10 Things We Learned From World Cup 2018
8. Russia Isn't So Scary After All
Much of the buildup to this World Cup was focused on the host nation, with many fans fearful of Russia's reputation. The country was cast in a dark light by many media outlets, with a big focus on the potential for fan violence and racism.
In fairness, Russia doesn't have the best record and some of the country's hooligans made a lot of problems back at Euro 2016, but this World Cup went much more smoothly than many of the doomsayers had been predicting.
Fans from many different countries repeatedly spoke out about how welcome they had been made to feel, with many leaving Russia with a much more positive opinion of the country than when they arrived. The World Cup is all about people coming together, exchanging cultures and ideas, and sharing their love and passion for the world's most popular sport, so it's great to see that the tournament passed by without any big nasty incidents.