MOSCOW, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Each World Cup presents its own challenges to fans, players and managers which could be a factor in deciding who will lift the trophy on July 15th.
The 2014 World Cup in Brazil had the issue of a hot and humid climate, while fears of scorching temperatures mean the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will be played in December.
However, in Russia, the main issue is not likely to be the sun, but the distance involved in traveling between matches, with some host cities located thousands of kilometers apart.
Hosts Russia will travel just over 3,000 kilometers in the group stage, with matches in Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Samara.
Spanish sports paper Diario AS calculates that the Russians will have to fly 'just' 3,038 km during the group stage, closely followed by Panama (2,998km), Tunisia (2,932km), and Argentina (2,139km). By contrast, Colombia will spend the least amount of time traveling, as they only have to cover 1,423 km to play their first three matches.
England are one of the favorites to qualify from Group G, but Gareth Southgate's men would be well-advised to compare the 6,538 km they will be flying to the relatively short distances awaiting opponents Panama and Tunisia.
But if you think the England squad is going to be spending a lot of time on airplanes, that is nothing compared to the 7,444 km Saudi Arabia will have to travel, the 7,676 km that Neymar and his Brazilian compatriots will have to fly, or the 8,874 km journey awaiting the Nigerian players.
However, the winners, or perhaps the losers in the travel stakes, depending on how you look at things, are Egypt, who will pay the price for establishing their base in Russia's south-western city of Grozny by having to travel a total of 9,126 km in the group stages, where they have matches in St Perersburg and Yekaterinburg.
And if that is a lot for players, spare a thought for the supporters, who will have to carry their own luggage with them, though at least they can console themselves with a generous portion of air miles for their troubles.
