2018 Svenska Cupen Final, Venue
Since the 2014–15 season, the venue for the Svenska Cupen final is decided in a draw between the two finalists. The draw for the final was held on 21 March 2018 at the annual pre-season kick-off meeting in Stockholm and decided that the final would be played at Tele2 Arena in Stockholm, the home venue of Djurgårdens IF. This was the first cup final to be hosted at the venue and the second consecutive final to be played on artificial turf.


2018 Svenska Cupen Final, Background
The Allsvenskan clubs Djurgårdens IF and Malmö FF contested the final, with the winner earning a place in the second qualifying round of the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League. Since Malmö were qualified for the first qualifying round of the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League and Djurgården were qualified for the first qualifying round of the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League through their positions in the 2017 Allsvenskan, Sweden's fourth European place was given to BK Häcken as the 4th team of the 2017 Allsvenskan. Djurgården was given a place in the second qualifying round of the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League since they won the final.


2018 Svenska Cupen Final, Background
Djurgården played their first final since 2013 and their ninth in total. Malmö played their first final since 2016 and their 19th in total. Both clubs lost in their previous final appearances. Having met in 1951, 1975, and 1989, this was the fourth final to contest the two clubs. Malmö had won all of the prior meetings in the final of the competition. The 1989 final was notably the last time Malmö won the competition, Djurgården had last won a cup title in 2005. The clubs faced each other twice in Allsvenskan prior to the cup final, at Tele2 Arena on 18 April where Djurgården won 3–0, and at Stadion on 3 May where Malmö won 1–0.


2018 Svenska Cupen Final, Route to the final
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).


2018 Svijany Open
The 2018 Svijany Open was a professional tennis tournament played on clay courts. It was the 6th edition of the tournament which was part of the 2018 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Liberec, Czech Republic between 30 July and 5 August 2018.


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


2018 Svijany Open, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following player received entry into the singles main draw as a special exempt:


2018 Svijany Open, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following player received entry into the singles main draw using a protected ranking:


2018 Svijany Open – Doubles
Laurynas Grigelis and Zdeněk Kolář were the defending champions but chose not to defend their title.


2018 Svijany Open – Doubles
Sander Gillé and Joran Vliegen won the title after defeating Filip Polášek and Patrik Rikl 6–3, 6–4 in the final.


2018 Svijany Open – Singles
Pedro Sousa was the defending champion but lost in the final to Andrej Martin.


2018 Svijany Open – Singles
Martin won the title after defeating Sousa 6–1, 6–2 in the final.


2018 Swan Islands earthquake
On 9 January 2018, at approximately 8:51 p.m. local time (02:51 10 January UTC), a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck in the Yucatán Basin of the Caribbean Sea, 44 kilometres (27 mi) east of Great Swan Island off the coast of Honduras. The earthquake was felt across Central America, and rattled windows in Tegucigalpa. The earthquake was also felt in the Cayman Islands.


2018 Swan Islands earthquake
Tsunami advisories were issued for certain areas by the U.S. Tsunami Warning Center. They were later cancelled after further monitoring. No tsunami was generated since the earthquake was an almost pure strike-slip on a near vertical plane, producing little upward movement of the sea floor that would cause a large displacement of water.


2018 Swan Islands earthquake, Earthquake
The earthquake occurred at a depth of around 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) on a transform fault zone known as the Swan Islands Transform Fault in the Cayman Trough, where it forms part of the boundary between the North American Plate and the Caribbean Plate. The area just to the west also produced a large earthquake in 2009 that measured 7.3 on the moment magnitude scale.


2018 Swazi Cup
The 2018 Swazi Bank Cup is the 15th edition of the Swazi Bank Cup (37th edition including earlier cup competitions), the knockout football competition of Swaziland.


2018 Swazi general election
General elections were held in Eswatini on 18 August and 21 September 2018.


2018 Swazi general election, Electoral system
The House of Assembly consists of 59 elected seats and up to ten chosen by the Ngwenyama. The 59 elected members are elected in a two-round system. A primary election is held in each of the 385 chiefdoms to choose a candidate for the secondary election, with between three and twenty candidates in each chiefdom. In the secondary election, the country is divided into 59 constituencies (increased from 55 in the 2013 elections); each winner of the primary election then stands in the constituency that covers their chiefdom. Both rounds operate on a first-past-the-post basis, with all candidates running as independents.


2018 Swazi general election, Primary election
The primary round took place on 24 August 2018, with 156,973 Swazis casting a vote out of a total of 544,310 registered voters, resulting in a 28.83% turnout. These numbers, which suggested a low confidence in the electoral process in the country, were later removed from the Electoral Commission website.


2018 Swazi general election, Secondary election
The electoral commission revealed the name of the 59 winners of the secondary election, yet without divulging any numbers of votes being cast for the candidates or in total. In 2013, these results had never been made public. Following the election, King Mswati appointed six members of the royal family to the House of Assembly and eight to the Senate.


2018 Sweden Hockey Games
The 2018 Sweden Hockey Games was played between 26–29 April 2018. The Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden and Russia played a round-robin for a total of three games per team and six games in total. Three of the matches were played in Stockholm, Sweden, two matches in Södertälje, Sweden and one match in Helsinki, Finland. Finland won the tournament. The tournament was part of 2017–18 Euro Hockey Tour.


