2018 Detroit Lions season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 17: at Green Bay Packers
This was also the Lions' first shutout against the Packers since 1973, the first shutout against the Packers in Green Bay since 1970, the first shutout for the Lions since 1996, and their first four-game winning streak against them since the 1982 and 1983 seasons. They also swept the Packers for the second consecutive season.


2018 Detroit Tigers season
The 2018 Detroit Tigers season was the team's 118th season. It was the team's first year under a mostly new coaching staff led by new Manager Ron Gardenhire. It was the fourth consecutive season they missed the playoffs, finishing with the same record as the previous season, 64–98, but good for third place in the American League Central division.


2018 Detroit Tigers season
It was the last season for television announcers Mario Impemba and Rod Allen, who had been together since 2003. Their contracts were not renewed due to an alleged physical altercation after the game on September 4.


2018 Detroit Tigers season, Uniform changes
Starting this season, the Tigers changed the classic curved Old English D logo on their home uniforms to match that of the sharp cornered hat logo, which is now larger.


2018 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters
The 2018 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters was the thirty-second season of premier German touring car championship and also nineteenth season under the moniker of Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters since the series' resumption in 2000. 2018 would be the final season for the traditional 4.0-litre V8 naturally-aspirated engine package that debuted in the inaugural reborn season; as the brand new engine package has been introduced for the following season as part of the "Class One Project" prospect with Japanese Super GT GT500 cars. 2018 also marked the final season for Mercedes-Benz in DTM due to Mercedes-Benz departing to FIA Formula E from the 2019–20 season and thus ended its 19 year participation.


2018 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters
Gary Paffett won his second title at the final round of the season with a third place finish, beating previous champion René Rast by four points despite a late charge to six consecutive wins by Rast, a new series record. Paffett became the second non-German driver to have won more than one DTM driver title, and thus repeating Swedish driver Mattias Ekström's feat in 2004 and 2007 seasons.


2018 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters
Mercedes-Benz won the manufacturer's championship for the first time since 2010.


2018 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, Calendar
The provisional ten event calendar was announced on 24 November 2017, and later finalized on 18 December 2017.


2018 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, Teams and drivers
The following manufacturers, teams and drivers competed in the 2018 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters. All teams competed with tyres supplied by Hankook.


2018 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, Championship standings
Points were awarded to the top ten classified finishers as follows:


2018 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, Championship standings
Additionally, the top three placed drivers in qualifying also received points:


2018 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, Championship standings, Drivers' championship
Bold – PoleItalics – Fastest Lap1 – 3 Points for Pole2 – 2 Points for P23 – 1 Point for P3


2018 Deutschland Cup
The 2018 Deutschland Cup was the 29th edition of the tournament.


2018 Deutschland Tour
The 2018 Deutschland Tour was a road cycling stage race that took place between 23 and 26 August 2018. After a 10 year break, the Deutschland Tour held its 33rd edition and was rated as a 2.1 event as part of the 2018 UCI Europe Tour.


2018 Deutschland Tour, Route
The route of the 2018 Deutschland Tour ran through southwestern Germany, crossing the states of Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden-Württemberg, Saarland and Hesse, and covered more than 737 kilometers. Due to the hilly terrain, the course was mainly suited for sprinters and aggressive classics riders.


2018 Deutschland Tour, Classification leadership
In the 2018 Deutschland Tour, four jerseys were awarded. The general classification was calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage. Time bonuses were awarded to the first three finishers on all stages: the stage winner won a ten-second bonus, with six and four seconds for the second and third riders respectively. Bonus seconds were also awarded to the first three riders at intermediate sprints – three seconds for the winner of the sprint, two seconds for the rider in second and one second for the rider in third. The leader of the general classification received a red engraved jersey with the names of more than 1.500 supporters who participated in the route creation. This classification was considered the most important of the 2018 Deutschland Tour, and the winner of the classification was considered the winner of the race.


2018 Deutschland Tour, Classification leadership
The second classification was the points classification. Riders were awarded points for finishing in the top ten in a stage. Points were also won in intermediate sprints; five points for crossing the sprint line first, three points for second place, and one for third. The leader of the points classification was awarded a green jersey sponsored by Škoda.


2018 Deutschland Tour, Classification leadership
There was also a mountains classification, for which points were awarded for reaching the top of a climb before other riders. In each climb the top three riders earned points; three points for crossing the summit line first, two points for the second placed rider and a single point for the third. The leadership of the mountains classification was marked by a black jersey with white polka-dots.


2018 Deutschland Tour, Classification leadership
The fourth jersey represented the young rider classification, marked by a white and dotted jersey sponsored by Dauner. Only riders born after 1 January 1993 were eligible; the young rider best placed in the general classification was the leader of the young rider classification. There was also a classification for teams, in which the times of the best three cyclists in a team on each stage were added together; the leading team at the end of the race was the team with the lowest cumulative time.


2018 Dhangadhi Premier League
2018 Dhangadhi Premier League (known as DPL2, for sponsorship reasons, Ruslan DPL 2) is the second season of Dhangadhi Premier League, a franchise Twenty20 cricket league in Nepal. The tournament started on 31 March and ended on 14 April in Dhangadhi. Team Chauraha Dhangadhi were the defending champions.


2018 Dhangadhi Premier League, Teams and squads
The 2018 DPL features six team franchises. Kanchanpur Iconics were terminated and they were replaced by Mahendranagar United ahead of the season..


2018 Dhangadhi Premier League, Teams and squads
The player draft for the 2018 season was held in Kathmandu on 21 February 2018. 185 domestic players were divided into four different categories. The teams also had to sign two overseas players.


2018 Dhivehi Premier League
The 2018 Dhivehi Premier League season is the fourth season of the Dhivehi Premier League, the top-tier football league in the Maldives. It is the second edition held according to its new format. The season features ten teams, increased from eight teams from last season; six teams from 2018 Malé League and four teams from 2018 Minivan Championship.


2018 Dhivehi Premier League, Qualified teams, Personnel
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 Dhivehi Premier League, League table
All ten teams play in the first stage. Afterwards, only the top eight teams play in the second stage.


2018 Diamond Head Classic
The 2018 Diamond Head Classic was a mid-season eight-team college basketball tournament that was played on December 22, 23, and 25 at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was the tenth annual Diamond Head Classic tournament, and is part of the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season.


2018 Diamond League
The 2018 Diamond League was the ninth season of the annual series of outdoor track and field meetings, organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). It is the second edition to feature the new championship-style system.


2018 Diamond League, Schedule
The following fourteen meetings are scheduled to be included in the 2018 season:


2018 Diema Xtra Sofia Open
The 2018 Sofia Open (also known as 2018 DIEMA XTRA Sofia Open for sponsorship reasons) was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 3rd edition of the Sofia Open as part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2018 ATP World Tour. It took place at the Arena Armeec in Sofia, Bulgaria, from February 5–11.


2018 Diema Xtra Sofia Open, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2018 Diema Xtra Sofia Open, Doubles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2018 Diema Xtra Sofia Open – Doubles
Viktor Troicki and Nenad Zimonjić were the defending champions, but lost in the first round to Robin Haase and Matwé Middelkoop.


2018 Diema Xtra Sofia Open – Doubles
Haase and Middelkoop went on to win the title, defeating Nikola Mektić and Alexander Peya in the final, 5–7, 6–4, [10–4].


2018 Diema Xtra Sofia Open – Singles
Grigor Dimitrov was the defending champion, but withdrew before the tournament because of a shoulder injury.


2018 Diema Xtra Sofia Open – Singles
Mirza Bašić won his first ATP title, defeating Marius Copil in the final, 7–6(8–6), 6–7(4–7), 6–4.


2018 Diema Xtra Sofia Open – Singles, Seeds
The top four seeds receive a bye into the second round.


2018 Dimension Data season
The 2018 season for the Team Dimension Data cycling team began in January at the Tour Down Under. As a UCI WorldTeam, they were automatically invited and obligated to send a squad to every event in the UCI World Tour.


2018 District of Columbia Attorney General election
The 2018 District of Columbia Attorney General election was held on November 6, 2018, to elect the Attorney General of Washington, D.C. This was the second ever Attorney General election in D.C. history.


2018 Division 1 (Swedish football)
The 2018 Division 1, part of the 2018 Swedish football season was the 13th season of Sweden's third-tier football league in its current format. The 2018 fixtures were released in December 2017. The season started on 7 April 2018 and ended on 10 November 2018.


2018 Division 1 (Swedish football), Teams
32 teams contest the league divided into two divisions, Norra and Södra. 28 returning from the 2017 season, two relegated from Superettan and two promoted from Division 2. The champion of each division will qualify directly for promotion to Superettan, the two runners-up has to play a play-off against the thirteenth and fourteenth team from Superettan to decide who will play in Superettan 2019. The bottom three teams in each division will qualify directly for relegation to Division 2.


2018 Division 1 (Swedish football), League tables, Playoffs
The 13th-placed teams of each division meets the best two runners-up from 2018 Division 2 in two-legged ties on a home-and-away basis with the team from Division 1 finishing at home.


2018 División de Honor de Béisbol
The División de Honor de Béisbol 2018 was the 33rd season of the top Spanish baseball league since its establishment and the 73rd Spanish championship overall.


2018 Djibouti Cup
The 2018 Coupe de Djibouti (Coupe du 27 Juin) is the 2018 edition of the Coupe de Djibouti, the knockout football competition of Djibouti.


2018 Djiboutian parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Djibouti on 23 February 2018. The election was boycotted by the main opposition parties, including some of the parties in the Union for National Salvation coalition, which had won 10 seats in the previous elections in 2013.


2018 Djiboutian parliamentary election
According to government figures, the ruling Union for the Presidential Majority won 57 of 65 seats in Parliament. The opposition Union for Democracy and Justice–Djibouti Party for Development (UDJ–PDD)  won seven seats in Djibouti city electoral district. The UMP ran unopposed in three electoral districts (Dikhil, Obock and Arta, 18 seats).


2018 Djiboutian parliamentary election, Electoral system
Prior to the 2013 the previous winner-takes-all party block vote was abandoned. Instead the elections were held using a closed list system in which 80% of seats (rounded to the nearest integer) in each constituency were awarded to the party receiving the most votes. The remaining seats were allocated proportionally to other parties receiving over 10% of the vote using the D'Hondt method. In cases where no other party received more than 10% of the vote, all seats in a constituency were awarded to the party receiving the most votes. There was also a 25% female quota, up from 10% in the previous election.


