Extratime has got you sorted for your World Cup coverage
As we have done for the last number of international tournaments, extratime.ie will bring you extensive coverage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Sadly, the Republic of Ireland won’t be there but there are lots of stories to take an interest in across the 33 day tournament.
Having dismissed Ireland in the World Cup play-off, many Ireland fans will be routing for Denmark’s opposition while there is always great interest in watching England being eliminated from a tournament on penalties. Will it be round of 16 this time around or maybe might they be dumped out at quarter-final stage?
Is a World Cup win on the horizon for superstars like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? How will tournament debutants Panama and Iceland get on? Can a foreign manager lead his team to World Cup glory for the first time ever?
We are guaranteed to have lots of stories about VAR and just how long will it take for us to begin to hate the official song of the tournament ‘Live it Up’?
Starting this week, we will have our country-by-country previews for all 32 teams competing in the tournament. From the opening match between Russia and Saudi Arabia, through all 48 group games and the sixteen knock out matches including the final, we will bring you match reports and minute-by-minute updates.
In Russia, we will have our reporter Macdara Ferris giving you a flavour of the tournament covering matches in Saint Petersburg involving a number of the tournament favourites including Brazil, Argentina and hosts Russia. Don’t worry though we are also making him go to the Morocco and Iran match too!
He will also travel to the Baltic Sea enclave of Kaliningrad to watch the final group G game between England and Belgium. Hopefully we won’t lose him to the charms of Kaliningrad region but the FIFA guide does state that “If you come here once, you are bound to return time and again to this magic land of sun, sea, amber and tiled roofs...”
2018 World Cup Quick Links
About Macdara Ferris
Macdara Ferris is a contributor since 2007 to Hoops Scene (Shamrock Rovers' match day programme) and is the co-author of two books on Shamrock Rovers - 'Tallaght Time: Shamrock Rovers 2009 to 2012' (with Karl … View Full Profile