2018 Sweden Hockey Games, Games
All times are local. Södertälje and Stockholm– (Central European Summer Time – UTC+2) Helsinki – (Eastern European Summer Time - UTC+3)


2018 Sweden vehicle fire attacks
On the evening of 13 August 2018 in Sweden, 89 vehicles were set on fire in several districts in Gothenburg and Trollhättan, in what police assumed was a coordinated attack. In total, 11 different locations were targeted. In Trollhättan a road was barricaded and rocks were thrown at police. The unidentified assailants were described as "youth". There were no injured persons and nobody was apprehended at the scenes. In Trollhättan, Police had "concerned dialogues" with youths that were at the scene without taking part and with their parents. The following day, two individuals were arrested on suspicion of aggravated arson.


2018 Sweden vehicle fire attacks
The following night, five cars were set on fire in Mölndal, Borås, Vänersborg and Frölunda. A third suspect, 18 years old, was arrested in Turkey when he tried to enter that country. He had planned to travel to Antalya, but was stopped at the border to Turkey as police in Sweden had issued an alert which prevented his entry ot that country and he was locked into a cell in the transit area. He was later transferred to Denmark.


2018 Sweden vehicle fire attacks
Swedish prime minister Stefan Löfven visited the affected Tynnered district.


2018 Sweden vehicle fire attacks
A 20-year-old suspect was detained for three months but was released.


2018 Sweden vehicle fire attacks
In November 2018, a suspect described as young and male was arrested for participation in the extensive vandalism.


2018 Sweden vehicle fire attacks
In February 2019, arson attacks were noted in the annual report of the Swedish Institute. The report noted that the arson attacks had been internationally noted in English-language and Spanish-language alternative media which tended to be critical of immigration.


2018 Sweden wildfires
In the summer of 2018, a large number of wildfires (primarily forest fires) occurred throughout much of Sweden. According to the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, they are the most serious in the country in modern history. The summer was unusually warm and dry, significantly raising the risk of fire. Firefighters from multiple countries were involved in fighting the fires. Many people were evacuated from their homes, but there were no fatalities.


2018 Sweden wildfires, Heatwave and cause of fire
Sweden experienced an unusually long heatwave and had only 13 mm (0.51 in) of rain from the beginning of May to late July. May 2018 was the warmest May and July 2018 was the warmest July ever recorded in Sweden. As of mid-July, temperatures in Scandinavia were more than 10 °C (18 °F) above normal.


2018 Sweden wildfires, Heatwave and cause of fire
Several of the fires were started by people using disposable barbecues, though bans on these were in place due to the weather conditions. Some were started by lightning strikes.


2018 Sweden wildfires, Heatwave and cause of fire
Wildfires also occurred in the neighbouring countries Denmark, Finland and Norway, but no casualties due to wildfires were reported in Scandinavia.


2018 Sweden wildfires, Timeline
The first significant wildfires in Sweden were recorded in May, and by 23 July there were more than fifty, covering 250 km2 (100 sq mi). The fires were distributed throughout much of Sweden, ranging from north of the Arctic Circle to the southernmost county of Scania. The largest areas lost to fire are in Gävleborg and Jämtland, each 85 km2 (33 sq mi), followed by Dalarna at 25 km2 (10 sq mi) and Västernorrland  at 5 km2 (2 sq mi). Based on data from the last decade, the expected number of wildfires in July would be three. It is highly unusual for areas of this size to be affected by wildfires (both individual fires and total size of all), but historically there have been larger, notably in 1888 where 2,000 km2 (770 sq mi) burned.


2018 Sweden wildfires, Timeline
Most affected areas in 2018 have relatively low human population densities, but it was still necessary to evacuate many people from several villages. In areas not under risk of fire but affected by smoke thousands of people were asked to stay indoors and close their windows.


2018 Sweden wildfires, Timeline
In addition to the country's firefighters and civilian volunteers, Sweden's armed forces were involved, mostly providing manpower and equipment such as helicopters. Locally the air force also used aerial bombings by JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets to make firebreaks and draw oxygen from the wildfires.


2018 Sweden wildfires, Timeline
By June, several fires were out of control and Sweden requested help from neighbouring countries and via the European Union's Civil Protection Mechanism. Sweden received help from Denmark (firefighters and equipment), Estonia (firefighters and equipment), France (soldiers, firefighters, water bombing aircraft), Finland (firefighters), Germany (firefighters, helicopters), Italy (water bombing aircraft), Lithuania (helicopter), Norway (firefighters and equipment, water bombing helicopters), Poland (firefighters and equipment), and Portugal (water bombing aircraft).


2018 Sweden wildfires, Timeline
In late July, Sweden received its first significant rain in months. Combined with firefighting, this meant that fires generally were reduced, although new ones continued to appear. This, along with the high risk of fire elsewhere in Europe, meant that firefighters from most countries had returned to their own countries by 30 July, although the Danish remained on active duty in Sweden into August. Some water bombing aircraft returned to their own countries, but others remained in Sweden.


2018 Sweden wildfires, 2019
In March, several wildfires occurred in the south of Sweden. According to the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, the risk of fire was unusually high for the time of year.


2018 Swedish Athletics Championships
The 2018 Swedish Athletics Championships (Swedish: Svenska mästerskapen i friidrott 2018) was the 123rd national outdoor track and field championships for Sweden. It was held on 24 to 26 August at the Ekängens Friidrottsarena in Eskilstuna. It was organised by Råby-Rekarne FIF, Ärla IF and Eskilstuna FI,


2018 Swedish Athletics Championships, Championships
Swedish outdoor championships took place at several venues beyond the main track and field championships.