2018 Djurgårdens IF season
The 2018 season is Djurgårdens IF's 118th in existence, their 63rd season in Allsvenskan and their 18th consecutive season in the league. They are competing in Allsvenskan and Svenska Cupen and qualified for the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League.


2018 Djurgårdens IF season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 Djurgårdens IF season, Squad, Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 Djurgårdens IF season, Transfers, Winter
In:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 Djurgårdens IF season, Transfers, Winter
Out:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 Djurgårdens IF season, Transfers, Summer
In:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 Djurgårdens IF season, Transfers, Summer
Out:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 Dockerty Cup
The 2018 Dockerty Cup was a football (soccer) knockout-cup competition held between men's clubs in Victoria, Australia in 2018, the annual edition of the Dockerty Cup. Victorian soccer clubs from the 5 State League Divisions, regional, metros and masters leagues - plus the 12 Clubs from the National Premier Leagues Victoria - competed for the Dockerty Cup trophy.


2018 Dockerty Cup
The competition also served as Qualifying Rounds for the 2018 FFA Cup. In addition to the two Victorian A-League clubs, and Heidelberg United as 2017 National Premier Leagues champions, the four Preliminary Round 7 winners qualified for the final rounds of the 2018 FFA Cup, entering at the Round of 32.


2018 Dockerty Cup, Preliminary rounds
Victorian clubs participated in the 2018 FFA Cup via the preliminary rounds. This was open to teams from the National Premier Leagues Victoria, Victorian State League divisions, regional and metros leagues. Teams were seeded in terms of which round they would enter based on their division in 2018. Heidelberg United did not participate in the Victorian qualifying rounds, as they had already qualified into the FFA Cup as 2017 National Premier Leagues champions.


2018 Dockerty Cup, Play-off round
A total of two teams took part in this stage of the competition, with the match played on 20 June.


2018 Dockerty Cup, Semi finals
A total of four teams took part in this stage of the competition, with the matches played on 26 and 27 June.


2018 Dollar General Bowl
The 2018 Dollar General Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 22, 2018. It was the 20th edition of the Dollar General Bowl, and one of the 2018–19 bowl games concluding the 2018 FBS football season. The game was sponsored by the Dollar General chain of variety stores.


2018 Dollar General Bowl, Teams
The game was played between teams from the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and the Sun Belt Conference.


2018 Dollar General Bowl, Teams, Troy Trojans
On November 29, college football news organizations reported that Troy would play in the Dollar General Bowl, which was confirmed via an official announcement on December 2. The Trojans entered the bowl with a 10–3 record (7–1 in conference). This was Troy's third consecutive bowl appearance, following victories in the 2016 Dollar General Bowl and 2017 New Orleans Bowl.


2018 Dollar General Bowl, Teams, Buffalo Bulls
Buffalo received and accepted a bid to the Dollar General Bowl on December 2. The Bulls had a 10–3 record on the year (7–1 in conference), losing to Northern Illinois in the MAC Championship Game. This was Buffalo's third bowl appearance, after losses in the 2009 International Bowl and 2013 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.


2018 Donbas general elections
Elections were held on 11 November 2018 by the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics. As a result of a war that started in April 2014, these internationally unrecognised entities control parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts in eastern Ukraine, which are together called the Donbas region. They previously held elections in 2014. Voters were asked to elect the Head of the Donetsk People's Republic and Head of the Luhansk People's Republic as well as the deputies for two parliaments: the People's Council of the Donetsk People's Republic with 100 seats, and the People's Council of the Luhansk People's Republic with 50 seats.


2018 Donbas general elections, Results
Acting head of the LPR Leonid Pasechnik won 68.3% of votes, and acting DPR head Denis Pushilin won 60.85% of votes. In parliamentary elections, "Mir Luganschine" (Peace for Luhansk) movement won 74.13% of votes in LPR, while the "Donetsk Republic" won 72.5% of votes in the DPR.


2018 Donbas general elections, Results
Neither the European Union nor the United States recognized the elections, which they said violate the terms of the Minsk Protocol. Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko called the elections “illegal and represent yet another example of Russian subversive activity.” Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged Russia had influence on the region's leaders but said “it is not unlimited.”


2018 Donegal Senior Football Championship
The 2018 Donegal Senior Football Championship was the 96th official edition of Donegal GAA's premier Gaelic football tournament for senior graded clubs in County Donegal. Sixteen teams compete with the winner representing Donegal in the Ulster Senior Club Football Championship. The championship begins with four groups of four and continues with a knock-out format. The draws were made on 24 March 2018.


2018 Donegal Senior Football Championship
Kilcar were the defending champions after they defeated Naomh Conaill of Glenties 0-7 to 0-4 in the 2017 final. However, the club had to play the competition without two of its county stars, Patrick McBrearty and Ryan McHugh. On 26 September 2018, it was announced that McHugh had accepted medical advice and would be sidelined for the remainder of the year due to concussion. His injury came while playing for his club in a challenge match against Dublin champions St Vincents in Cavan in late August 2018 — he received a blow to the head during that match.


2018 Donegal Senior Football Championship
Concussion had also caused McHugh to spend six weeks on the sideline following a 2018 National Football League game (against Kildare or Tyrone depending on which report you read) earlier that year. The injury meant he could take no part in the 2018 Donegal Senior Football Championship (of which his club were the defending champions), news which was worsened when taken in the context of the earlier loss of McHugh's club and county teammate McBrearty to a cruciate ligament injury.


2018 Donegal Senior Football Championship
This was Milford's return to the senior grade after relegation in the mid-1990s after claiming the 2017 Donegal I.F.C. title.


2018 Donegal Senior Football Championship
On 21 October 2018, Gaoth Dobhair claimed their 15th S.F.C. title when defeating Naomh Conaill of Glenties by 0-17 to 1-7 at MacCumhaill Park.


2018 Donegal Senior Football Championship
Burt were relegated back to the 2019 I.F.C. after just two seasons in the top-flight when losing their Relegation Final to newly promoted Milford.


2018 Donegal Senior Football Championship, Team changes
The following teams changed division since the 2017 championship season.


2018 Donegal Senior Football Championship, Format
The 2018 County Championship took the same format as previous championships in which there was four groups of four with the top two qualifying for the quarter-finals. Bottom of each group play in relegation play-offs to decide which team is relegated the 2019 Intermediate championship.


2018 Donegal Senior Football Championship, Group stage
All 16 teams entered the competition at this stage. The top 2 teams in each group advanced to the Quarter-Finals while the bottom team of each group entered a Relegation Playoff. This year, all teams played one home match, one away match and one match at a neutral venue.


2018 Donegal county football team season
The following is a summary of Donegal county football team's 2018 season.


2018 Donegal county football team season
Shaun Patton came into the team versus Kildare in the National Football League. He began training in January 2018.


2018 Donegal county football team season, National Football League Division 1
Fixtures for the 2018 National League were announced on 13 October 2017.


2018 Donegal county football team season, 2018 Ulster Senior Football Championship
The draw for the 2018 Ulster Senior Football Championship took place on 19 October 2017. Donegal won their first Ulster title for four years.


2018 Dow Tennis Classic
The 2018 Dow Tennis Classic was a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the twenty-fourth edition of the tournament and was part of the 2018 ITF Women's Circuit. It took place in Midland, United States, on 29 January–4 February 2018.


2018 Dow Tennis Classic, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received a wildcard into the singles main draw:


2018 Dow Tennis Classic – Doubles
Ashley Weinhold and Caitlin Whoriskey were the defending champions, however both players chose to participate with different partners. Weinhold played alongside Naomi Broady, but lost in the first round to Desirae Krawczyk and Giuliana Olmos. Whoriskey partnered Jacqueline Cako, but they were defeated in the first round by Julia Boserup and Lesley Kerkhove.


2018 Dow Tennis Classic – Doubles
Kaitlyn Christian and Sabrina Santamaria won the title, defeating Jessica Pegula and Maria Sanchez in the final, 7–5, 4–6, [10–8].


2018 Dow Tennis Classic – Singles
Tatjana Maria was the defending champion, but chose to compete at the 2018 St. Petersburg Ladies' Trophy instead.


2018 Dow Tennis Classic – Singles
Madison Brengle won the title, defeating Jamie Loeb in the final 6–1, 6–2.


2018 Down Senior Football Championship
The 2018 Down Senior Football Championship was the 110th official edition of Down GAA's premier Gaelic Football tournament for senior clubs in County Down. 16 teams compete with the winner representing Down in the Ulster Senior Club Football Championship.


2018 Down Senior Football Championship
The tournament operated a double elimination format for the opening two rounds of the championship, with the winners and early round losers rejoining at the quarter final stage.


2018 Down Senior Football Championship
Kilcoo Owen Roe's were the defending champions after they defeated Burren 0-13 to 0-11 in the 2017 final.


2018 Down Senior Football Championship
Rostrevor return to the senior grade after claiming the Down I.F.C. title in 2017. Carryduff make their senior return after breaking into the top 15 ranked teams (3rd in Division 2 - ranked 15th overall) in the Down football leagues for 2017.


2018 Down Senior Football Championship
On 14 October 2018 Burren spurned Kilcoo's hopes for 7-in-a-row of Down S.F.C. titles when defeating them in the final at Pair Esler by 2-12 to 2-9 and claiming their 14th S.F.C. triumph in the process.


2018 Down Senior Football Championship
Glenn John Martin's were relegated to the 2019 I.F.C. after finishing outside the top 15 ranked teams in the Down football leagues for 2018. They finished 5th (ranked 17th overall) in Division 2. Bredagh will replace them after they claimed the 2018 Down I.F.C. title.


2018 Down Senior Football Championship, Team Changes
The following teams have changed division since the 2017 championship season.


2018 Down Senior Football Championship, Round 1
All 16 teams enter the competition in this round. The 8 winners progress to Round 2A while the 8 losers progress to Round 2B.


2018 Down Senior Football Championship, Round 2, Round 2A
The 8 winning teams from Round 1 enter this round. The 4 winners enter the draw for the quarter-finals while the 4 losers play in Round 3.


2018 Down Senior Football Championship, Round 2, Round 2B
The 8 losing teams from Round 1 enter this round. The 4 winners go into Round 3 while the 4 losing teams exit the championship.


2018 Down Senior Football Championship, Round 3
This is the final qualifier round. The four losing teams from round 2A (who won a match and lost a match) play the four winning teams from round 2B (who lost a match and won a match).


