10 Talking Points From The First Round Of World Cup 2018 Group Games

There's no escaping the fact that Russia doesn't exactly have a reputation for being the most welcoming, progressive nation on the planet. So, when the decision was made to award the 2018 World Cup to the Eurasian nation, seeds of worry and doubt began to sprout among football fans.

Fears were enhanced during Euro 2016, when hooligans from Russia were involved in large-scale bouts of violence, notably clashing with England fans, and many people began to panic that World Cup 2018 would be marred by similar acts.

There's still a long way to go in the competition, but at least for now, we're happy to see that there have been no major incidents whatsoever of fan violence. There were also fears that we might hear some racist chants or noises in the stadiums, but there's been none of that either. The only real stain so far has been Mexico's fans using homophobic slurs in their chants.

The World Cup is supposed to be a celebration and a chance for people to come together, make new friends, share little bits of their cultures, and feel unified in their passion for the sport they love, so let's hope it carries on in such a positive way in the weeks to come.