Between 1974 and 2002, the defending champions were always involved in the opening match. However, from 2006 to 2018, the previous winners no longer qualified automatically and so it was decided that the host nation should be involved in the opening match.
Russia thrashed Saudi Arabia 5-0 at the last World Cup back in 2018, extending the unbeaten run of tournament hosts when playing on their home soil in the first fixture. The last time the…
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