FIFA WORLD CUP TROPHY TOUR BY COCA-COLA #Russia2018

WHAT IS THE FIFA WORLD CUP TROPHY TOUR BY COCA-COLA AND WHERE IS IT GOING?

by Goal 

Over the next few months the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola will visit no less than 91 cities across 51 countries and six continents

It’s the trophy we all want more than any other.

The entire world wants to witness their country claim it for themselves. And every player in the history of the game has spent countless night dreaming of one day rising it above their heads.

But the truth is, few of us will ever even get to see it, let alone win it or lift it triumphantly.

At least that was the case before Coca-Cola took on the momentous task of bringing it to the world.

Coca-Cola WC Trophy Tour 7

The trophy has now begun its globetrot in earnest, with Monday’s official opening ceremony seeing former winners provide it a fitting goodbye.

England 1966 hero Sir Geoff Hurst and Italy 2006 star Andrea Pirlo joined Goal in London to climb aboard the plane before it departed on its epic journey.

WHAT IS THE FIFA WORLD CUP TROPHY TOUR BY COCA-COLA?

The FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola is a global journey that will deliver the most coveted trophy in all of sports to every corner of the globe, before returning to Russia in June for World Cup 2018.

“The Trophy Tour will give fans everywhere a taste of the excitement that’s to come, not to mention a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the Trophy for themselves,"said Ricardo Fort, Vice President of Global Sports Partnerships at The Coca-Cola Company.

HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN GOING ON?

2018 is the fourth time long-standing World Cup sponsor Coca-Cola have joined forces with FIFA to take the trophy to fans across the world. 

This year it will attend a number of nations for the first time, including Iceland and Mongolia, and looks set to be bigger and better than ever.

“Following the success of the first phase of the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour, which gave more than 220,000 people across Russia the chance to see the FIFA World Cup Trophy with their own eyes, we are very excited to now offer this unforgettable opportunity to football fans around the world," said Phillipe Le Floc’h, Chief Commercial Officer at FIFA.

WHERE HAS IT BEEN SO FAR?

Before kicking it off the global leg of this remarkable tour, the trophy travelled all across World Cup 2018 host nation Russia.

So, it was just a small-scale domestic leg to warm up for what lies ahead? Not a chance!

The trophy travelled right across Russia over a three-month period, taking in 16 cities and racking up almost 10,000 miles.

WHERE WILL IT GO NEXT?

Where won't it go? Over the next few months the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola will visit no less than 91 cities across 51 countries and six continents before settling back in Russia for the tournament.

Next up is Colombo, Sri Lanka, and the tour will end in Vladivostok on May 1. See the full list of destinations below.

DESTINATION DATE

Colombo, Sri Lanka 23-24 January

Male, Maldives 24-25 January

Phuket, Thailand 26-27 January

Vientiane, Laos 28 January

Macau, China P.R 29 January

Nukualofa, Tonga 31 January

Honiara, Solomon Islands 1 February

Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea 1 February

Lahore, Pakistan 3 February

Almay, Kazakhstan 4 February

Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic 5 February

Dushanbe, Tajikistan 5 February

Tashkent, Uzbekistan 6 February

Ashgabat, Turkmenistan 7 February

Yerevan, Armenia 7 February

Tblisi, Georgia 8 February

Baku, Azerbaijan 9 February

Valetta, Malta 10 February

Vienna, Austria 11 February

Minsk, Belarus 13 February

Sofia, Bulgaria 14 February

Tel Aviv, Israel 15 February

Larnaca, Cyprus 16 February

Ramallah, Palestine 17-19 February

Amman, Jordan 20 February

Dubai, United Arab Emirates 21 February

Khartoum, Sudan 22-23 February

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 24-25 February

Nairobi, Kenya 26-27 February

Maputo, Mozambique 28 February

Johannesburg, South africa 1-2 March

Cape Town, South Africa 3 March

Kampala, Uganda 5-6 March

Abuja, Nigeria 7-8 March

Lagos, Nigeria 9-10 March

Dakar, Senegal 11-12 March

Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire 13-14 March

Cairo, Egypt 15-16 March

Naples, Italy 17-19 March

Paris, France 20-21 March

Cologne, Germany 22-23 March

Oslo, Norway 24 March

Torshavn, Faroe Islands 24-25 March

Reykjavik, Iceland 25 March

Tucuman, Argentina 27-28 March

Berazategui, Argentina 29 March

Buenos Aires 30-31 March

Rosario, Argentina 1-2 April

Bogota, Colombia 3-5 April

Panama City, Panama 6 April

San Jose, Costa Rica 7-8 April

Guadalajara, Mexico 9-10 April

Monterrey, Mexico 11-12 April

Mexico City, Mexico 13-15 April

New York, USA 16 April

Miami, USA 17 April

Los Angeles, USA 18-20 April

Frankfurt, Germany 22 April

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia 23 April

Beijing, China P.R 25 April

Shanghai, China P.R 26 April

Tokyo, Japan 27-28 April

Osaka, Japan 29-30 April

Vladivostok, Russia 1 May

For more information on the Trophy Tour head to the official FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour Instagram or Facebook page

Russia’s 2018 FIFA World Cup infrastructure worth $8.5 Billion

Russia’s 2018 FIFA World Cup infrastructure worth $8.5 Billion

The infrastructure, which Russia is building to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup, is worth 480 billion rubles ($8.5 billion), Local Organizing Committee Head Alexei Sorokin said at the Gaidar economic forum on Wednesday.

"The implementation of the infrastructural part is nearing completion and it is estimated at 480 billion rubles. All the facilities we are building will be useful for residents of those entities that will host World Cup matches," Sorokin said during the discussion on the 2018 FIFA World Cup’s long-term heritage.

"The overwhelming part of what we are building will serve the residents of regions. No one can reproach us that we are creating something that will not be needed," the Local Organizing Committee head stressed.

"We have reached the final straight with several months remaining," he pointed out.

"We are almost not causing the International Football Federation any worries and inconveniences and the preparations are in a stable state. We are completing the construction of the last batch of stadiums and this is the heart of the tournament," Sorokin said.

The countries that have hosted FIFA World Cups have seen a change in the investment climate, he noted.

"Russia will be no exception," he said.

"All the host countries have seen a positive effect [from FIFA World Cups] and this is what we will also experience," he said.

The Gaidar forum is an annual international scientific and practical conference on economic issues that has been held since 2010. It is organized by the Russian Presidential Academy of the National Economy and Public Administration, the Gaidar Economic Policy Institute and the Association of Innovative Regions of Russia. The TASS news agency is the Gaidar forum’s general information partner.

Source : Tass