The World Cup schedule is advantageous for the Tartan Army traveling to the United States, but less so for fans in Scotland, as England benefits from more favorable kickoff times to watch from home.
FIFA extended the World Cup draw in Washington, revealing the exact schedule for teams and allowing fans to plan their trips for the first World Cup across three countries.
Scotland and England will play in Canada or Mexico depending on their progress in the tournament. FIFA decided that the entire group stages in June should be played in the United States after a night of deliberation on venue options and kickoff times.
Scotland’s group stage is on the east coast of the US, with matches in Boston at a 60,000-plus capacity stadium used by the NFL’s New England Patriots. The kickoff times vary, with the opener against Haiti at 9pm (2am in Scotland) and the second game against Morocco at 6pm (11pm in Scotland).
England’s matches will be finished for viewers at home by midnight. The potential for extreme summer heat will be avoided in Dallas for the opener against Croatia due to the climate-controlled Cowboys stadium.
The World Cup has expanded to 48 teams, requiring 104 matches, with 64 matches just for the group stage. Fans are encouraged to start saving up cash and secure fixed-priced tickets.
In FIFA world, Saturday was fully focused on football with Donald Trump absent from the draw ceremony. Additional reporting by Tyrone Francis.
SOURCE