2018 Swedish Football Division 2
The 2018 Division 1, part of the 2018 Swedish football season is the 13th season of Sweden's fourth-tier football league in its current format.


2018 Swedish Football Division 2, Teams
84 teams contest the league divided into six sections - Norra Götaland, Norra Svealand, Norrland, Södra Svealand, Södra Svealand and Södra Svealand. The Division comprises 60 teams returning from the 2017 season, six relegated from Division 1 and 18 promoted from Division 3. The champion of each section will qualify directly for promotion to Division 1, the runner-up from each section enters a six-team, two-group playoff, with the winner of each group earning promotion to Division 1. The bottom two teams in each section are relegated to Division 3 with the 12th place team in each section entering a relegation playoff.


2018 Swedish Golf Tour
The 2018 Swedish Golf Tour was the 35th season of the Swedish Golf Tour, a series of professional golf tournaments held in Sweden, Norway and Estonia with a winter series in Spain.


2018 Swedish Golf Tour
Most of the tournaments also featured on the 2018 Nordic Golf League (NGL) and one on the 2018 Challenge Tour (CHA).


2018 Swedish Golf Tour, Schedule
The season consisted of 15 events played between May and October with a winter series in February.


2018 Swedish Golf Tour (women)
The 2018 Swedish Golf Tour was the 33rd season of the Swedish Golf Tour, a series of professional golf tournaments for women held in Sweden and Norway.


2018 Swedish Golf Tour (women)
A number of the tournaments also featured on the 2018 LET Access Series (LETAS).


2018 Swedish Golf Tour (women), Schedule
The season consisted of 13 tournaments played between May and September, where two events were held in Norway.


2018 Swedish Open
The 2018 Swedish Open (also known as the SkiStar Swedish Open for sponsorship reasons) was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts as part of the ATP World Tour 250 Series of the 2018 ATP World Tour. It took place in Båstad, Sweden, from 15 through 22 July 2018. The women's tournament was discontinued this year and replaced by the Moscow River Cup.


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


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


2018 Swedish Open (table tennis)
The 2018 Swedish Open was the eleventh event of the 2018 ITTF World Tour. The event was organised by the Swedish Table Tennis Association, under the authority of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). It took place from 1–4 November in Stockholm, Sweden.


2018 Swedish Open – Doubles
Julian Knowle and Philipp Petzschner were the defending champions, but Knowle chose not to participate this year. Petzschner played alongside Jürgen Melzer, but lost in the semifinals to Julio Peralta and Horacio Zeballos.


2018 Swedish Open – Doubles
Peralta and Zeballos went on to win the title, defeating Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini in the final, 6–3, 6–4.


2018 Swedish Open – Singles
David Ferrer was the defending champion, but lost in the second round to Casper Ruud.


2018 Swedish Open – Singles
Fabio Fognini won the title, defeating Richard Gasquet in the final, 6–3, 3–6, 6–1.


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


2018 Swedish general election
General elections were held in Sweden on 9 September 2018 to elect the 349 members of the Riksdag. Regional and municipal elections were also held on the same day. The incumbent minority government, consisting of the Social Democrats and the Greens and supported by the Left Party, won 144 seats, one seat more than the four-party Alliance coalition, with the Sweden Democrats winning the remaining 62 seats. The Social Democrats' vote share fell to 28.3 percent, its lowest level of support since 1911.


2018 Swedish general election
The main opposition, the Moderates, lost even more support. The Sweden Democrats made gains, though less than anticipated. Regardless, the party became the largest in two constituencies in southern region Scania and topped the polls in 21 out of 33 Scanian municipalities and in 31 out of 290 municipalities overall. The voter turnout of 87.18% was the highest in 33 years and 1.38 percentage points higher than the 2014 elections. A record 26 out of 29 constituencies returned a hung parliament. 46% of seats were won by women (161 out of 349). The number has since increased to 47.2% (165 out of 349).


2018 Swedish general election
Following the elections, Prime Minister Stefan Löfven lost a vote of no-confidence on 25 September, forcing a parliamentary vote on a new government. In the meantime, his government remained in power as a caretaker government. Speaker Andreas Norlén nominated Moderate leader Ulf Kristersson to form a government on 9 November. However, Kristersson lost a vote to confirm him in office by a margin of 154–195.


2018 Swedish general election
He was supported by his own Moderate Party, the Christian Democrats and the Sweden Democrats, despite having ruled out this scenario before the election, but the Liberals and the Centre Party, the other parties in the centre-right Alliance, were not willing to form a government reliant on the Sweden Democrats. On 15 November, Norlén invited Centre Party leader Annie Lööf to try to form a government, but she was unable to do so. Norlén then nominated Löfven, but following unsuccessful negotiations with the Centre Party and the Liberals he lost a confirmation vote 116–200 on 14 December.


2018 Swedish general election
Hours after the failed vote to confirm Löfven, Norlén announced that he would be meeting with representatives of the Election Authority regarding a potential extraordinary election. The Speaker also stated that he would be engaging in talks with the parties during the weekend and that he would present the next phase of the government formation process by the following week.


2018 Swedish general election
Löfven was finally re-elected with a 115–153 result as Prime Minister on 18 January 2019 after the Social Democrats struck an agreement with the Greens, the Liberals, and the Centre Party; and after the Left Party reluctantly agreed to abstain from voting against Löfven. Due to Sweden's principle of negative parliamentarism this result was enough, as less than the majority of the parliament voted against him, while the supporting parties abstained. The result saw a breakup of the Alliance with the remaining right-wing parties aligning closer with the Sweden Democrats in parliament.


