After the draw of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, some meetings of the first round are filled with much more meaning than just football goals and objectives, writes Le Monde journalist Yumny Kezuf.

Russia - Saudi Arabia (Group A) The match of the opening of the 21st World Cup between Russia and Saudi Arabia seems to be more expected for specialists in international relations than for fans of football, the article says..

This match is also a meeting of two oil superpowers, which together represent about a quarter of the world's oil production. Russia is not a member of OPEC, but recently decided to join the position taken by Saudi Arabia: to reduce oil production, thereby giving an impetus to the price increase for a barrel, the author points out..

The meeting will take place at the height of the warming of relations between the two countries, historically opposing each other, taking into account the alliance between Riyadh and Washington, on the one hand, and Moscow and Tehran on the other. Their policy of oil prices was often different, and Russia suspected Saudi Arabia of financing the Chechen opposition. The coming to power of Vladimir Putin has revolutionized diplomatic relations between the two countries, Kesuf points out..

In early October, King Salman of Saudi Arabia arrived in Russia, having made the first visit of the head of the Saudi state - this event became a symbol of the reorganization of the geopolitical balance in the Middle East. Riyadh, a historical ally of the United States, now wants to diversify its options at a time when Russia and Iran are a united front in Syria, the journalist continues..

Spain - Morocco (Group B) Ceuta and Melilla - two Spanish semi-enclaves in Morocco - are on the increasingly visited migration route, being the gateway to Europe for all migrants who prefer the road to Gibraltar. Morocco, whose repressive methods are particularly harsh, is necessary for Spain wishing to stop migrants even before they began climbing through barbed wire on six-meter walls, reads the article.

For this reason, Madrid is trying to maintain the best relations with Rabat, which certain observers from local NGOs suspect of putting pressure on Europe on the burning issue of Western Sahara, the journalist says..

England - Tunisia (group G) Under the guise of a harmless match of the first round, this meeting risks resurrecting painful memories and alerting the authorities of Volgograd, where the match will be held. During the FIFA World Cup in 1998, a meeting between the two teams in Marseille provoked violent two-day clashes, the author.

On the eve of the match, British hooligans, being under the influence of beer and sun, provoked fans of the other side to burning the Tunisian flag in the Old Port. This hostile gesture caused a fierce reaction from Tunisians, they were quickly joined by numerous young Marseilles,.

Although the place to settle accounts in the city between English and Russian in the summer of 2016 was Marseilles, it's easy to guess that the British delegation will be under strict control by the Russian authorities next summer,.

Switzerland - Costa Rica (Group E) If football seems too bellicose and you look with displeasure at how the two teams insult each other on the football field in the battle for the sports championship, then this match is created for you: it is opposed by two countries from ten, who proclaimed their diplomatic neutrality, writes the journalist.

Belgium - Panama (Group G) This first-round match between Belgium and Panama is a bit like a competition for tax optimization, says the author.

On the one hand, the tax evasion champion who has now sheltered the famous law firm Mossack Fonseca, which specializes in the creation of front companies. On the other hand, the country that was attacked by the European Commission for its tax privileges regime, which attracts many large states and multinational corporations, notes the journalist.

Part of the football world will undoubtedly be rooting for Panama, in some ways being its second homeland - at least in a tax sense, Kezuf sneers.