Klose to bring FIFA World Cup trophy onto final draw stage

Excitement ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup is continuing to build, with matches over the next two weeks set to decide the remaining nine teams, who will join hosts Russia and the 22 that have already qualified.

At the same time, the final draw for the 2018 FIFA World Cup is also starting to take shape. Yesterday, the top goal scorer in the history of the tournament, Miroslav Klose, confirmed that he would take part in the draw show scheduled to take place in Moscow on December 1.

The former Germany striker has been invited to bring the FIFA World Cup Trophy on to the stage at the State Kremlin Palace.

“For very obvious reasons, the World Cup holds very special memories for me,” says Klose, who played in four editions of the tournament between 2002 and 2014 and scored 16 goals – more than any other player in the history of the game.

“I feel very honoured to somehow still be a part of the World Cup, even after my retirement, and particularly to present to Russia and to the world this trophy that we fought so hard to win in Brazil in 2014.”

After carrying the FIFA World Cup trophy on to the stage, Klose will have very good reason to follow the results of the draw closely: the 39-year-old has been a member of the German national team’s coaching staff since announcing his retirement in November 2016.

“The draw is one of those moments when you know that, for a few minutes, the eyes of the whole football world are on the same place. The expectation it creates is simply incredible. I was in Russia for the Confederations Cup earlier this year and I have no doubt that the country will deliver another beautiful event as it prepares to host the World Cup in 2018,” he says.

The Final Draw for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia will split the 32 qualified teams into eight groups according to procedures approved in September.

The allocation of teams to the four pots will be based on the October 2017 edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking. Among the eight draw assistants will be Russian football legend, Nikita Simonyan, with the other seven names to be announced in the weeks to come.