2018 Swedish general election
With the government being down to 116 seats (59 short of a majority), this rendered it the government with the lowest electoral support to begin a term during universal suffrage in Sweden and forced to approve several liberal policy platforms the government had campaigned against. With the right-wing opposition having 154 seats, to the coalition and confidence and supply agreements' 167 and the Left Party's 28, it still rendered a hung parliament even after the government formation, which exposed the government to high-profile losses in parliament.


2018 Swedish general election
With the Liberals leaving the confidence and supply after a no-confidence vote in 2021, the de-facto parliamentary blocs ended being 175 to 174 with the de-facto majority for the red-greens being 0.1%. The metropolitan versus small town divide got stronger. With the 2021 constellations the election saw Södermanland and Västmanland retroactively flip to the right for the first time during universal suffrage dating back a century, while also Blekinge went blue for the first time in the unicameral era. Meanwhile, the six largest municipalities had leftist majorities.


2018 Swedish general election, Context, 2014 budget crisis
Just two months after having formed a minority government, Prime Minister Stefan Löfven announced on the afternoon of 3 December 2014 that he intended to make the formal arrangements for calling an extraordinary election on 29 December 2014 – the earliest date permitted by the constitution.


2018 Swedish general election, Context, 2014 budget crisis
The election seemed to be necessary after Löfven's Social Democrat-led government lost a vote on the budget by 182 to 153, owing to the Sweden Democrats voting with the opposition, leading to a cabinet crisis. It would have been the first early election since 1958.


2018 Swedish general election, Context, 2014 budget crisis
However, an agreement between the Social Democrats, the Greens, the Moderates, the Centre Party, the Liberals and the Christian Democrats was signed on 26 December 2014, outlining a series of conditions in order to ensure political stability until at least 2022. The agreement included two main provisions:


2018 Swedish general election, Context, 2014 budget crisis
After negotiations between the Government and the Alliance for Sweden concluded, the snap election was called off on 27 December 2014. On 9 October 2015, following the Christian Democrats' departure from the agreement, the December 2014 agreement was dissolved. However, the Moderates, the Centre Party and the Liberals allowed the Social Democrats minority government to continue to govern.


2018 Swedish general election, Campaign issues
In May 2018, the issues that the Swedish voters considered most important were immigration, healthcare and integration. In the days leading up to the election, the most important issue was the environment, followed by immigration and health care. With the polls showing that the Sweden Democrats could be kingmakers there was speculation over possible government coalitions.


2018 Swedish general election, Campaign issues
Concerns about foreign influence in the election were raised by the Swedish Security Service and others, leading to various countermeasures.


2018 Swedish general election, Campaign issues
The summer of 2018 saw several violent incidents occur, including the arson of over 100 cars on 15 August, which may have caused 10% of Swedes to state that "law and order" is the key issue in the upcoming election. While Sweden has faced sporadic gang violence in recent years at the end of summer break for students, violence in Gothenburg, Falkenberg and Trollhättan was said to be on a larger scale. Prime Minister Löfven referred to the August violence as if it was organized "almost like a military operation".


2018 Swedish general election, Campaign issues
In the following days, Twitter accounts connected to Russia tweeted about the fires, according to the Alliance for Securing Democracy intending to influence English-language readers. According to the Oxford Internet Institute, eight of the top 10 "junk news" sources during the election campaign were Swedish, and "Russian sources comprised less than 1% of the total number of URLs shared in the data sample."


2018 Swedish general election, Campaign issues
It has been claimed by domestic media that Non-Swedish media frequently emphasize the events in order to advance a narrative of a society in decay, along with some negative but restricted reporting around immigration, to describe great gains by the Sweden Democrats. This has been criticized as a "false narrative" and "misreporting" by domestic media.


2018 Swedish general election, Contesting parties, Major parties
The Social Democratic Party (S; Socialdemokraterna) was the largest political party in the Swedish Riksdag, with 113 of the 349 seats. It was the major component of the incumbent Löfven Cabinet, in which it worked with the Green Party. Its leader Stefan Löfven had been Prime Minister of Sweden since 3 October 2014, and sought a mandate to continue his Löfven Cabinet.


2018 Swedish general election, Contesting parties, Major parties
The Moderate Party (M; Moderaterna) was the second-largest party in the Riksdag with 84 seats. It was the largest governing party under Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt from 2006 to 2014. The party was involved alongside three other parties in the Alliance; all four sought to return to power together. Reinfeldt resigned as party leader after eight years as Prime Minister, and was succeeded as leader by Anna Kinberg Batra on 10 January 2015. Kinberg Batra's decision as the de facto leader to enter the budgetary procedure agreement with the left-of-centre cabinet saw sharp disgruntlement from some party districts.


2018 Swedish general election, Contesting parties, Major parties
The Alliance had more MPs than the government parties, but still found itself in opposition. Owing to her low opinion polling numbers, Kinberg Batra faced internal pressure from multiple party districts and the Moderate Youth League to resign. She announced her resignation in a morning press conference on 25 August 2017. Former prime minister and Moderate Party leader Carl Bildt was suggested as a replacement after Kinberg Batra resigned; however, despite some party districts supporting his candidacy, he declined the offer. Ultimately, Ulf Kristersson was elected to succeed Kinberg Batra as party leader, during an extra Moderate party conference on 1 October 2017.