2018 Down Senior Football Championship, Quarter-Finals
The 4 winners from Round 2A play the 4 winners from Round 3.


2018 Down county football team season
The following is a summary of Down county football team's 2018 season.


2018 Down county football team season, Dr McKenna Cup
The draw for the 2018 Dr McKenna Cup was made in November 2017.


2018 Down county football team season, Dr McKenna Cup, Fixtures
Down's tie against the University of Ulster was postponed due to an unplayable pitch.


2018 Down county football team season, National Football League Division 2
Down played in Division Two of the National Football League in 2018.


2018 Down county football team season, National Football League Division 2, Fixtures
Fixtures for the 2018 National League were announced on 13 October 2017. Down's fifth fixture against Cavan was postponed due to 2018 Great Britain and Ireland cold wave. The game was re-scheduled for Saturday 10 March. Due to further snow in March the fixture against Tipperary on 18 March was also postponed.


2018 Down county football team season, National Football League Division 2, Fixtures
Despite a victory on the final day of the campaign, Down were relegated to Division 3 following a win for Meath over Louth on the same day.


2018 Down county football team season, Ulster Senior Football Championship
The draw for the 2018 Ulster Senior Football Championship took place on 19 October 2017 with Down being drawn at home to Antrim in the quarter final stage. Down progressed to the Ulster semi-finals but lost to Donegal in Clones on 10 June.


2018 Dr McKenna Cup
The 2018 Dr McKenna Cup, known for sponsorship reasons as the Bank of Ireland Dr McKenna Cup, was a Gaelic football competition in the province of Ulster for county and university teams. It is normally held at the beginning of the GAA season.


2018 Dr McKenna Cup
Twelve teams take part – the nine Ulster county teams and three university teams, i.e. St Mary's University College, Belfast, Queen's University Belfast and Ulster University at Jordanstown (UUJ).


2018 Dr McKenna Cup
The draw took place on Thursday 30 November in the Balmoral Hotel, Belfast  with the fixtures confirmed following a meeting of Comhairle Uladh CCC on Tuesday 5 December 2017.


2018 Dr McKenna Cup
After many postponements due to bad winter weather, the tournament ended on 17 February 2018 with Donegal the winners, ending a six-year Tyrone winning streak.


2018 Dr McKenna Cup, Format
The twelve teams are drawn into three sections of four teams, with each section containing three county teams and one university team. Each team plays the other teams in its section once, earning 2 points for a win and 1 for a draw. A "scoring-average/points-ratio" method is used to determine the ranking of teams who are level on section points (as opposed to "scoring differential").


2018 Dr McKenna Cup, Format
The winners of the three sections and the best runner-up compete in the semi-finals with the two winners meeting in the final.


2018 Dr McKenna Cup, Group stage, Section B
Note: This game was originally scheduled to take place on 7 January, but was postponed due to a frozen pitch.


2018 Drake Bulldogs football team
The 2018 Drake Bulldogs football team represented Drake University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by fifth-year head coach Rick Fox and played their home games at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa as members of the Pioneer Football League. They finished the season 7–4, 6–2 in PFL play to finish in a tie for second place.


2018 Drake Bulldogs football team
On December 10, head coach Rick Fox resigned. He finished at Drake with a five-year record of 33–22.


2018 Drake Bulldogs football team, Previous season
The Bulldogs finished the 2017 season 7–4, 6–2 in PFL play to finish in second place.


2018 Drake Bulldogs football team, Preseason, Preseason All-PFL team
The PFL released their preseason all-PFL team on July 30, 2018, with the Bulldogs having four players selected.


2018 Drake Bulldogs football team, Preseason, Preseason coaches poll
The PFL released their preseason coaches poll on July 31, 2018, with the Bulldogs predicted to finish in third place.


2018 Dubai 24 Hour
The 2018 Dubai 24 Hour was the 13th running of the Dubai 24 Hour endurance race. It took place at the Dubai Autodrome in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and ran between 11–13 January 2018.


2018 Dubai Sevens
The 2018 Dubai Sevens is the twentieth edition of the Dubai Sevens tournament. It was the first tournament within the 2018–19 World Rugby Sevens Series. It was held on 30 November–1 December 2018 at The Sevens Stadium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.


2018 Dubai Sevens, Format
The sixteen teams are drawn into four pools of four teams each. Each team plays every other team in their pool once. The top two teams from each pool advance to the Cup bracket where teams compete for the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medals. The bottom two teams from each group go to the Challenge Trophy bracket.


2018 Dubai Sevens, Teams
Fifteen core teams are participating in the tournament along with one invited team, 2018 Africa Men's Sevens winners Zimbabwe:


2018 Dubai Tennis Championships
The 2018 Dubai Tennis Championships (also known as the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships for sponsorship reasons) was an ATP 500 event on the 2018 ATP World Tour and a WTA Premier event on the 2018 WTA Tour. Both events were held at the Aviation Club Tennis Centre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The women's tournament took place from February 19 to 25, while the men's tournament took place from February 26 through March 3.


2018 Dubai Tennis Championships, ATP singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2018 Dubai Tennis Championships, ATP doubles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2018 Dubai Tennis Championships, WTA singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2018 Dubai Tennis Championships, WTA doubles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following pair received a wildcard into the doubles main draw:


2018 Dubai Tennis Championships – Men's Doubles
Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecău were the defending champions, and successfully defended their title, defeating James Cerretani and Leander Paes in the final, 6–2, 7–6(7–2).


2018 Dubai Tennis Championships – Men's Singles
Andy Murray was the defending champion, but could not participate this year as he was recovering from hip surgery.


2018 Dubai Tennis Championships – Men's Singles
Roberto Bautista Agut won the title, defeating Lucas Pouille in the final, 6–3, 6–4.


2018 Dubai Tennis Championships – Women's Doubles
Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina were the defending champions, but lost to Hsieh Su-wei and Peng Shuai in the semifinals.


2018 Dubai Tennis Championships – Women's Doubles
Chan Hao-ching and Yang Zhaoxuan won the title, defeating Hsieh and Peng in the final, 4–6, 6–2, [10–6].


2018 Dubai Tennis Championships – Women's Singles
Elina Svitolina was the defending champion and successfully defended her title, beating Daria Kasatkina in the final, 6–4, 6–0.


2018 Dubai Tennis Championships – Women's Singles
Kasatkina through the way to her first Dubai final saved match points against Johanna Konta & Garbiñe Muguruza in her second round & semifinal matches respectively.


2018 Dubai Tennis Championships – Women's Singles
Since Caroline Wozniacki was defending finalist points from 2017 and chose not to participate this year, Simona Halep regained the WTA no. 1 singles ranking at the conclusion of the tournament.


2018 Dubai Tennis Championships – Women's Singles, Seeds
The top four seeds received a bye into the second round.


2018 Dubai Tour
The 2018 Dubai Tour was a road cycling stage race that took place in Dubai between 6 and 10 February 2018. It was the fifth edition of the Dubai Tour and was rated as a 2.HC event as part of the 2018 UCI Asia Tour.


2018 Dubai Tour, Stages, Stage 3
Race leader Dylan Groenewegen received a 20-second penalty for sheltering too long behind a team car.


2018 Dubai Tour, Classification leadership table
In the 2018 Dubai Tour, four different jerseys were awarded. For the general classification, calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage, and allowing time bonuses for the first three finishers at intermediate sprints and at the finish of mass-start stages, the leader received a blue jersey. This classification was considered the most important of the 2018 Dubai Tour, and the winner of the classification was considered the winner of the race.


2018 Dubai Tour, Classification leadership table
Additionally, there was a points classification, which awarded a red jersey. In the points classification, cyclists received points for finishing in the top 10 in a stage. For winning a stage, a rider earned 25 points, with 16 for second, 11 for third, 8 for fourth, 6 for fifth with a point fewer per place down to a single point for 10th place. Points towards the classification could also be accrued at intermediate sprint points during each stage; these intermediate sprints also offered bonus seconds towards the general classification. There was also a sprints classification for the points awarded at the aforementioned intermediate sprints, where the leadership of which was marked by a jersey in the colours of the United Arab Emirates flag.


2018 Dubai Tour, Classification leadership table
The fourth jersey represented the young rider classification, marked by a white jersey. This was decided in the same way as the general classification, but only riders born after 1 January 1993 were eligible to be ranked in the classification.


2018 Dubai Women's Sevens
The 2018 Dubai Women's Sevens was the second tournament within the 2018–19 World Rugby Women's Sevens Series. It was held on 29–30 November 2018 at The Sevens Stadium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.


2018 Dubai Women's Sevens, Format
The teams are drawn into three pools of four teams each. Each team plays every other team in their pool once. The top two teams from each pool advance to the Cup/Plate brackets while the top 2 third place teams also compete in the Cup/Plate. The other teams from each group play-off for the Challenge Trophy.


2018 Dubai Women's Sevens, Teams
Eleven core teams are participating in the tournament along with one invited team, 2018 Africa Women's Sevens winners Kenya:


2018 Dublin Senior Football Championship
The 2018 Dublin Senior Football Championship was the 132nd edition of Dublin GAA's premier Gaelic football tournament for senior clubs in County Dublin, Ireland. 31 teams participate (16 in Senior 1 and 15 in Senior 2), with the winner of Senior 1 representing Dublin in the Leinster Senior Club Football Championship. The draw for the group stages of the championship were made on 21 March 2018.


2018 Dublin Senior Football Championship
No team was promoted from the 2017 I.F.C. due to the rule that no reserve side who wins the I.F.C. (in this case Na Fianna 'B') can be promoted to the S.F.C.


2018 Dublin Senior Football Championship
St. Vincent's were the defending champions having defeated Ballymun Kickhams in the previous year's final.


2018 Dublin Senior Football Championship, Team Changes
The following teams have changed division since the 2017 championship season.


2018 Dublin Senior Football Championship, Format changes for 2018
In 2018 the Dublin S.F.C. moved away from the straight knock-out format used in previous years. The championship was split into two sections called the Senior 1 and Senior 2 Football Championships. Teams were graded as Senior 1 or 2 depending on their performances in the previous five Dublin S.F.C.s.


2018 Dublin Senior Football Championship, Format changes for 2018, Senior 1 Football Championship
16 teams compete in 4 randomly drawn groups of 4. The top 2 teams in each group qualify for the S.1.F.C. Quarter-Finals, with the outright winner of the S.1.F.C. representing Dublin in the Leinster S.C.F.C. The bottom teams in each of the four groups contest the relegation play-offs with the losers of the relegation final being relegated to the 2019 S.2.F.C.


