For Hagi Pradita, the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which begins on Thursday in Moscow, is among the most anticipated sporting events this year.

The buzz of the month-long tournament has been on since the qualifying rounds, with a list of shocking results that pumped adrenaline through most soccer fans, including Hagi.

“This year’s World Cup has given us a lot of surprises, [even though the tournament hasn’t started],” Hagi told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

“It was a surprise that [regulars] Italy and the Netherlands failed to go [to Russia] as they were beaten in the qualifying rounds,” added the 23-year-old.

Even so, Hagi believes that the absence of the two powerhouses will not turn off the excitement of the tournament, thanks to the laudable performance of dark horses that gives the fans hope for a Cinderella story.

He said teams like Poland, Egypt and Belgium were dark horses in this year’s cup.

In the 2018 cup, Poland is powered by Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski, Egypt enjoys a strong attack with its darling Mohamed Salah of the Premier League’s Liverpool, while Belgium is supported by a list of A-type players — despite missing the influential Radja Nainggolan of Serie A’s Roma.

Regardless of a possible upset by the dark horses, Hagi still puts his money on defending champions Germany, which is in the hunt for its fifth trophy.

“Germany keeps showing consistency. It is powered by the best players. If the main players are injured, they can easily be substituted by players who are of the same quality,” said Hagi, who works in administration at a university in Bandung.

As World Cup season means mushrooming live screenings in most corners of the big cities in the country, Hagi said he plans to attend at least a screening for the final. But if he cannot go to a commercial place for the screening, Hagi and his friends might host a private screening to fully enjoy the excitement of the final.

Maria Novenia, a student at a private university in Yogyakarta, said she plans to attend a public screening as she thought it was among the things-to-do during a World Cup.

“Four years ago, I couldn’t attend any public screenings as the World Cup’s schedule clashed with my internship. This time, I will definitely go because [watching the match at a public screening] gives you a vibe that you can’t have if you watch alone,” she added.

Despite being a fan of Spain, Maria said Joachim Löw’s squad was the strongest and would likely lift the 18-carat gold trophy again this year.

The 2018 World Cup will run from June 14 to July 15. The 32 teams from four continents will compete in 12 stadiums in Russia, which is the first eastern European country to hold the event.

To satisfy the thirst of the country’s soccer fans, several companies have launched special programs to welcome one of the world’s most prestigious sporting events.

Fast food chain McDonald’s Indonesia initiated #GilaBolaMcD, where it will hold public screenings at selected restaurants, starting on June 30.

Online travel booking platform Traveloka is also providing a World Cup-related feature, named Layar Bola Traveloka (Traveloka’s Soccer Screen), which provides customers with the option to stay at hotels in more than 100 cities across the country that will host public screenings.

On screen, World Cup matches are available on free-to-air TransTV and Trans7, as well as on pay TV services by TransVision and K-Vision.

For digital viewing, the tournaments are available on app-based streaming services provided by Klix TV and MAXstream.

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