Russia vs. Saudi Arabia
Group A, Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow Host Russia takes center stage at the World Cup with the tournament lid-lifter against Saudi Arabia, and it might be the best chance of victory for either team in a group that also includes Uruguay and Egypt. (In terms of FIFA’s rankings, Saudi Arabia and Russia are the lowest-rated teams in the field.) Both nations are stocked with players from their own professional leagues, with 17 players on Saudi Arabia’s 23-man roster coming from just two club teams. Three others were loaned to teams in Spain’s La Liga, though only two saw the field and they combined for just 56 minutes of action.