With one day to go until the 2018 @FIFAWorldCup in Russia, the countdown has begun, and the conversation continues to heat up. This how-to-follow guide offers football fans everything needed to get closer to the #WorldCup action as it unfolds on Twitter.
Official World Cup emojis
Fans around the world can Tweet with hashtags in seven languages — including English, Arabic and French — to trigger special #WorldCup emojis throughout the tournament. The hashtags in English are: #WorldCup and #WorldCupFinal. As for the Arabic hashtag, it’s: 2018روسيا#
Each team will also get their own country-specific emoji as well. Use a hashtag in front of the relevant three-letter country code, and that country’s flag will appear after the text. Here are the emojis of the Arab participating teams:
| Team | Team Hashtag | Team Motto (English) | Team Motto (Arabic) |
| Saudi Arabia | #KSA | #Green_Falcons | #معاك_يالأخضر |
| Egypt | #EGY | #ThePharoahs | #الفراعنة |
| Morocco | #MAR | #DimaMaghreb | #ديما_مغرب |
| Tunisia | #TUN | – | #نسور_قرطاج |
https://twitter.com/FIFAWorldCup/status/1006131400381263872
Official World Cup hashtags
If it’s a specific match you are looking for, FIFA has put together a list of hashtags for the first three days of the Group Stage. Here are the hashtags for the matches of the Arab participating teams:
| Group Stage | ||
| Date | Match | Match Hashtag |
| June 14 | Russia vs Saudi Arabia | #RUSKSA |
| June 15 | Egypt vs Uruguay | #EGYURU |
| June 15 | Morocco vs Iran | #MARIRN |
| June 18 | Tunisia vs England | #TUNENG |
| June 19 | Russia vs Egypt | #RUSEGY |
| June 20 | Portugal vs Morocco | #PORMAR |
| June 20 | Uruguay vs Saudi Arabia | #URUKSA |
| June 23 | Belgium vs Tunisia | #BELTUN |
| June 25 | Saudi Arabia vs Egypt | #KSAEGY |
| June 25 | Spain vs Morocco | #ESPMAR |
| June 28 | Panama vs Tunisia | #PANTUN |
Arab participating teams’ accounts
Follow the accounts of the Arab participating teams from @FIFAWorldCup for quick access to all of the World Cup participants:
- Saudi Arabia @saudiNT
- Egypt @Pharaohs
- Morocco @EnMaroc
- Tunisia @FTF_OFFICIELLE
This list from @FIFAWorldCup is a handy guide to find the Twitter accounts of the players and coaches participating in this summer’s tournament.
Official World Cup accounts
Fans should follow @FIFAcom and @FIFAWorldCup, the official Twitter accounts for updates provided by the Official Site of the FIFA World Cup. Here you will find match coverage, behind-the-scenes video and photos from Russia, and access to players throughout the #WorldCup.
Fans in the Arab world can also stay close to the news and information in Arabic by following @fifaworldcup_ar and the below reporters who will be on the ground in Russia:
- Abdullah Alghazal, @FIFAWorldCupKSA
- Belal Mostafa, @FIFAWorldCupEGY
- Zineb El Houari, @FIFAWorldCupMar
- Gadri Tarik, @FIFAWorldCupTUN
Additionally, #YallaGoal – the first Twitter live sports show in the MENA region – is currently live streamed and accessible globally to logged-in and logged-out users on Twitter and connected devices. The Arabic show, produced by Goal, will cover a variety of World Cup topics including insights, football-related entertainment and celebrity news. It will air on different days and times of the week, after key fixtures and match days played by the Arab teams, via @GoalAR. The tournament episodes will kick off on the first day of the games on 14 June at 9PM DXB.