2018 Swedish general election, Contesting parties, Major parties
The Sweden Democrats (SD; Sverigedemokraterna) was the third-largest party in the Riksdag with 49 seats. In the 2014 general election the party increased its number of seats by 29, becoming the third-largest party. Its leader was Jimmie Åkesson, who was the longest-serving party leader. The other Riksdag parties had repeatedly stated that they would not cooperate with the Sweden Democrats in a future government. An extra general election was called after the Sweden Democrats gave its support to the oppositional Alliance budget (see section '2014 budget crisis'). After the proposed extra election was cancelled, the party advertised itself as the 'only opposition party' and in the following months it saw a sharp rise in support (see section 'Opinion polls').


2018 Swedish general election, Contesting parties, Major parties
The Green Party (MP; Miljöpartiet) was the fourth-largest party in the Riksdag with 25 seats. The Green Party was the minor component of the Löfven Cabinet, alongside the Social Democrats. It was the only Swedish party to have two spokespersons, Gustav Fridolin (since 2011), who served as Minister for Education, and Isabella Lövin (since 2016), who served as Minister for International Development Cooperation. This was the first time in Swedish history that the Green Party had its governmental record tested at an election.


2018 Swedish general election, Contesting parties, Major parties
The Centre Party (C; Centerpartiet) was the fifth-largest party in the Riksdag with 22 seats. It was a part of the Reinfeldt Cabinet from 2006 to 2014, and was involved in the Alliance. The Centre Party had been led by Annie Lööf since 2011. It was subject to public attempts by Löfven to become a cooperation party, but the party traditionally leans towards the Moderate policy positions and stayed within the Alliance after the 2014 election.


2018 Swedish general election, Contesting parties, Major parties
The Left Party (V; Vänsterpartiet) was the sixth-largest party in the Riksdag with 21 seats. Its leader was Jonas Sjöstedt. He had said that the party sought to participate in a future Red-Green coalition government. The Left Party did not support the Löfven Cabinet because it was not asked to participate in that cabinet following the 2014 general election, but supported its budget that was voted down on 3 December 2014. Following the budgetary agreement, the Left Party was what tips the left-of-centre minority into a larger minority than the Alliance.


2018 Swedish general election, Contesting parties, Major parties
The Liberals (L; Liberalerna) was the seventh-largest party in the Riksdag with 19 seats. It was a part of the Reinfeldt Cabinet from 2006 to 2014, and was involved in the Alliance. The Liberals had been led by Jan Björklund since 2007; his leadership was being increasingly criticized within the party. Opinion polls in the year after the 2014 election suggested that the party was falling significantly behind and struggling to recapture its previous level of support. Having been in charge of the school system and integration of migrants, it came under a lot of criticism owing to falling school results and increased segregation in immigrant-dominated suburbs.


2018 Swedish general election, Contesting parties, Major parties
The Christian Democrats (KD; Kristdemokraterna) had been led by Ebba Busch Thor since 2015. It was involved in the Alliance. Despite polling below the 4% electoral threshold for most of the time between the elections, the party saw a boost in support in the time period immediately prior to the election, guaranteeing its presence in the Riksdag (which was seen as essential in order for the Alliance to be able to form a government.). The party held on by a few tens of thousands of votes last time.


2018 Swedish general election, Contesting parties, Minor parties
Parties with less than 4% of the vote do not get any seats in the Riksdag.


2018 Swedish general election, Contesting parties, Minor parties
Feminist Initiative (FI; Feministiskt Initiativ), led by former Left Party leader Gudrun Schyman, was the country's ninth-largest party, and was represented in the European Parliament following the 2014 European election. The party received 0.4% of the vote in the election, compared to 3% in the previous election 2014.


2018 Swedish general election, Contesting parties, Minor parties
The Pirate Party (PP; Piratpartiet) won representation in the 2009–14 European Parliament, but its subsequent runs for office had been less successful. It has been mentioned in some polls as the tenth-largest party, but appeared to be far from having a chance to break the threshold at a domestic level.


2018 Swedish general election, Contesting parties, Minor parties
The Alternative for Sweden (Alternativ för Sverige) was a party with no representation in the Riksdag. It was formed from members expelled from the Sweden Democrats in 2015, and was led by Gustav Kasselstrand. The party received 0.3% of the vote, and thus failed to enter the Riksdag in this election.


2018 Swedish general election, Electoral system
The Swedish Riksdag is made up of 349 MPs, and all are elected through open list proportional representation on multi-member party lists that are either regional (most major parties) or national (Sweden Democrats). Each of the 29 constituencies has a set number of parliamentarians that is divided through constituency results to ensure regional representation. The other MPs are then elected through a proportional balancing, to ensure that the numbers of elected MPs for the various parties accurately represent the votes of the electorate.


2018 Swedish general election, Electoral system
The Swedish constitution (Regeringsformen) 1 Ch. 4 § says that the Riksdag is responsible for taxation and making laws, and 1 Ch. 6 § says that the government is held responsible to the Riksdag. This means that Sweden has parliamentarism in a constitutional monarchy—ensuring that the government is responsible to the people's representatives. A minimum of 4% of the national vote is required for a party to enter the Riksdag, alternatively 12% or more within a constituency.


