The success of the tournament is also a matter of personal pride for Vladimir Putin after the Russian strongman helped wrest the competition main rival bidder England in an ugly 2010 battle. Racism has been rampant in Russian football. Russia’s football governing body has been trying to clean up its act though and organisers say they recorded no racist episodes when they hosted the Confederations Cup — the World Cup warmup — this year. World Cup Qualifying – In Words and Numbers The draw, which is set to take place in Kremlin, will split the 32 teams into eight groups in the tournament to be held from June 14 to July 15 next year. Want to know how the #WorldCupDraw works? ???⚽️https://t.co/tSMKeQ5hAF pic.twitter.com/9VUeFy5LoO — #WorldCupDraw ? (@FIFAWorldCup) November 30, 2017 The teams which are qualified for the tournament are divided into four pots on the basis of their FIFA rankings. Everything you need to know about how the 2018 FIFA #WorldCupDraw works.#WorldCup #OptusSport pic.twitter.com/npaAg56rgg — Optus Sport (@OptusSport) November 29, 2017 Retired English footballer Gary Lineker and Russian journalist Maria Komandnaya will conduct the draw. MEET THE FINALISTS: We’ve created interactive profiles on every #WorldCup side. Study up before Friday’s…