ISRAEL TAIWO
The Original FIFA World Cup, which Nigeria’s Super Eagles and 31 other teams will be competing for at the 21st FIFA World Cup finals in Russia next summer, will arrive in Nigeria on Saturday, 3rd March 2018.
NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, said on Wednesday that confirmation has come from world football –governing body, FIFA, that Nigeria is among the countries where the iconic trophy would be visiting before next year’s major showpiece.
“We have confirmation now. The World Cup trophy will be in Nigeria on 3rd March 2018,” Sanusi said.
Nigeria became the first African country to qualify for the 32 –team finals when beating Zambia 1-0 in Uyo on 7th October, plucking the lone slot from Africa’s so –called group of death with one match to spare, but will only know their group phase opponents after the Draw Ceremony at The Kremlin in Moscow on 1st December.
The FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour is usually a chance to see the Original FIFA World Cup Trophy, and this time, fans from all over the world will have the opportunity of seeing the trophy and having their photo taken with the famous diadem from 9thSeptember 2017 to 7th June 2018.
The 21st FIFA World Cup finals will be staged across 12 venues in 11 cities in the world’s largest nation between Thursday, 14th June and Sunday, 15th July 2018.
The venues are Ekaterinburg Arena (Ekaterinburg); Kaliningrad Stadium (Kaliningrad); Kazan Arena (Kazan); Luzhniki Stadium and Spartak Stadium (both in Moscow); Nizhny Novgorod Stadium (Nizhny Novgorod); Rostov Arena (Rostov-on-Don); Saint Petersburg Stadium (Saint Petersburg); Samara Arena (Samara); Mordovia Arena (Saransk); Fisht Stadium (Sochi) and; Volgograd Arena (Volgograd).
PREVIOUS WORLD HOST NATIONS AND WINNERS
1930: Uruguay (Winner: Uruguay)
1934: Italy (Winner: Italy)
1938: France (Winner: Italy)
1950: Brazil (Winner: Uruguay)
1954: Switzerland (Winner: West Germany)
1958: Sweden (Winner: Brazil)
1962: Chile (Winner: Brazil)
1966: England (Winner: England)
1970: Mexico (Winner: Brazil)
1974: West Germany (Winner: West Germany)
1978: Argentina (Winner: Argentina)
1982: Spain (Winner: Italy)
1986: Mexico (Winner: Argentina)
1990: Italy (Winner: Germany)
1994: USA (Winner: Brazil)
1998: France (Winner: France)
2002: Korea/Japan (Winner: Brazil)
2006: Germany (Winner: Italy)
2010: South Africa (Winner: Spain)
2014: Brazil (Winner: Germany)
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