Even if Russia loses all of its matches, Putin is still the real winner of this World Cup

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• 32 teams are competing in the 2018 World Cup, and while one team will come out on top, there's another likely to emerge as a winner: Vladimir Putin. 
• Russia's team is predicted to finish at an all-time low of 70th place, but despite the rankings, Putin hopes that soccer will spark a nationalist mobilization among citizens.
• Putin's goal is that, although Russia's national team may perform disappointingly low, merely hosting the 2018 World Cup will bring Russia citizens together on and off the field. 

Half a million soccer fans will head to Russia to watch their national teams compete in the FIFA World Cup. Billions more around the world will watch on television. Brazil and Germany are favorites to win the trophy.

But we already know one person who will emerge as a winner: Vladimir Putin.See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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