BC-SOC--WCup Coverage Advisory
EDITORS:
The World Cup runs from June 14-July 15 in Russia. Here are highlights of Associated Press coverage leading up to the tournament. This advisory will be updated weekly with details of features sent and new items to come on the issues affecting teams and the tournament. Stories will usually be accompanied by photos.
Before the World Cup, news and features will be provided from training camps and warm-up matches across the world.
At the World Cup, the AP will cover every aspect:
- news and features from the training camps ahead of the tournament.
- full text and photo coverage of every game in Russia.
- The Latest, featuring quick updates from games, training camps, organizers and supporters.
- mobile-friendly items with visuals, ideal for sharing on social media.
- Live updates on Twitter and Facebook .
All World Cup-related stories will be slugged BC-SOC--WCup-XXXX
TEAM GUIDES
Separate mobile-friendly guides to each of the 32 World Cup finalists by AP writers worldwide already sent:
April 24 - GROUP A: Russia , Saudi Arabia , Egypt , Uruguay .
April 25 - GROUP B: Iran , Morocco , Portugal , Spain .
April 26 - GROUP C: Australia , Denmark , France , Peru .
April 27 - GROUP D: Argentina , Croatia , Iceland , Nigeria .
April 28 - GROUP E: Brazil , Costa Rica , Switzerland , Serbia .
April 29 - GROUP F: Germany , South Korea , Mexico , Sweden .
April 30 - GROUP G: Belgium , England , Tunisia , Panama .
May 1 - GROUP H: Colombia , Japan , Poland , Senegal .
HOST CITY GUIDES
Everything to know about the host cities, from the history to useful information for visiting fans by James Ellingworth. Already sent:
May 2 - Kaliningrad .
May 3 - Kazan .
May 4 - Yekaterinburg .
May 5 - Nizhny Novgorod .
May 6 - Rostov on Don .
May 7 - St. Petersburg .
May 8 - Samara .
May 9 - Volgograd .
May 10 -Sochi .
May 11- Saransk .
May 12- Moscow .
SPOTLIGHT ON RUSSIA
May 3 - RACISM : Russia is struggling to tackle soccer racism before it hosts the World Cup. Nigeria player Bryan Idowu, who was born and raised in St. Petersburg, says he has faced racism on the streets and on the field in Russia, but that the situation is slowly changing for the better. By James Ellingworth. SENT: 990 words.
May 18 - WHITE ELEPHANTS : Several of Russia's 12 World Cup stadiums look set to be largely empty after the tournament. It's a problem for Russia, which is spending almost $11 billion on the World Cup, and for FIFA. Fans and officials predict more government money will be needed to maintain several stadiums set to host mostly unglamorous lower-league games. By James Ellingworth: SENT: 1,000 words.
May 21 - DOPING : Russia is trying to wipe its sports reputation clean by hosting the World Cup after years of doping scandals. In the host city of Saransk, a training center notorious for doping abuses and tainted medals will now be the home of Panama's soccer team. Many locals still see doped athletes as heroes. By James Ellingworth. SENT: 860 words.
May 23 - RUSSIA'S NEXT GENERATION : A large white banner hangs above a stand covered in peeled paint flakes and discarded sunflower seeds: "The Best Start Here." The Start Stadium in may not look like much, but it's the jumping-off point for many young Russians' dreams of soccer stardom. By James Ellingworth: SENT: 840 words.
May 28 - HOOLIGANISM : Russian hooligans are notorious for their attacks on English fans at the 2016 European Championship, but ahead of the World Cup they're facing a crackdown from the authorities. By James Ellingworth. SENT: 1,200 words.
June 2 - ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: Will the tournament live up to its green credentials? By James Ellingworth.
June 3 - PUTIN'S TOURNAMENT: What the World Cup means to Putin and how significant the event will be to the country. By James Ellingworth.
June 6 - FOOD: The variety of culinary delights fans can experience throughout the tournament.
GENERAL FEATURES
May 4 - PERU-SOLANO : In the 36 years since Peru last played at the World Cup so much has changed in football. Peru assistant coach Nolberto Solano says there are no more secrets but he's trying to unearth them on Group C opponents Australia, Denmark and France. Former Newcastle midfielder Solana has been helped by Rafa Benitez who now manages the English Premier League club. By Rob Harris. SENT: 1,000 words.
May 10 - SPAIN-LOPETEGUI'S SUCCESS : Julen Lopetegui has surpassed expectations after stepping into a tricky situation when he took as coach over the Spanish national team two years ago. He was handed the difficult task of replacing Vicente Del Bosque and revamping the aging squad. But he has made Spain a top contender again heading into the World Cup in Russia by giving the team a fresh identity and successfully mixing talented youngsters and fading veterans. By Tales Azzoni. SENT: 740 words.
May 15 - UNUSED SPARES : Because teams can only field 11 players at one time, there will be squad members at the World Cup who don't get to play at all. Dealing with their frustrations, keeping them motivated and making sure they don't sap team morale will be among the challenges for coaches in Russia. Players who went to the last World Cup in Brazil but didn't play tell The Associated Press there are myriad ways for unused substitutes to still be useful for their teams and that those who sulk won't be tolerated. By John Leicester. SENT: 1,000
May 16 - EMERGING TALENT : Colombia forward James Rodriguez became one of the stars of the tournament at the last World Cup with his trickery and eye for a spectacular goal. Expect others to step up at this year's tournament in Russia. Among the possible standouts are France left back Benjamin Mendy, Spain midfielder Marco Asensio, Belgium winger Leroy sane and Brazil striker Gabriel Jesus. By Jerome Pugmire. SENT: 830 words.