2018 Swedish general election, Electoral system, Vote secrecy and party-specific ballots
Election officials are responsible for party-specific ballot papers being present in the voting places for parties that have obtained more than one percent of the votes in the previous parliamentary election. If there is no access to the wanted party-specific ballot paper, a voter may cast a vote by writing in the party name of choice on a blank ballot paper. The voter generally chooses a party-specific ballot in the open and only then marks the ballot they chose in the voting booth.


2018 Swedish general election, Electoral system, Vote secrecy and party-specific ballots
The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights sent an election expert team of two members to the 2018 general election to examine and assess this system, including in relation to questions of the secrecy of the ballot. The observers are to issue a report eight weeks after the election was held.


2018 Swedish general election, Electoral system, Vote secrecy and party-specific ballots
The neo-nazi organisation Nordic Resistance Movement was reported shouting slogans and filming voters in several election rooms.


2018 Swedish general election, Electoral system, Vote secrecy and party-specific ballots
There were reports of missing party-specific ballots in some voting districts during the early voting phase. On the election day, the Swedish public broadcaster Sveriges Television reported that the ballots of the Sweden Democrats were missing for 2 hours in one Gothenburg district.


2018 Swedish general election, Parties
The table below lists parties' 2014 representation in the Riksdag.


2018 Swedish general election, Voter demographics
Voter demographics of the Swedish general election 2018, according to the Swedish Television's exit polls.


2018 Swedish general election, Analysis
Numerous media sources noted the gains made by the Sweden Democrats, tying those gains to the simultaneous rise of right-wing populist parties across Europe. However, it was noted that the party did not grow as much as some polls had predicted. While the Social Democrats performed better than expected, the party still saw its worst result since 1908. According to The Guardian, the growth of the SD "upended perhaps western Europe's most stable political order," and other commentators made similar statements. According to Emily Schultheis of Foreign Policy, the SD won an ideological victory, as it "effectively set the terms for debate" and forced its rivals to adopt immigration policies similar to its own, and other reporters made similar observations.


2018 Swedish general election, Analysis
The election did not result in a clear victory for any political faction.


2018 Swedish general election, Analysis
The Sweden Democrats performed particularly well in Skåne County, having the highest number of voters in 21 out of the county's 33 municipalities. SVT reported that at least 22 seats in 17 city councils would be empty as the Sweden Democrats won more seats than the number of candidates it had. The party received its first mayor, in Hörby Municipality. Despite the Social Democrats' worst result nationwide in decades, they overtook the Moderates in the latter's traditional stronghold of Stockholm city. Additionally, the Social Democrats and the Left Party saw an increase in the number of votes cast in that constituency while the Moderates lost votes; consequently, the Red-Green bloc also overtook the Alliance in the constituency.


2018 Swedish general election, Government formation
The election resulted in a hung parliament, with the red-green and centre-right coalitions each holding about 40% of the seats, and the Sweden Democrats holding the remainder.


2018 Swedish general election, Government formation
Prime Minister Stefan Löfven lost the motion of no confidence against him and his cabinet on 25 September 2018, with 142 members of parliament voting to retain Löfven's cabinet and 204 voting against. This triggered a constitutional procedure wherein the Riksdag is given four chances to vote on a new Prime Minister. If the Riksdag failed all four attempts to elect a new Prime Minister, a snap election would be mandatory.


2018 Swedish general election, Government formation
Party negotiations for forming a new government commenced on 27 September, but the deadlock remained as neither Löfven nor Kristersson could construct a stable coalition. On 14 November, Kristersson was formally nominated as PM, but lost the confidence vote when the Center and Liberal parties refused to back him, as they were unwilling to work in a government that relied on the Sweden Democrats. The vote was historical, as it was the first time a candidate for Prime Minister was rejected by the Riksdag since the abolition of the bicameral legislature in 1971.


2018 Swedish general election, Government formation
After continued, unfruitful negotiations, Speaker Norlén nominated Löfven to be re-appointed Prime Minister on 12 December. Though the Center and Liberal parties were initially willing to work with him in securing a coalition, talks broke down days before the vote due to disagreements with the budget, and thus Löfven too lost his confidence vote two days later. On the same day that Löfven was nominated, the Riksdag rejected the caretaker government's provisional budget, and instead passed a competing budget designed by the Moderates and Christian Democrats.


2018 Swedish general election, Government formation
Norlén stated after the vote that he would restart negotiations between the parties, while at the same time preparing for the possibility of a snap election. Norlén then created a finalized timeline for forming a government, and urged Kristersson and Löfven to find a compromise. Without nominating a new candidate, he set the next vote for a Prime Minister initially for 16 January (but later postponed to 18 January owing to differences between the Social Democrats and the Left Party), and a final vote on 23 January if the first vote would fail. If neither vote had succeeded, a snap election would have been called immediately, scheduled to take place on 21 April.


2018 Swedish general election, Government formation
On 11 January 2019, a deal was struck between the Social Democrats, the Greens, the Centre Party, and the Liberals to allow Löfven to continue governing. However, over the next few days, senior officials of the Left Party expressed concern and were leaning towards voting against the proposed government and instead called on Löfven to continue negotiations with them. On 16 January, Sjöstedt agreed to abstain from voting against Löfven. On 18 January, Löfven was formally reelected with 192 yes votes and abstentions.


2018 Swedish local elections
Local elections were held in Sweden on 9 September 2018 to elect the 20 county councils and 290 municipal councils. Advance voting was allowed between 22 August and 9 September. The elections took place alongside the general elections.


2018 Swedish local elections
Newly registered parties participated in the 2018 elections, such as the Citizens' Coalition. Many smaller and local parties which had already been established participated, such as the Swedish Senior Citizen Interest Party, Feminist Initiative, the Öland Party, the Laholm Party and more.


