Who does host Russia meet in the first match of the FIFA World Cup 2018?

Russia met Saudi Arabia in the first match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The host nation won 5–0 at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium on 14 June 2018.

The match opened the tournament after a ceremony featuring performances by Robbie Williams and Aida Garifullina. Russia took control quickly: Yury Gazinsky scored the opening goal in the 12th minute, followed by goals from Denis Cheryshev, Artem Dzyuba and Aleksandr Golovin.

Cheryshev scored twice, including the final goal in stoppage time. The result was Russia’s biggest-ever victory in a World Cup match and one of the largest opening-match wins in tournament history.

A common mix-up is confusing the opening ceremony with the opening match. The ceremony took place shortly before the game, while the football fixture itself was Russia versus Saudi Arabia. Russia later reached the quarter-finals, while Saudi Arabia defeated Egypt in its final group match.