May 18 - MESSI AND RONALDO : Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi go into their fourth World Cup as changed men each seeking to win the game's most coveted prize for the first time. Both of soccer's biggest stars have turned 30 and added to their families since the 2014 tournament. But the pair of doting dads still show an undimmed will to win and a hunger for goals. By Graham Dunbar. SENT: 860 words.
May 20 - POGBA EFFECT : Not all the money that will change hands after the World Cup, when clubs trade players who distinguish themselves on football's biggest stage, will line the pockets of selling clubs, agents and the players themselves. A sliver of the wealth will also trickle down to football's grassroots, to unpretentious, volunteer-run clubs where kids take first steps toward their dreams of making a career in the sport. By John Leicester. SENT: 950 words.
May 22 - EGYPT-SALAH PHENOMENON : In Mohamed Salah's Nile delta village of Nagrig in Egypt, residents boast of how the Liverpool winger has poured millions of pounds into the village, with the beneficiaries' list including a school, a mosque, a youth center and a dialysis machine at a nearby hospital. His success as a footballer in Europe's most attractive league has inspired many parents in Nagrig to send their children to soccer academies in the hope that maybe one day they can emulate his success. By Hamza Hendawi. SENT: 1,000 words.
May 24 - SPAIN-FADED GLORY : The elegance and precise passes of Andres Iniesta. The personality and stout defense of Sergio Ramos. It will all be on display again at the World Cup. But mostly likely for the last time. The remaining members of Spain's golden generation are set to make one final appearance at soccer's showcase event in Russia. By Tales Azzoni: SENT: 650
May 25 - SPAIN'S FUTURE : A talented group of youngsters have been put in charge of the difficult task of replacing some of the best players to ever wear Spain's jersey. By Tales Azzoni. SENT: 670 words.
May 24 - TOP SURGEON : Sakari Orava is among the very few Finnish citizens to own a Champions League's gold medal. He didn't win it on the field but on the operating table of his medical practice in Turku. Top players including David Beckham have made the trip to Finland to go under the skilled knife of the world renowned surgeon. By Samuel Petrequin. SENT: 645 words.
May 28 - ARGENTINA-WHERE'S MESSI?: Why does Rosario, a city that lives and breathes soccer, seem to have an ambivalent relationship with Lionel Messi? By Luis Andres Henao. SENT: 2280 words.
May 30 - PORTUGAL'S TIME : Portugal finally broke through with its first major title at the European Championship two years ago. Now it will use the same formula at the World Cup. The European champions will travel to Russia with Cristiano Ronaldo and many of the other players from the squad that won Euro 2016. It will also carry the same low-key mentality it had when it succeeded in France. By Tales Azzoni. SENT: 640 words.
May 31 - BRAZIL'S RECOVERY: Have the five-time world champions shaken off the trauma of losing 7-1 to Germany in the 2014 semifinals on home soil? By Mauricio Savarese.
June 3 - UNBEATABLE GERMANY: Germany coach Joachim Loew is relying on tried and tested methods to help steer the side to a successful World Cup title defense. But results since qualifying have not been encouraging and many of his players' club seasons ended in disappointment. Loew first needs to pick up his players before preparing them for the tournament in Russia. By Ciaran Fahey.
Why the world champions will be hard to dethrone. By Ciaran Fahey.
June 4 - ARGENTINE COACHES: Argentina produced the outstandingly skillful Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi but the country is a talent factory for coaches as well as players. By Debora Rey.
June 5 - MISSING IN ACTION: 736 players will be in Russia but how do the stars cope with missing the tournament when their teams fail to qualify? By Andrew Dampf.
June 11 - TACTICS: The variety of formations and tactics expected in Russia. By Steve Douglas.
FIFA ISSUES
May 29 - TECHNOLOGY: What's new at the World Cup. By Rob Harris.
May 30- REFEREES: They're the usual suspects and Russia isn't shaping up to be very different. Video replays could make life even more complicated for the men in black. By Simon Haydon.
May 31 - VAR: The build-up to the first World Cup with video assistant referees has been blighted by teething problems with the technology. Will it prove to have been introduced too early in Russia? By John Leicester.
June 3 - MONEY GAME: The finances involved in the tournament. By Graham Dunbar.
June 7 - RUSSIA-VOTE REVISITED: How Russia won the right to stage the World Cup and the investigations that followed. By Graham Dunbar.
June 8 - 2026 BIDDING: Guide to the North American and Moroccan bids ahead of the June 13 vote. By Graham Dunbar and Rob Harris.
June 9 - 2014-BRAZIL LEGACY: Looking at the impact on Brazil on the last tournament. By Mauricio Savarese.
June 10 - INFANTINO: For the first time the World Cup will be presented by Gianni Infantino. Has FIFA changed during Infantino's two years as Sepp Blatter's successor? By Graham Dunbar and Rob Harris.
WORLD CUP MOMENTS
May 14-June 14: Every day in the month before the tournament begins, the AP picks out a moment from World Cup history in photo and words. By Pan Pylas.
May 14: The Beginning
May 15: Suarez Bite
May 16: Italy's Blackshirts
May 17: US vs Iran
May 18: Brazil's Finest
May 19: Technology
May 20: France Triumphs
May 21: Miracle of Bern
May 22: Escobar Murder
May 23: Total Football
May 24: Disgrace of Gijon
May 25: Gazza's Tears
May 28: Golden Goal
May 29: Spain Reigns
May 30: Battle-of-Santiago
KEY DATES
June 4 - FIFA deadline for final 23-man squads.
June 14 - Opening game between Russia and Saudi Arabia.
If you have questions about AP World Cup coverage, please email shaydon@ap.org or call +44 207 427 4229
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