2018 Dublin Senior Football Championship, Format changes for 2018, Senior 2 Football Championship
15 teams compete in 3 randomly drawn groups of 4 and 1 group of 3 (due to the withdrawal of U.C.D. from the Dublin Championships). The top 2 teams in each group qualify for the S.2.F.C. Quarter-Finals, with the outright winner of the S.2.F.C. winning promotion to the 2019 Dublin S.1.F.C. The bottom teams in each of the four groups contest the relegation play-offs with the losers of the relegation final being relegated to the 2019 I.F.C.


2018 Dublin Senior Football Championship, Format changes for 2018, Intermediate Football Championship
All reserve sides who played in previous I.F.C. 's will now compete in a separate competition among themselves known as the "All-County Intermediate Football Championship" (A.C.I.F.C.). All 16 first-teams compete in a separate championship in 4 randomly drawn groups of 4. The top 2 teams in each group qualify for the I.F.C. Quarter-Finals, with the outright winner of the I.F.C. winning promotion to the 2019 Dublin S.2.F.C. The bottom teams in each of the four groups contest the relegation play-offs with the losers of the relegation final being relegated to the 2019 Junior Football 1 Championship.


2018 Dublin Senior Football Championship, Format changes for 2018, Junior 1 Football Championship
All reserve sides who played in previous J.F.C. 's will now compete in a separate competition among themselves known as the "All-County Junior 1 Football Championship" (A.C.J.1.F.C.). All 16 first-teams compete in a separate championship in 4 randomly drawn groups of 4. The top 2 teams in each group qualify for the J.1.F.C. Quarter-Finals, with the outright winner of the J.1.F.C. winning promotion to the 2019 Dublin I.F.C. The bottom teams in each of the forum groups contest the relegation play-offs with the losers of the relegation final being relegated to the 2019 J.2.F.C.


2018 Dublin Senior Football Championship, Senior 1 Football Championship, Senior 1 Football Championship Knock-Out Stage, Quarter-Finals
St. Jude's, St. Sylvester's, Kilmacud Crokes, St. Vincent's, Na Fianna, Castleknock, Ballymun and Ballyboden qualified for the last eight of the Dublin Senior Football Championship.


2018 Dublin Senior Football Championship, Senior 1 Football Championship, Senior 1 Football Championship Relegation Playoffs, Relegation Semi-Finals
The relegation semi finals were cancelled as Parnells conceded relegation to the Senior 2 Football Championship for 2019. Clontarf, St. Oliver Plunkett's Eoghan Ruadh and Lucan Sarsfields retained their Senior 1 status and will compete in the 2019 Senior 1 Football Championship.


2018 Dublin Senior Hurling Championship
The 2018 Dublin Senior Hurling Championship was the 131st staging of the Dublin Senior Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Dublin County Board in 1887. The championship began on 5 April 2018 and ended on 28 October 2018.


2018 Dublin Senior Hurling Championship
Cuala were the defending champions, defeating Kilmacud Crokes in the 2017 final and winning their third Dublin Senior Hurling Championship in a row.


2018 Dudley Hewitt Cup
The 2018 Dudley Hewitt Cup was the 47th Central Canadian Jr A Ice Hockey Championship for the Canadian Junior Hockey League. The winner of the 2018 Dudley Hewitt Cup represented the central region in the 2018 Royal Bank Cup in Chilliwack, BC.


2018 Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council election
The 2018 Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 3 May 2018 to elect members of Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections.


2018 Dufferin County municipal elections
Elections were held in Dufferin County, Ontario on October 22, 2018 in conjunction with municipal elections across the province.


2018 Dufferin County municipal elections, Dufferin County Council
Dufferin County Council has 14 members, two from each constituent municipality except for East Garafraxa and East Luther Grand Valley which elect just one member.


2018 Duke Blue Devils football team
The 2018 Duke Blue Devils football team represented Duke University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in the Coastal Division. The team was led by head coach David Cutcliffe, in his 11th year, and play ed its home games at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, North Carolina. The Blue Devils finished the regular season with an 8–5 overall record. They went 3–5 in ACC play to finish in sixth place in the Coastal Division. They were invited to the Independence Bowl, where they defeated Temple.


2018 Duke Blue Devils football team, Previous season
The Blue Devils finished the 2017 season 7–6, 3–5 in ACC play to finish in a three-way tie for fourth place in the Coastal Division. They were invited to the Quick Lane Bowl where they defeated Northern Illinois.


2018 Duke Blue Devils football team, Preseason, ACC media poll
The ACC media poll was released on July 24, 2018.


2018 Duke Blue Devils men's soccer team
The 2018 Duke Blue Devils men's soccer team represented Duke University during the 2018 NCAA Division I men's soccer season. The Blue Devils were led by head coach John Kerr, in his eleventh season. They played home games at Koskinen Stadium. The team was founded in 1935 and currently plays in the Atlantic Coast Conference.


2018 Duke Blue Devils men's soccer team, Background
The 2017 Duke men's soccer team finished the season with a 13–4–3 overall record and a 4–3–1 ACC record. The Blue Devils were seeded fourth–overall in the 2017 ACC Men's Soccer Tournament, where they lost to Clemson in the Quarterfinals. The Blue Devils earned an at-large bid into the 2017 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament. As the sixth–overall seed in the tournament, Duke hosted FIU in the Second Round. Duke won 2–1 and progressed to face Fordham at home. Duke was upset on penalties after the game ended 2–2 to end their season.


2018 Duke Blue Devils men's soccer team, Background
At the end of the season, three Blue Devils men's soccer players were selected in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft: Brian White, Carter Manley and Markus Fjørtoft.


2018 Duke Blue Devils men's soccer team, Squad, Roster
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 Duke Blue Devils men's soccer team, 2019 MLS Super Draft
Duke did not have any players selected in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft.


2018 Dundalk F.C. season
Dundalk entered the 2018 season as the League Cup holders from 2017, having won that competition and finished as runners-up in both league and FAI Cup. In January the club was taken over by United States-based investors, who had identified the club's European progress as a commercial opportunity. 2018 would turn out to be Stephen Kenny's sixth and final season as manager. He resigned one month after the end of the season to accept the Republic of Ireland U-21 manager's role, and was replaced by his assistant, Vinny Perth for 2019. The 2018 season was Dundalk's 10th consecutive season in the top tier of Irish football, their 83rd in all, and their 92nd in the League of Ireland.


2018 Dundalk F.C. season, Season summary
The new season's curtain raiser - the President's Cup - was played on 11 February in Oriel Park between Dundalk and Cork City - the winners of both league and cup the previous year. Cork City won on a 4-2 scoreline. The 36 round League programme commenced on 16 February 2018, and was completed on 26 October 2018. Dundalk regained their title with three games to spare, sealing the title in Oriel Park in a 1-1 draw with St Patrick's Athletic on 5 October 2018.


2018 Dundalk F.C. season, Season summary
They went on to win the 2018 FAI Cup with a 2-1 victory over Cork City in the final on 4 November 2018 - the club's fourth League and Cup Double. An opportunity to win the club's first domestic Treble was spurned when a largely reserve side lost the League Cup semi-final away to First Division Cobh Ramblers.


2018 Dundalk F.C. season, Season summary
In Europe progress was limited when, after defeating Levadia Tallinn, and holding AEK Larnaca scoreless in Oriel Park, three quickfire first half goals in the away leg in Cyprus in the 2018-19 Europa League second qualifying round ended their interest in that year's competition.


2018 Duquesne Dukes football team
The 2018 Duquesne Dukes football team represented Duquesne University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by 14th-year head coach Jerry Schmitt and played their home games at Arthur J. Rooney Athletic Field. They played as a member of the Northeast Conference. They finished the season 9–4, 5–1 in NEC play to be NEC co-champions with Sacred Heart. Due to their head-to-head win over Sacred Heart, they received the NEC's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs where they defeated Towson in the first round before losing in the second round to South Dakota State.


2018 Duquesne Dukes football team, Previous season
The Dukes finished the 2017 season 7–4, 4–2 in NEC play to finish in a tie for second place.


2018 Duquesne Dukes football team, Preseason, NEC coaches poll
The NEC released their preseason coaches poll on July 24, 2018, with the Dukes predicted to finish in second place.


2018 Duquesne Dukes football team, Preseason, Preseason All-NEC team
The Dukes placed five players on the preseason all-NEC team.


2018 Durham Region municipal elections
Elections were held in the Regional Municipality of Durham in Ontario, on October 22, 2018 in conjunction with municipal elections across the province.


2018 Durham Region municipal elections, Durham Regional Chair
The following are the preliminary results for the position of Durham Regional Chair.


2018 Durham Region municipal elections, Ajax
The following are the preliminary results for the Town of Ajax.


2018 Durham Region municipal elections, Ajax
Following a ward boundary review, Ajax gained one regional councillor and lost one local councillor for the 2018 election. The overall size of the council remained the same.


2018 Durham Region municipal elections, Ajax, Regional Councillors
Three Regional Councillors were elected in 1 of 3 wards.


2018 Durham Region municipal elections, Ajax, Local Councillors
Three Local Councillors were elected in 1 of 3 wards.


2018 Durham Region municipal elections, Brock
The following are the preliminary results for the Township of Brock.


2018 Durham Region municipal elections, Brock, Local Councillors
Five Local Councillors were elected in 1 of 5 wards.


2018 Durham Region municipal elections, Clarington
The following are the preliminary results for the Municipality of Clarington.


2018 Durham Region municipal elections, Clarington, Regional Councillors
Two Regional Councillors were elected in 1 of 2 wards.


2018 Durham Region municipal elections, Clarington, Local Councillors
Four Local Councillors were elected in 1 of 4 wards.


2018 Durham Region municipal elections, Oshawa
The following are the preliminary results for the City of Oshawa.


2018 Durham Region municipal elections, Oshawa
For the 2018 election, Oshawa re-adopted a ward based system. Voters in each ward elected one regional councillor and one city councillor.


2018 Durham Region municipal elections, Oshawa, Regional & City Councillors
Five Regional & City Councillors were elected in 1 of 5 wards.


2018 Durham Region municipal elections, Oshawa, City Councillors
Five City Councillors were elected in 1 of 5 wards.


2018 Durham Region municipal elections, Pickering
The following are the preliminary results for the City of Pickering.


2018 Durham Region municipal elections, Pickering, Regional Councillors
Three Regional Councillors were elected in 1 of 3 wards.


