Short answers, pulled from the story.
France won the 2018 FIFA World Cup, defeating Croatia 4-2 in the final at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on the 15th of July 2018. It was France's second World Cup title and the fourth consecutive title won by a European nation.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup was held in Russia from the 14th of June to the 15th of July 2018. Matches were played across 12 venues in 11 cities, including Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, and Yekaterinburg.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup cost an estimated $14.2 billion, making it the most expensive World Cup ever held at that time. Half of the reduced government budget of $10 billion went toward transportation infrastructure.
Croatian midfielder Luka Modrić won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player. Harry Kane of England won the Golden Boot with six goals, and Belgium's Thibaut Courtois won the Golden Glove.
Yes, the 2018 FIFA World Cup was the first World Cup to use video assistant referees. All VAR operations ran from a single headquarters in Moscow. Diego Costa scored the first World Cup goal based on a VAR decision on the 15th of June 2018.
Russia's hosting drew criticism over allegations of corruption in the bidding process, human rights abuses of migrant construction workers, racism in Russian football, and discrimination against LGBT people. At least 17 workers died on World Cup construction sites by June 2017. FIFA appointed US attorney Michael J. Garcia to investigate the bidding, but his full report was never published.