2018 Swedish local elections, Regional councils
Sweden held 20 elections for the Regional Councils. This was the first election where all counties' administrative title had been or were officially being shifted into regions.


2018 Swedish local elections, Regional councils, Elections
Gotland County is made up of one municipal council responsible for both local and regional matters and does not count towards the regional elections.


2018 Swedish local elections, Municipal councils
The total number of seats nationwide totalled to 12,700, down from 12,780 in the 2014 elections. Turnout was 84.1%.


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


2018 Swindon Borough Council election
The Conservatives held on to their majority on the council but it was lowered to one after losing a councillor to the Liberal Democrats in Wroughton & Wichelstowe. The Liberal Democrats lost a councillor to Labour in Eastcott, so the election's net gain of one was to Labour from the Conservatives. Labour had had high hopes of winning control of the council, and the Party's leader Jeremy Corbyn had visited Swindon on five occasions during the local election campaign. The Party was reported to be 'deeply disappointed' with the result.


2018 Swindon Borough Council election
The Conservative Council leader David Renard described himself as "absolutely delighted" that his Party "fended off a significant challenge from the Labour Party". The BBC's West of England politics editor Paul Barltrop felt Labour's failure to take the council would  be more than disappointing to party members, noting that Swindon tends to give an idea of what will happen at the next general election.


2018 Swindon Borough Council election
Swindon was one of the boroughs subject to a trial of voter ID restrictions requiring the production of polling cards.


2018 Swiss Indoors
The 2018 Swiss Indoors was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 49th edition of the event, and part of the 500 series of the 2018 ATP World Tour. It was held at the St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland, from 22 October through 28 October 2018. First-seeded Roger Federer won the singles title.


2018 Swiss Indoors, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2018 Swiss Indoors, Doubles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2018 Swiss Indoors – Doubles
Ivan Dodig and Marcel Granollers were the defending champions, but chose not to participate together. Dodig was scheduled to play alongside Ben McLachlan, but withdrew with a back injury. Granollers teamed up with Rohan Bopanna, but lost in the quarterfinals to Dominic Inglot and Franko Škugor.


2018 Swiss Indoors – Doubles
Inglot and Škugor went on to win the title, defeating Alexander and Mischa Zverev in the final 6–2, 7–5.


2018 Swiss Indoors – Singles
Roger Federer was the defending champion and successfully defended his title, defeating Marius Copil in the final, 7–6(7–5), 6–4.


2018 Swiss Indoors – Singles
Roger Federer won his ninth Swiss Indoors, 99th singles title and also reached the final the past 12 times he has played this event. By winning the title, his consecutive winning streak in his hometown tournament was extended to 20 matches.


2018 Swiss Open (badminton)
The 2018 Swiss Open, officially the Yonex Swiss Open 2018, was a badminton tournament which took place at St. Jakobshalle in Switzerland from 20 to 25 February 2018 and had a total purse of $150,000.


2018 Swiss Open (badminton), Tournament
The 2018 Swiss Open was the fifth tournament of the 2018 BWF World Tour and also part of the Swiss Open championships which had been held since 1955. This tournament was organized by Swiss Badminton with the sanction of the BWF.


2018 Swiss Open (badminton), Tournament, Venue
This international tournament was held at St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland.


2018 Swiss Open (badminton), Tournament, Point distribution
Below is a table with the point distribution for each phase of the tournament based on the BWF points system for the BWF World Tour Super 300 event.


2018 Swiss Open (badminton), Tournament, Prize money
The total prize money for this tournament was US$150,000. Distribution of prize money was in accordance with BWF regulations.


2018 Swiss Open Gstaad
The 2018 Swiss Open Gstaad (also known as the 2018 J. Safra Sarasin Swiss Open Gstaad for sponsorship reasons) was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 51st edition of the Swiss Open, and part of the ATP World Tour 250 Series of the 2018 ATP World Tour. It took place at the Roy Emerson Arena in Gstaad, Switzerland, from 23 July through 29 July 2018.


2018 Swiss Open Gstaad, Doubles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2018 Swiss Open Gstaad – Doubles
Oliver Marach and Philipp Oswald were the defending champions, but they chose to compete alongside different partners in Hamburg instead.


2018 Swiss Open Gstaad – Doubles
Matteo Berrettini and Daniele Bracciali won the title, defeating Denys Molchanov and Igor Zelenay in the final, 7–6(7–2), 7–6(7–5).


2018 Swiss Open Gstaad – Singles
Fabio Fognini was the defending champion, but lost in the second round to Jürgen Zopp.


2018 Swiss Open Gstaad – Singles
Matteo Berrettini won his first ATP World Tour title, defeating Roberto Bautista Agut in the final, 7–6(11–9), 6–4.


2018 Swiss Open Gstaad – Singles, Seeds
The top four seeds receive a bye into the second round.


2018 Swiss referendums
Ten national referendums were held in Switzerland in 2018. Polling took place on 4 March, 10 June, 23 September and 25 November.


2018 Swiss referendums, March referendums
Two referendums were held on 4 March. One was on a Federal Decree on the new Financial Regulation 2021, which would extend the right of the federal government to levy VAT and direct federal tax until 2035; this was approved by 84% of voters. The other was the "Yes to the abolition of radio and television fees" popular initiative, which proposed abolishing the licence fee that provides the majority of funding for the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. The proposal was rejected by the Federal Assembly in 2017, and by 72% of voters in the referendum.