2018 Durham Region municipal elections, Pickering, City Councillors
Three City Councillors were elected in 1 of 3 wards.


2018 Durham Region municipal elections, Scugog
The following are the preliminary results for the Township of Scugog.


2018 Durham Region municipal elections, Scugog, Local Councillors
Five Local Councillors were elected in 1 of 5 wards.


2018 Durham Region municipal elections, Uxbridge
The following are the preliminary results for the Town of Uxbridge.


2018 Durham Region municipal elections, Uxbridge, Local Councillors
Five Local Councillors were elected in 1 of 5 wards.


2018 Durham Region municipal elections, Whitby
The following are the preliminary results for the Town of Whitby.


2018 Durham Region municipal elections, Whitby, Local Councillors
Four Local Councillors were elected in 1 of 4 wards.


2018 Dutch Athletics Championships
The 2018 Dutch Athletics Championships was the national championship in outdoor track and field for the Netherlands. It was held on 21 to 24 June at the Sportpark Maarschalkerweerd in Utrecht. It served as the selection meeting for the Netherlands at the 2018 European Athletics Championships.


2018 Dutch Athletics Championships
The pole vault was held at Vredenburg in the city centre on June 21, while the 10,000 metres championship was contested separately at the Leiden Golden Spike meeting on 9 June.


2018 Dutch Basketball Supercup
The 2018 Dutch Basketball Supercup was the 7th edition of the Dutch Basketball Supercup. The game was played in the MartiniPlaza in Groningen.


2018 Dutch Basketball Supercup
The game featured Donar, the defending champions of the Dutch Basketball League, and ZZ Leiden, the runner-up of the 2017–18 NBB Cup.


2018 Dutch Basketball Supercup
Donar won the game 74–69, winning its record third Supercup. It was the debut game for Rolf Franke as head coach of Leiden.


2018 Dutch Darts Championship
The 2018 Dutch Darts Championship was the eleventh of thirteen PDC European Tour events on the 2018 PDC Pro Tour. The tournament took place at the MECC Eventcenter, Maastricht, Netherlands from 7–9 September 2018. It featured a field of 48 players and £135,000 in prize money, with £25,000 going to the winner.


2018 Dutch Darts Championship
Ian White won his tenth PDC title and his first on the European Tour, defeating Ricky Evans 8–5 in the final.


2018 Dutch Darts Championship, Prize money
Prize money will count towards the PDC Order of Merit, the ProTour Order of Merit and the European Tour Order of Merit, with one exception: should a seeded player lose in the second round (last 32), their prize money will not count towards any Orders of Merit, although they still receive the full prize money payment.


2018 Dutch Darts Championship, Qualification and format
The top 16 entrants from the PDC ProTour Order of Merit on 30 August will automatically qualify for the event and will be seeded in the second round.


2018 Dutch Darts Championship, Qualification and format
The remaining 32 places will go to players from five qualifying events – 18 from the UK Qualifier (held in Barnsley on 3 September), eight from the West/South European Qualifier (held on 30 August), four from the Host Nation Qualifier (held on 6 September), one from the Nordic & Baltic Qualifier (held on 10 August) and one from the East European Qualifier (held on 25 August).


2018 Dutch Darts Championship, Qualification and format
Mensur Suljović, who would have been the number 3 seed, withdrew from the tournament prior to the draw. Steve West, the highest-ranked qualifier, was promoted to 16th seed. Erik Tautfest also withdrew prior to the draw. Two extra places were made available in the Host Nation Qualifier.


2018 Dutch Darts Masters
The 2018 Dutch Darts Masters was the sixth of thirteen PDC European Tour events on the 2018 PDC Pro Tour. The tournament took place at IJsselhallen, Zwolle, Netherlands, between 11–13 May 2018. It featured a field of 48 players and £135,000 in prize money, with £25,000 going to the winner.


2018 Dutch Darts Masters
Michael van Gerwen was the defending four-time consecutive champion after defeating Steve Beaton 6–2 in the 2017 final.


2018 Dutch Darts Masters
Van Gerwen went on to win the title for the 5th time in a row by defeating Steve Lennon 8–5 in the final, after he was 6–2 down in the semi-finals, before surviving three match darts from Daryl Gurney and winning 7–6 to reach the final.


2018 Dutch Darts Masters, Prize money
Prize money will count towards the PDC Order of Merit, the ProTour Order of Merit and the European Tour Order of Merit, with one exception: should a seeded player lose in the second round (last 32), their prize money will not count towards any Orders of Merit, although they still receive the full prize money payment.


2018 Dutch Darts Masters, Qualification and format
The top 16 entrants from the PDC ProTour Order of Merit on 27 March will automatically qualify for the event and will be seeded in the second round.


2018 Dutch Darts Masters, Qualification and format
The remaining 32 places will go to players from five qualifying events – 18 from the UK Qualifier (held in Barnsley on 6 April), eight from the West/South European Qualifier (held on 3 May), four from the Host Nation Qualifier (held on 10 May), one from the Nordic & Baltic Qualifier (held on 23 February) and one from the East European Qualifier (held on 24 February).


2018 Dutch Darts Masters, Qualification and format
Rob Cross withdrew with illness on the day of the tournament, so Steve Lennon, who was due to face him in round 2, was given a bye to round 3.


2018 Dutch Intelligence and Security Services Act referendum
An advisory referendum on the Intelligence and Security Services Act 2017 (Dutch: Wet op de inlichtingen- en veiligheidsdiensten 2017, abbreviated 'Wiv') was held in the Netherlands on 21 March 2018, alongside the municipal elections. It was the second referendum to be held under the Dutch Advisory Referendum Act after the 2016 Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement referendum.


2018 Dutch Intelligence and Security Services Act referendum
A plurality of voters (49.44%) voted against the law, resulting in its rejection. Voter turnout was 51.5%, above the 30% threshold for validation of the result. Although the referendum itself was non-binding, Prime Minister Mark Rutte had promised to take a potential "no" vote into account prior to the referendum.


2018 Dutch Intelligence and Security Services Act referendum, Background
The draft Intelligence and Security Agencies Act 2017 was laid before the States General by the Government of the Netherlands at the end of 2016. On 14 February 2017, a majority in the House of Representatives voted in support of the act, which was then approved in the Senate on 11 July. Although a referendum will be held, the government has indicated it plans for the law to nevertheless to go into effect on 1 May 2018.


2018 Dutch Intelligence and Security Services Act referendum, Request
A campaign to obtain sufficient support declarations for a referendum was initiated by a group of students at the University of Amsterdam concerned about the sweeping surveillance powers granted to the General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) under the law. On 1 November 2017, the Electoral Council (Kiesraad) announced that a sufficient number of signatures had been collected to trigger an advisory referendum on the tapping law, with 384,126 valid signatures, over 92 percent of those collected, well above the 300,000 required for a referendum.


2018 Dutch Intelligence and Security Services Act referendum, Party positions
The referendum comes after the formation of the Third Rutte cabinet following the 2017 general election, with the coalition divided whether to hold a referendum on the law, Democrats 66 (D66) being the only one of the four coalition parties that voted against disregarding the result ahead of the referendum.


2018 Dutch Intelligence and Security Services Act referendum, Party positions
The party positions listed below are based on the vote of the law in the House of Representatives on 14 February 2017, with the exception of Forum for Democracy (FvD), which was not represented in the lower chamber before the 2017 general election.


2018 Dutch Intelligence and Security Services Act referendum, Party positions
* PVV announced that even though they voted in favour, they would respect the outcome of the referendum.


2018 Dutch Open (badminton)
The 2018 Dutch Open (officially known as the Yonex Dutch Open 2018 for sponsorship reasons) was a badminton tournament which took place from 9 to 14 October 2018 at Topsportcentrum in Almere, Netherlands, and had a total purse of $75,000.


2018 Dutch Open (badminton), Tournament
The 2018 Dutch Open was the ninth Super 100 tournament of the 2018 BWF World Tour and also part of the Dutch Open championships, which had been held since 1932. This tournament was organised by Badminton Nederland and sanctioned by the BWF.


2018 Dutch Open (badminton), Tournament, Venue
This international tournament was held at Topsportscentrum in Almere, Flevoland, Netherlands.


2018 Dutch Open (badminton), Tournament, Point distribution
Below is the point distribution table for each phase of the tournament based on the BWF points system for the BWF Tour Super 100 event.


2018 Dutch Open (badminton), Tournament, Prize money
The total prize money for this tournament was US$75,000. Distribution of prize money was in accordance with BWF regulations.


2018 Dutch TT
The 2018 Dutch TT was the eighth round of the 2018 MotoGP season. It was held at the TT Circuit Assen in Assen on 1 July 2018.


2018 Dutch municipal elections
The Dutch municipal elections of 2018 were held on 21 March in 335 municipalities in the Netherlands. This election determined the composition of the municipal councils for the following four years. The election coincided with the Intelligence and Security Services Act referendum.


2018 Dutch municipal elections, Background
In the previous municipal elections, local political parties won by far most votes and seats. Nationally, all local political parties won 28% of the votes and a third of municipal council seats. Local parties have seen a steady rise since the 1990s. In 2018, Vlieland will be the only municipality in which no national political parties will contest the election.


2018 Dutch municipal elections, Background
Of all national political parties, the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) will contest most municipal elections; the party will be on the ballot in all but three (Rozendaal, Vlieland and Schiermonnikoog). The Labour Party (PvdA) comes second, contesting over 320 elections, albeit on a joint list with allied parties in some municipalities. The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) will participate in over 315 elections, and the Democrats 66 in over 270, followed by GroenLinks in 220, the Christian Union in 169, the Socialist Party in 118 and the Reformed Political Party (SGP) in 99.


2018 Dutch municipal elections, Background
The Party for Freedom (PVV), which had previously only participated in The Hague and Almere, initially planned to expand to a total of sixty municipalities, but has only been able to find suitable candidates in thirty, including Rotterdam. 50PLUS will expand to twenty municipalities, while the Party for the Animals (PvdD) will contest fifteen elections. Two new national political parties will make their entrance to municipal politics. Denk will contest the elections in fourteen municipalities, while the Forum for Democracy will only contest in Amsterdam. Additionally, the latter has endorsed the local party Livable Rotterdam.


2018 Dutch municipal elections, Background
45 municipalities did not have elections on 21 March due to mergers.


2018 Dutch municipal elections, Electoral system
Municipal councils are elected using party-list proportional representation. The number of seats depends on the population of the municipality, ranging from nine seats for municipalities with a population below 3,000, to 45 seats for municipalities with a population over 200,000.


2018 Dutch municipal elections, Amsterdam, Results
After the 2018 municipal elections, the GroenLinks held the largest share of seats on the municipal council, though not enough to hold a majority. As no party held a majority, a left-leaning governing coalition was formed between GroenLinks, D66, the Labour Party, and the Socialist Party, which together hold 26 of the city's 45 council seats.


