The last remaining preparations are being completed in Moscow ahead of the important milestone this week on the road to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™. On 1 December, the 32 competing nations at the World Cup will discover their fate at the tournament.

How many head coaches will attend the Final Draw? How many performers will be involved in the show? How long will the ceremony itself last? FIFA.com answers these questions and more with a run-through of the figures behind Friday’s draw.

3960m2 of available space in the State Kremlin Palace, where the draw is taking place. Usually, the auditorium can hold up to 6000 people.

1500 journalists from all over the world have been accredited, 528 from the print media. The ceremony will be broadcast by 117 rights-holders and will be shown in more than 200 countries.

1400 guests are expected to come, 260 as part of national-team delegations.

465 volunteers from different countries will help with the organisation in Moscow.

210 performers will be responsible for the entertainment during the ceremony.

162 bins and containers will be used to separate and recycle waste from the event.

30 head coaches from the 32 competing teams at the 2018 FIFA World Cup will personally attend the draw.

18 professional interpreters will be working during the draw, translating into five languages: English, German, Spanish, French and Russian.

10 football legends will be involved in the draw – 2014 FIFA World Cup winner Miroslav Klose will carry the FIFA World Cup Trophy onto the stage, while former England striker Gary Lineker will host proceedings. Eight ex-players will also help as assistants: France’s Laurent Blanc, England’s Gordon Banks, Brazil’s Cafu, Italy’s Fabio Cannavaro, Uruguay’s Diego Forlan, Argentina’s Diego Maradona, Spain’s Carles Puyol and Russia’s Nikita Simonyan. 

10 tonnes of metal used in constructing the draw location – 2.5 tonnes went on decorating the stage, one tonne on the podium and six tonnes to lift the screens into place.

8 groups of four will be decided. Arguably the most important numbers of all, the draw will establish who the competing nations will face during the group stage, when the teams of each section play each other once. The countries that finish in the top two spots will qualify for the Round of 16. The World Cup lasts from 14 June to 15 July and is being held in 11 Host Cities in Russia. In total, 64 matches will be played.