2018 FIFA World Cup (Eastern Manifest Destiny)

The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the tournament for the association football world championship, which took place in California from 14 June to 15 July 2018.

It was the first FIFA World Cup to take place in North America, and the second time hosted by a majority Asian country. It was also the first time the video assistant referee (VAR) system was used in a World Cup. Goal-line technology from 2010 was also used.

The final involved 48 teams, of which 47 teams came through qualifiying, while host nation qualified automatically. It was the first World Cup to involve 48 teams since the approval for expansion in 2009. Of the 48 teams, 15 returned from the last edition of the World Cup.