2018 Dutch municipal elections, Amsterdam, Results
The new city council elected Femke Halsema, a member of the GroenLinks, to be the mayor of Amsterdam. Halsema is the first women to be elected mayor of Amsterdam, as well as the first member of the GroenLinks to take that position.


2018 Dwars door Vlaanderen
The 2018 Dwars door Vlaanderen was a road cycling one-day race that took place on 28 March 2018 in Belgium. It was the 73rd edition of Dwars door Vlaanderen and the twelfth event of the 2018 UCI World Tour. It was won for the second year in a row by Yves Lampaert (Quick-Step Floors) – becoming the first rider to win the race in consecutive years. He finished two seconds ahead of Team Sunweb's Mike Teunissen and Sep Vanmarcke, riding for the EF Education First–Drapac p/b Cannondale team, completed the podium.


2018 Dwars door Vlaanderen, Teams
As the race was only added to the UCI World Tour calendar in 2017, all UCI WorldTeams were invited to the race, but not obligated to compete in the race. As such, seventeen of the eighteen WorldTeams – with the exception of Groupama–FDJ – competed in the race, up one on 2017. Eight UCI Professional Continental teams competed, completing the 25-team peloton.


2018 Dwars door Vlaanderen, Route
The race was 180.1 kilometres (111.9 miles) in length. There were 12 categorised climbs:


2018 Dwars door West–Vlaanderen
The 2018 Dwars door West-Vlaanderen was the 72nd edition of the Dwars door West-Vlaanderen road cycling one day race. It was part of UCI Europe Tour in category 1.1.


2018 Dwars door West–Vlaanderen, Teams
Twenty-two teams were invited to take part in the race. These included two UCI World Tour teams, twelve UCI Professional Continental teams and eight UCI Continental teams.


2018 E3 Harelbeke
The 2018 E3 Harelbeke was a road cycling one-day race that took place on 23 March 2018 in Belgium. It was the 61st edition of the E3 Harelbeke and the tenth event of the 2018 UCI World Tour. The race was won by Niki Terpstra (Quick-Step Floors), who stayed 20 seconds clear of an elite group, led home by his teammate Philippe Gilbert, with BMC Racing Team's Greg Van Avermaet completing the podium.


2018 E3 Harelbeke, Teams
As E3 Harelbeke was a UCI World Tour event, all eighteen UCI WorldTeams were invited automatically and obliged to enter a team in the race. Seven UCI Professional Continental teams competed, completing the 25-team peloton.


2018 EC4
2018 EC4 is a small asteroid and Mars trojan orbiting near the L5 point of Mars (60 degrees behind Mars on its orbit).


2018 EC4, Discovery, orbit and physical properties
2018 EC4 was first observed on 10 March 2018 by the Mt. Lemmon Survey, but it had already been imaged (but not identified as an asteroid) by the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope system at Haleakala on 29 October 2011. Its orbit is characterized by low eccentricity (0.061), moderate inclination (21.8°) and a semi-major axis of 1.52 AU. Upon discovery, it was classified as Mars-crosser by the Minor Planet Center. Its orbit is well determined as it is currently (January 2021) based on 70 observations with a data-arc span of 3,131 days. 2018 EC4 has an absolute magnitude of 20.1 which gives a characteristic diameter of 300 m.


2018 EC4, Mars trojan and orbital evolution
Recent calculations indicate that it is a stable L5 Mars trojan with a libration period of 1250 yr and an amplitude of 17°. These values are similar to those of 5261 Eureka and related objects and it may be a member of the so-called Eureka family.


2018 ECAC Hockey Men's Ice Hockey Tournament
The 2018 ECAC Hockey Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was the 57th tournament in league history. It was played between March 2 and March 17, 2018. First Round and Quarterfinal games were played at home team campus sites, while the final four games were played at the Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, New York. By winning the tournament Princeton received the ECAC's automatic bid to the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament.


2018 ECAC Hockey Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, Format
The tournament features four rounds of play. The teams that finish above fifth place in the standings receive a bye to the quarterfinal round. In the first round, the fifth and twelfth seeds, the sixth and eleventh seeds, the seventh and tenth seeds and the eighth and ninth seeds played a best-of-three series with the winners advancing to the quarterfinals.


2018 ECAC Hockey Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, Format
In the quarterfinals the one seed plays the lowest remaining seed, the second seed plays the second-lowest remaining seed, the third seed plays the third-lowest remaining seed and the fourth seed plays the fourth-lowest remaining seed another best-of-three series with the winners of these the series advancing to the Semifinals. In the semifinals the top remaining seed plays the lowest remaining seed while the two remaining teams play against each other. The winners of the semifinals play in the championship game, and no third-place game is played. All series after the quarterfinals are single-elimination games. The tournament champion receives an automatic bid to the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament.


2018 ECAC Hockey Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, Conference Standings
Note: GP = Games Played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; PTS = Points; GF = Goals For; GA = Goals Against


2018 EF Education First–Drapac season
The 2018 season for the EF Education First–Drapac p/b Cannondale cycling team began in January at the Tour Down Under. As a UCI WorldTeam, they are  obligated to send a squad to every event in the UCI World Tour.


2018 EFL Championship play-off Final
The 2018 EFL Championship play-off Final was an association football match which was played on 26 May 2018 at Wembley Stadium, London, between Aston Villa and Fulham. The match was to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football, to the Premier League.


2018 EFL Championship play-off Final
The top two teams of the 2017–18 EFL Championship season gained automatic promotion to the Premier League, while the teams placed from third to sixth place in the table partook in play-off semi-finals; the winners of these semi-finals competed for the final place for the 2018–19 season in the Premier League; Fulham ended the season in third place while Aston Villa finished fourth. Winning the game was estimated to be worth £160 million to the successful team.


2018 EFL Championship play-off Final
The 2018 final, refereed by Anthony Taylor, was watched by a crowd of more than 85,000 people in very warm conditions. Fulham won 1–0, the only goal of the game being scored by the man of the match Tom Cairney in the 23rd minute. It was their first game at Wembley for 43 years since losing the 1975 FA Cup Final and marked their return to the Premier League for the first time since their relegation in the 2013–14 season.


2018 EFL Championship play-off Final
Fulham ended the next season in 19th place and were relegated back to the Championship, despite finishing ten points ahead of bottom club Huddersfield Town. Aston Villa finished fifth in the 2018–19 EFL Championship and secured a 2–1 victory in the play-off final which saw them promoted to the Premier League for the 2019–20 season.


2018 EFL Championship play-off Final, Route to the final
Fulham finished the regular 2017–18 season in third place in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league system, one place ahead of Aston Villa. Both therefore missed out on the two automatic places for promotion to the Premier League and instead took part in the play-offs to determine the third promoted team. Fulham finished two points behind Cardiff City (who were promoted in second place) and eleven behind league winners Wolverhampton Wanderers, despite only having lost one game more than the champions. Aston Villa ended the season five points behind Fulham and seven points ahead of fifth-placed Middlesbrough.


2018 EFL Championship play-off Final, Route to the final
Despite dominating possession in the first leg of their semi-final against Derby County, Fulham lost the match with Cameron Jerome scoring the only goal. The second leg once again saw Fulham in control, and with second-half goals from Ryan Sessegnon and Denis Odoi, an aggregate 2–1 victory ensured the London club qualify for the playoff final.


2018 EFL Championship play-off Final, Route to the final
Aston Villa won the first of their semi-final matches against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium with a score of 1–0. A first-half header from Mile Jedinak secured the victory in a game of few chances. A goalless draw in the return leg at the Villa Park meant Villa won the play-off semi-finals 1–0 on aggregate to qualify for the final. Tony Pulis, the Middlesbrough manager, was disappointed that Villa goalkeeper Sam Johnstone was not sent off for handling the ball outside the box with two minutes of the match remaining. Middlesbrough were also denied a last-minute goal which would have taken the tie into extra time when Stewart Downing's direct free kick struck the bar.


2018 EFL Championship play-off Final, Match, Background
This was Aston Villa's first play-off final, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2015–16 season, and finishing the following season in 13th position. Villa's last visit to Wembley ended in defeat a 4–0 defeat to Arsenal  in the 2015 FA Cup Final. Fulham had failed to win seven consecutive play-off semi-final matches, most recently losing out to Reading in the 2017 play-offs. Qualification for the final marked Fulham's first visit to Wembley since their defeat against West Ham United in the 1975 FA Cup Final.


2018 EFL Championship play-off Final, Match, Background
During the regular season, Fulham had lost to Villa at Villa Park 2–1 in October 2017, despite dominating poessession, but won the reverse fixture at Craven Cottage in February 2018. Ryan Sessegnon was ever-present and top scorer for Fulham with 16 goals, while Albert Adomah had scored the most during Aston Villa's regular season, with 14 goals from 41 appearances.


2018 EFL Championship play-off Final, Match, Background
The game was considered a "classic clash of styles" by the Bleacher Report, pitching an "experienced and pragmatic" Villa against a Fulham team "featuring ample young talent". Villa's starting line-up had all played in a Wembley final before, and included 37-year-old former England international defender John Terry. Only two of the Fulham team had played at England's national stadium, Matt Targett, for Southampton and Stefan Johansen, for Norway. The Fulham starting line-up was unchanged from their semi-final aggregate win. Ahmed Elmohamady returned to the Aston Villa starting eleven having missed out on the second leg of the semi-finals with a hamstring injury picked up at the end of the first leg, replacing James Bree who sat on the bench.


2018 EFL Championship play-off Final, Match, Background
The final was refereed by Anthony Taylor from the Cheshire Football Association, with assistant referees Gary Beswick and Dan Cook, and Kevin Friend acted as the fourth official. It was widely reported that the game was worth at least £160 million over three years to the winners through sponsorship and television deals. Before kick-off, both teams were introduced to former Fulham player Alan Mullery. Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, an Aston Villa fan, was supporting from the stands. Fulham were considered favourites to win the match, which was broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports Main Event and on ESPN+ in the United States.


2018 EFL Championship play-off Final, Match, First half
Fulham's Aleksandar Mitrović kicked off at 5 p.m. in front of a crowd of 85,243 people, in warm conditions. Neither team dominated the early stages, and in the 8th minute, Villa's James Chester was booked for a foul on Mitrović. After 15 minutes, the pitchside temperature was measured at 90 °F (32 °C). Fulham continued to pass the ball around and on 20 minutes, Aboubakar Kamara's looping shot landed on the roof of the Villa net. Soon after, Chester was forced to make a clearance as Fulham began to take control of the match.


