Before 2018, when was the last time France won the FIFA World Cup?

Before 2018, France’s only World Cup victory was in 1998 – though they had also reached the final in 2006 – while Croatia were playing in their first World Cup final.

France won the match 4–2, having taken a 2–1 lead during the first half on an own goal and penalty awarded by the video assistant referee (VAR), both firsts in a World Cup final. France became the second team in the 32-team World Cup to win all their knockout matches in regulation time, after Brazil in 2002. The final was the highest-scoring World Cup final since 1966, and the highest-scoring 90-minute final since 1958. The match was watched by a global audience of 1.12 billion people on television and streaming platforms.

The Luzhniki Stadium, previously known as the Grand Arena of the Central Lenin Stadium until 1992, originally opened in 1956 as part of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex to host the USSR Summer Spartakiade. The stadium has served as the national stadium of the country, hosting many matches for the Russia national team and its predecessor, the Soviet Union national team. In the past, the stadium has been used as the home ground at various times for CSKA Moscow, Torpedo Moscow, and Spartak Moscow. However, there are currently no clubs based at the stadium.

The stadium has hosted numerous international sporting events. The stadium was the main venue for the 1980 Summer Olympics, hosting the opening and closing ceremonies, athletics, football (four matches, including the gold medal match), and the Individual Jumping Grand Prix. The stadium hosted the 1999 UEFA Cup Final, as well as the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final. Other events staged include the Spartakiad, the final game of the 1957 Ice Hockey World Championships, the 1973 Summer Universiade, the Friendship Games in 1984, the 1986 Goodwill Games, and the 1998 World Youth Games. In 2013, the Rugby World Cup Sevens and World Athletics Championships were held at the ground in front of sparse crowds. The stadium has also served as a venue for many concerts, including Western artists after the fall of the Soviet Union, as well as political rallies.

 

Picture Credit : Google

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