 June - Tuesday 3 July.
Quarter finals: Friday 6 and Saturday 7 July
Semi-finals: Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 July.
Third place game: Saturday 14 July
The Final: Sunday 15 July
The venues
Ekaterinburg Arena, Ekaterinburg (Groups A, C, H, F)
Kalingrad Stadium, Kalingrad (Groups D, E, B, G)
Kazan Arena, Kazan (Groups C, B, H, F, Round of 16, Quarter final)
Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow (Groups A, F, B, C, Round of 16, Semi-final, Final)
Spartak Stadium, Moscow (Groups D, H, G, E, Round of 16)
Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod (Groups F D, G, E, Round of 16, Quarter final)
Rostov Arena, Rostov-on-Don (Groups E, A, F, D, Round of 16)
Saint Petersburg Stadium, Saint Petersburg (Groups B, A, E, D, Round of 16, Semi-final, Third Place)
Samara Arena, Samara (Groups E, C, A, H, Round of 16, Quarter final)
Mordovia Arena, Saransk (Groups C, H, B, G)
Fisht Stadium, Sochi (Groups B, G, F, C, Round of 16, Quarter final)
Volgograd Arena, Volgograd (Groups G, D, A, H)
Meet the mascot - Zabivaka!
Meaning “the one who scores” in Russian, is a very suitable name for this wolf who radiates fun, charm and confidence and is the official mascot for the 2018 World Cup.
Zabivaka will play a very important role in the tournament, not only promoting the event and entertaining crowds at the stadiums, but also becoming an ambassador for Russia.
How can I get tickets?
The first wave of ticket sales for neutral areas only has already started via FIFA, but there will be another phase opening from 5 December until 31 January, following the draw. Click here for more details.
It will be during this time that England Travel Club members can apply for tickets in the official England allocation, which will be approximately eight per cent of a respective stadium’s capacity. To apply for these tickets, you must be a 2016-18 Travel Club member. Click here for full details.
Supporters attending the World Cup in Russia must also have a FAN ID, which you can apply for after receiving your ticket confirmation. The FAN ID will be required to enter all World Cup stadiums and also provides visa-free entry to Russia for the duration of the tournament. For more information on this, please click here.