2018 EFL Championship play-off Final, Match, First half
In the 23rd minute, they made their superiority count and took the lead through a Tom Cairney strike. Sessegnon evaded a challenge from Hourihane 30 yards (27 m) from the Villa goal, and advanced, playing an accurately weighted pass to Cairney who passed the ball into the net past Sam Johnstone. Half an hour in, Villa claims for a red card were denied by the referee Anthony Taylor for Ryan Fredericks who appeared to deliberately stamp on Grealish.


2018 EFL Championship play-off Final, Match, First half
Although Villa briefly dominated the game, Fulham were soon back on top although another foul on Grealish, this time from Denis Odoi, earned the London club their second yellow card of the afternoon. With five minutes of the half remaining, Robert Snodgrass' chipped a pass to Grealish who controlled the ball, only to strike it over the Fulham bar. In the 42nd minute, a mix-up between Chester and Johnstone allowed Mitrović in on an empty goal, only for Chester to redeem himself with a clearance. Two minutes of additional time were played before the half ended 1–0 to Fulham.


2018 EFL Championship play-off Final, Match, Second half
Aston Villa kicked off the second half and quickly both Grealish and Lewis Grabban pressed higher up the pitch, putting pressure on Fulham goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli. In the 50th minute, a cross from Adomah was met by Snodgrass, but his header was high over the bar. Three minutes later, Grealish's header from another Admoah cross was charged down by Bettinelli. Midway through the second half, a snaking run from Grealish saw him pass three Fulham defenders but his shot was saved. He was then shown a yellow card for a poor challenge on Cairney.


2018 EFL Championship play-off Final, Match, Second half
Kevin McDonald's shot on 67 minutes was deflected out but the subsequent corner was headed wide. In the 70th minute, Odoi was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for kicking Grealish in the chest, leaving Fulham to defend their lead with ten men for the remaining 20 minutes of the match. Fulham's struggling midfielder Johansen was substituted off in the 72nd minute, to be replaced by Oliver Norwood. Soon after Mitrović missed an opportunity to double Fulham's advantage, shooting high and wide of the Villa goal.


2018 EFL Championship play-off Final, Match, Second half
Jedinak was then booked for a foul on Mitrović before Kamara also received a yellow card after time-wasting as he was substituted for Tomáš Kalas. A minute later, Steve Bruce made two attacking substitutions for Villa, bringing on Jonathan Kodjia for Elmohamady and Josh Onomah for Jedinak. Scott Hogan was then brought on for Hourihane who was struggling with injury, and Fredericks was replaced by Cyrus Christie for Fulham. With less than five minutes of the match remaining, Alan Hutton was booked for a bad challenge on Mitrović.


2018 EFL Championship play-off Final, Match, Second half
A late free kick for Snodgrass which he struck wide was followed by the announcement of five minutes of additional time. Hogan missed a chance for Villa before a possible Grealish penalty was waved away by the referee. A Sessegnon free kick was cleared and Villa attacked but with no end product, and the match ended in a 1–0 victory for Fulham.


2018 EFL Championship play-off Final, Post-match
The Villa manager Steve Bruce was unhappy in particular that Fredericks had escaped any kind of punishment for his challenge on Grealish, stating: "First half we didn't do enough. But a big decision then went against us. The red card was very early and I know we don't want to see a game ruined early, but I was right in front of the incident – he stamps on him." Slaviša Jokanović, the Fulham head coach, said "It was a really important victory for us and we deserved it. It's not easy to play with lots of pressure, with lots of young players, and on the other side lots of experience". Tom Cairney was named the man of the match.


2018 EFL Championship play-off Final, Post-match
Fulham ended the next season, their first in the Premier League since they were relegated in the 2013–14 campaign, in 19th place and were relegated back to the Championship. Despite finishing ten points ahead of bottom club Huddersfield Town, Fulham concluded the season ten points from safety having conceded 81 goals, the most in the league. Aston Villa finished fifth in the 2018–19 EFL Championship and secured a 2–1 victory in the play-off final which saw them promoted to the Premier League for the 2019–20 season.


2018 EFL Cup Final
The 2018 EFL Cup Final (also known as the 2018 Carabao Cup Final for sponsorship reasons) was the final association football match of the 2017–18 EFL Cup that took place on 25 February 2018 at Wembley Stadium. It was the first League Cup final contested under the "Carabao Cup" name following the sponsorship of Carabao Energy Drink. It was contested between Manchester City and Arsenal, and won 3–0 by Manchester City. They would have entered the second qualifying round of the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League, but instead qualified  directly for the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League by finishing first in the 2017–18 Premier League.


2018 EFL Cup Final
The match was Manchester City's sixth League Cup Final, and their third in five seasons – qualification for the final also marked the first time Pep Guardiola reached a final with Manchester City. For Arsenal, the final was their eighth total in the competition, and their third of Arsène Wenger's managerial reign.


2018 EFL Cup Final, Route to the final
The EFL Cup is a cup competition open to clubs in the Premier League and English Football League. It is played on a knockout basis, with the exception of the semi-finals, which are contested over a two-legged tie.


2018 EFL Cup Final, Route to the final, Manchester City
Manchester City, a Premier League club involved in the UEFA Champions League, started their League Cup campaign in the third round, where they had been drawn away to fellow divisional opponents West Bromwich Albion. At The Hawthorns, winger Leroy Sané scored twice to give City a 2–1 victory. In the fourth round they faced Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers at home. The visitors defended well and became the first team to keep a clean sheet against the Premier League leaders. Neither side scored after normal and extra time meaning the tie was decided by a penalty shoot-out. City progressed as 4–1 winners.


2018 EFL Cup Final, Route to the final, Manchester City
For the quarter-finals, Manchester City were drawn away to Leicester City at the King Power Stadium. Midfielder Bernardo Silva scored for the visitors, but deep into added time, striker Jamie Vardy equalised for Leicester from the penalty spot. The game finished 1–1 and much like the previous round City needed penalties to progress, winning the shoot-out 4–3. The semi-final pitted Manchester City against Championship side Bristol City. The first leg played at the Etihad Stadium saw the visitors take the lead towards the end of the first half, having been awarded a penalty that Bobby Reid converted.


2018 EFL Cup Final, Route to the final, Manchester City
Kevin De Bruyne equalised for Manchester City and in injury time his teammate Sergio Agüero scored the winner to put the team firmly in control of the tie. Bristol City scored twice at Ashton Gate in the return leg, but Manchester City progressed to the final having won by three goals and recording a 5–3 aggregate score.


2018 EFL Cup Final, Route to the final, Arsenal
Arsenal, like Manchester City were involved in Europe (UEFA Europa League and entered the League Cup in the third round. They were drawn at home against Football League One side Doncaster Rovers. At the Emirates Stadium, Theo Walcott's goal in the 25th minute was enough to settle the outcome in favour of Arsenal. In the next round they faced Championship club Norwich City at home. Arsenal progressed with a 2–1 win after extra time after Eddie Nketiah was brought on as a substitute and scored his first two goals for the club.


2018 EFL Cup Final, Route to the final, Arsenal
Arsenal played against West Ham United in the quarter-finals, where at home they won 1–0 thanks to a goal from Danny Welbeck. The semi-finals pitted Arsenal against London rivals Chelsea. After a goalless first leg at Stamford Bridge, Arsenal progressed to the final after a 2–1 win at the Emirates Stadium due to an own goal from Chelsea's Antonio Rüdiger and a goal from Granit Xhaka. As a result, Arsenal reached the final without leaving London as four of their five games were at home, with the away leg of the semi final being played in London. Their tally of six goals on their way to the final represented the lowest goal-tally of any side to reach a League Cup final.


2018 EFL Cup Final, Match, Summary
In the 18th minute of the match Sergio Agüero opened the scoring when he ran in on goal and lobbed the ball over the advancing goalkeeper David Ospina with his right foot from the edge of the penalty area after an initial clash with Arsenal defender Shkodran Mustafi who appealed for a foul.


2018 EFL Cup Final, Match, Summary
Vincent Kompany got the second in the 58th minute. A corner from the right by Kevin De Bruyne found İlkay Gündoğan on the edge of the penalty area, and his low shot was diverted into the net by Kompany with his left leg from seven yards out. David Silva got the third in the 65th minute when he shot low across and past the goalkeeper with his left foot from inside the left of the penalty area from seven yards out.


2018 EFL Cup Final, Match, Details
Assistant referees:Gary Beswick (Durham)Adam Nunn (Wiltshire)Fourth official:Graham Scott (Berks & Bucks)Fifth official:Ian Hussin (Liverpool)Video assistant referee:Neil Swarbrick (Lancashire)Assistant video assistant referee:Peter Kirkup (Northamptonshire)


2018 EFL League One play-off Final
The 2018 EFL League One play-off Final was an association football match which was played on 27 May 2018 at Wembley Stadium, London, between Rotherham United and Shrewsbury Town to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from EFL League One to the  EFL Championship. The top two teams of the 2017–18 EFL League One season gained automatic promotion to the Championship, while the teams placed from third to sixth place in the table partook in play-off semi-finals; the winners of these semi-finals competed for the final place for the 2018–19 season in the Championship.


2018 EFL League One play-off Final
Rotherham had reached the play-off final in their first season back in the third tier of English football, having been relegated from the Championship in the 2017–18 season. The two clubs had faced one another at Wembley before, in the 1996 Football League Trophy Final. The 2018 final was watched by a crowd of more than 26,000 people and refereed by Robert Jones. Shrewsbury's goalkeeper Dean Henderson saved an early Rotherham penalty before Rotherham took the lead with a Richard Wood goal. Shrewsbury equalised through a second-half Alex Rodman strike, forcing the match into extra time. Late in the first half,  Wood scored his and Rotherham's second, and the match ended 2–1.


2018 EFL League One play-off Final
Shrewsbury Town ended the next season in 18th place, five points above the relegation zone. Rotherham United finished 22nd in the 2018–19 EFL Championship, four points from safety and having conceded the most goals in the division, and were relegated back to League One.


2018 EFL League One play-off Final, Route to the final
Shrewsbury Town finished the regular 2017–18 season in third place in EFL League One, the third tier of the English football league system, one place ahead of Rotherham United. Both therefore missed out on the two automatic places for promotion to the EFL Championship and instead took part in the play-offs to determine the third promoted team. Shrewsbury finished nine points behind Blackburn Rovers (who were promoted in second place) and eleven behind league winners Wigan Athletic. Rotherham United ended the season eight points behind Shrewsbury.


2018 EFL League One play-off Final, Route to the final
Rotherham faced Scunthorpe United in their play-off semi-final, with the first leg being played away at Glanford Park. Jon Taylor scored after 17 minutes to take the lead for Rotherham but Scunthorpe equalised almost immediately through an own goal from Michael Ihiekwe. Joe Newell, a second-half substitute, put Rotherham back in front in the 64th minute after Scunthorpe goalkeeper Matt Gilks was replaced after suffering a knee injury. With two minutes remaining, Cameron McGeehan restored parity once again and the match ended 2–2. The second leg was played four days later at Rotherham's New York Stadium.


2018 EFL League One play-off Final, Route to the final
Richard Wood put Rotherham ahead with a headed goal in additional time in the first half, and Will Vaulks extended their lead with a close-range strike. The Scunthorpe captain Rory McArdle was sent off after receiving two yellow cards and the match ended 2–0 to Rotherham, who progressed to the final with a 4–2 aggregate victory.


2018 EFL League One play-off Final, Route to the final
Shrewsbury's opponents in their play-off semi-final were Charlton Ahtletic, with the first leg being played away at The Valley. The first half was goalless and with ten minutes remaining in the second, Jon Nolan's 20-yard (18 m) half-volley from a Stefan Payne pass put Shrewsbury into a 1–0 lead which they held onto until the final whistle. The second leg was played at Shresbury's New Meadow three days later. A second-half strike from Carlton Morris was the only goal of the game, and the match ended 1–0, with Shrewsbury qualifying for the final, winning 2–0 on aggregate.


2018 EFL League One play-off Final, Match, Background
Rotherham United had featured in two play-off finals prior to 2018, losing the 2010 Football League Two play-off Final to Dagenham & Redbridge and the 2014 Football League One play-off Final where they defeated Leyton Orient after a penalty shootout. Shrewsbury Town had also played in two play-off finals, both unsuccessfully. They lost the 2007 Football League Two play-off Final 3–1 to Bristol Rovers and then were defeated by Gillingham in the 2009 final.


2018 EFL League One play-off Final, Match, Background
Shrewsbury had also lost in two other finals hosted at Wembley Stadium, against Rotherham in the 1996 Football League Trophy Final and League Two team Lincoln City in the 2018 EFL Trophy Final, held the month prior to this play-off final. During the regular season, both teams had won their away games, Shrewsbury winning 2–1 in November 2017 and Rotherham victorious 1–0 the following February. The play-off final was Shrewsbury's 62nd competitive match of the season. The on-loan striker Kieffer Moore was Rotherham's highest scorer during the season with thirteen goals, despite having left the club in January,  while Payne was Shrewsbury's top marksman with eleven.


2018 EFL League One play-off Final, Match, Background
Shrewsbury Town had not played in the second tier of English football since their relegation from the 1988–89 Second Division, while Rotherham were attempting to restore their place in the EFL Championship having been relegated in the 2016–17 season. The Shrewsbury Town manager Paul Hurst had spent almost his entire playing career at Rotherham, and coming into the game there was considerable speculation in the media over whether he would be taking the vacant position at Championship club Ipswich Town, regardless of the result of the play-off final. Paul Warne, the Rotherham manager, had played alongside Hurst for the club for five years.


2018 EFL League One play-off Final, Match, Background
Robert Jones was the referee for the match, with assistants Neil Davies and Dan Robathan, and Scott Duncan acted as the fourth official. Jones had officiated the regular season fixture between the clubs in which he sent off Shrewsbury captain Abu Ogogo. Rotherham were considered to be favourites to win the match by bookmakers. Shrewsbury Town's starting lineup was unchanged from the second leg of the semi-final win against Charlton with Morris starting as striker ahead of the top scorer Payne. Rotherham United made three changes to the team that defeated Scunthorpe, bringing Semi Ajayi, David Ball and Taylor back.


2018 EFL League One play-off Final, Match, First half
Rotherham United kicked the game off at 3:03 p.m. in front of a Wembley crowd of 26,218 in hot conditions. After early pressing from Shrewsbury, Rotherham's Ball's cross went close to Newell before Ball himself was brought down by Toto Nsiala. Joe Mattock's challenge on Shaun Whalley drew another free kick, which came to nothing before, on 7 minutes, Rotherham were denied a penalty after the ball struck Nsiala's arm, instead earning a corner. Two minutes later, Omar Beckles brought Wood down in the Shrewsbury area to concede a penalty.


2018 EFL League One play-off Final, Match, First half
Ball stepped up to take it but it was saved by Dean Henderson, the Shrewsbury goalkeeper who was on loan from Manchester United. On fourteen minutes, Nolan won a corner from which Alex Rodman's shot was blocked. Ball's shot ten minutes later was blocked and the resulting corner from Taylor was gathered by Henderson. Whalley received the first yellow card of the match on 27 minutes for a foul on Beckles. In the 30th minute, Morris headed Nolan's cross past Rotherham's post, but a minute later Rotherham took the lead.


2018 EFL League One play-off Final, Match, First half
Wood evaded Beckles for the first time in the match, and his header from a Newell corner beat Henderson. Shrewsbury's James Bolton was the second to receive a yellow card, in the 38th minute for a foul on Wood. Richie Towell's late first half shot from 30 yards (27 m) flew over the crossbar, before the half ended, with Rotherham leading 1–0.


2018 EFL League One play-off Final, Match, Second half
No changes to the teams were made during half time, and Shrewsbury got the second half underway. Carlton Morris' early cross found no-one before, on 54 minutes, the midfielder Bryn Morris went down with a hamstring injury after an aerial challenge with Josh Emmanuel. Unable to continue, Bryn Morris was replaced by the striker Payne, and four  minutes later Shrewsbury equalised. A free kick from Whalley to Mat Sadler was passed back to Rodman who turned it past the Rotherham goalkeeper, Marek Rodák, to make it 1–1.


2018 EFL League One play-off Final, Match, Second half
Despite seeming to recover from an injury after a clash with Wood, Carlton Morris was replaced on 64 minutes by Lenell John-Lewis. In the 69th minute, Vaulks' shot was saved by Henderson, before Rotherham made their first substitution of the afternoon with Caolan Lavery coming on to replace Ball. Newell's shot was straight at the goalkeeper, and Joe Riley was then brought on for Bolton. Lavery then took the ball in space but his shot curled wide of the Shrewsbury post. With fifteen minutes of regular time remaining, Ryan Williams was brought on for Taylor.


2018 EFL League One play-off Final, Match, Second half
Two chances were missed by Lavery before John-Lewis' shot went wide of Rodak's post. Michael Smith then saw his shot saved, and with chances at either end missed, the match went into five minutes of additional time. In the final moments, a Williams shot was saved by Henderson and the second half ended 1–1, sending the match into extra time.


2018 EFL League One play-off Final, Match, Extra time
Four minutes into extra time, Newell struck a shot wide of the Shrewsbury post before a run from Ben Godfrey was blocked by Rotherham's Emmanuel. Rodman received treatment for a head wound before Newell's free kick was pushed away by Henderson. After thirteen minutes, Shrewsbury's captain Sadler was booked for a foul on Williams. A free kick from Newell was then headed in by Wood off the post to give Rotherham a 2–1 lead. Ajayi then blocked an attempt from Payne and Wood cleared, and the half came to an end. Five minutes into the second half,  Newell was taken off and replaced by Anthony Forde. Despite chances for both sides, no further goals were scored and the match  ended 2–1 to Rotherham.


2018 EFL League One play-off Final, Post-match
Wood, the scorer of both Rotherham's goals, said: "I am speechless. We've come so far from last season, it was terrible. To turn it around in the manager great credit. To get a brace has never been heard of." His manager Warne noted: "They went toe to toe with us, I am really proud of my group of lads. It was a horrendous 12 months last year ... The only person I didn't want to beat was [Shrewsbury manager Paul Hurst] Hursty, but Hursty will go on to great things".


2018 EFL League One play-off Final, Post-match
It was the first time since 2007 that all three teams relegated the previous season were promoted. After guiding Shrewsbury to their highest finishing position in the league in 27 years, Hurst left the club three days after the final to join Ipswich Town. He was sacked less than five months later after leading Ipswich to one win in fourteen league matches.


2018 EFL League One play-off Final, Post-match
Shrewsbury Town ended the next season in 18th place, 5 points above the relegation zone but 23 below the play-offs. Rotherham United finished 22nd in the 2018–19 EFL Championship, 4 points from safety and having conceded the most goals in the division, and were relegated back to League One for the 2019–20 season.


2018 EFL League Two play-off Final
The 2018 EFL League Two play-off Final was an association football match played on 28 May 2018 at Wembley Stadium, London, between Coventry City and Exeter City. The match determined the fourth and final team to gain promotion from EFL League Two, English football's fourth tier, to EFL League One. The top three teams of the 2017–18 EFL League Two season gained automatic promotion to League One, while the teams placed from fourth to seventh in the table took part in play-off semi-finals; the winners of these semi-finals competed for the final place for the 2018–19 season in League One. Exeter finished in fourth place while Coventry ended the season in sixth position. Lincoln City and Notts County were the losing semi-finalists.


2018 EFL League Two play-off Final
The game, which was refereed by David Webb, was played on a hot sunny day in front of a crowd of 50,196. After a goalless first half, Coventry took the lead four minutes into the second half through Jordan Willis. Five minutes later they doubled their lead with a goal from Jordan Shipley. Midway through the half, Jack Grimmer made it 3–0 to Coventry. Kyle Edwards scored a consolation goal in the closing minutes of the game, but Coventry won 3–1 to earn promotion to the 2018–19 EFL League One. It was their first promotion for 51 years since being guided by Jimmy Hill into the 1967–68 Football League First Division. Marc McNulty, the Coventry striker was named the man of the match.


2018 EFL League Two play-off Final
Three days after the final, the Exeter City manager Paul Tisdale left the club after twelve years, having failed to agree a new contract. At the time of his departure, he was the longest serving manager in English football's top four divisions. Exeter's new manager and former player Matt Taylor led them to ninth place in the 2018–19 League Two table in their next season, two places and a single point below the play-off positions. In their following season, Coventry finished in eighth place in the 2018–19 League One table, two places and eight points outside the play-offs.


2018 EFL League Two play-off Final, Route to the final
Exeter City were playing their sixth consecutive season in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system, having been relegated from EFL League One in 2012. They had missed out on promotion the previous season, losing to Blackpool in the 2017 EFL League Two play-off Final. For Coventry City it was their first season in the league's bottom tier since the 1958–59 season, following relegation from League One in 2017. They had, however, played in a Wembley final the previous season, winning the 2017 EFL Trophy Final.