2018 Swiss referendums, June referendums
Two referendums were held on 10 June; one on the Sovereign Money Initiative proposal and one on the Federal Gambling Act.


2018 Swiss referendums, June referendums
The Sovereign Money Initiative proposal aims to give the Swiss National Bank a monopoly on money creation. It was launched by the Monetary Modernisation Association, without the support of any political party. The collection of signatures began on 3 June 2014, and the initiative was submitted to the Federal Chancellery on 1 December 2015 with over 110,000 valid signatures, despite its technical subject and without the support of political parties or other civil society organizations. The Federal Assembly recommended rejecting the initiative.


2018 Swiss referendums, September referendums
Three referendums were held on 23 September. The first was aimed at requiring the federal government to consider cycle paths in the same way as footpaths and hiking trails, the second would require the government to promote environmentally sound, animal-friendly and fairly produced foodstuffs, and the third to focus agriculture policy on small, family farms and to promote sustainable, diverse and gene-technology-free agriculture. The cycle paths initiative was approved, whilst the food and agriculture ones were rejected.


2018 Swiss referendums, November referendums
Three referendums were held on 25 November. The first proposal aimed to subsidise farmers who did not dehorn their livestock. The second proposal would have explicitly given the Swiss Federal Constitution precedence over international law whenever the two contradict. The third initiative would allow insurance companies to hire their own detectives to spy on individuals suspected of abusing social welfare privileges.


2018 Swiss sovereign-money initiative
The Swiss sovereign money initiative of June 2018, also known as Vollgeld, was a citizens' (popular) initiative in Switzerland intended to give the Swiss National Bank the sole authority to create money.


2018 Swiss sovereign-money initiative
On 10 June 2018, the initiative was defeated in the vote, with 76% percent of voters rejecting it.


2018 Swiss sovereign-money initiative, Origin and proposal
Proposals for "full-reserve banking", going also by titles such as "debt-free money," have been repeatedly presented to the public and then attacked by both mainstream and heterodox economists who suggest that supporters of such "populist" schemes misunderstand central-bank operations, money creation, and how the banking system works. Russian-born British economist Abba Lerner, in 1943, had advocated that the central bank could start "printing money" to match government deficit-spending "sufficient to achieve and sustain full employment."


2018 Swiss sovereign-money initiative, Origin and proposal
According to the initiative's supporters, money is created as debt, and comes into existence by debt creation when commercial banks borrow from central banks, and when governments, producers, or consumers borrow from commercial banks. Proponents do not want money creation to be under private control as this constitutes a "subsidy" to the banking sector. They consider money created by the banks to create significantly adverse effects, such as inflation (since "the more money [the banks] issue, the higher their profits"), and amplification of crises (since borrowing occurs pro-cyclically). Furthermore, they claim that bank deposits are not inherently safe.


2018 Swiss sovereign-money initiative, Origin and proposal
The proposal for the referendum was initiated in 2014 by the Monetary Modernisation Association, a Swiss non-governmental organization founded in 2011. The collection of signatures began in June 2014 and resulted in over 110,000 valid signatures. The initiative was submitted to the Federal Chancellery in December 2015.


2018 Swiss sovereign-money initiative, Origin and proposal
On 31 January 2018, the Swiss state scheduled the referendum for 10 June 2018, with two issues on the ballot, one about gambling, and another about money creation by banks. The Sovereign Money Initiative aims to give the Swiss Confederation a monopoly on money creation, including demand deposit (full-reserve banking), by including the creation of scriptural money in the legal mandate of the Swiss National Bank. The Swiss National Bank opposed the referendum.


2018 Swiss sovereign-money initiative, Origin and proposal
The referendum does not concern the printing of banknotes or the minting of coins, as this remains under the exclusive authority of the Swiss National Bank, i.e. the nation's central bank, which has had this right since 1891. The Federal Constitution states that "The Confederation [i.e. the Swiss state] is responsible for money and currency; the Confederation has the exclusive right to issue coins and banknotes" (article 99). Thus, the creation of cash, today less than 10% of all the money in circulation, remain under the control of the central bank.


2018 Swiss sovereign-money initiative, Reactions to the proposal
The Swiss National Bank chairman, Thomas Jordan, warned that "Acceptance of the initiative would plunge the Swiss economy into a period of extreme uncertainty" because "Switzerland would have an untested financial system that would differ fundamentally from that of any other country". The Deutsche Bundesbank does not support the initiative.


2018 Swiss sovereign-money initiative, Reactions to the proposal
In 2016, The Economist commented that the Sovereign Money Initiative "system would be safer for depositors" but that "a huge part of the Swiss economy, would be turned inside-out, with unpredictable but probably expensive consequences." Global Finance described the Sovereign Money Initiative as "challenging the current worldwide norm".


2018 Swiss sovereign-money initiative, Reactions to the proposal
In June 2018, Financial Times associate editor and chief economics commentator Martin Wolf urged his readers to vote in favour of the Swiss initiative, stating that existing bank regulation and bank balance sheets would not be sufficient to prevent a major future crisis. Economist L. Randall Wray has argued repeatedly on what he sees as the "foolishness" of policy proposals like the Vollgeld initiative. Writer and blogger Tim Worstall believed the initiative itself is ostensibly "driven by ill-informed loons."


2018 Swiss sovereign-money initiative, Reactions to the proposal
The Icelandic proposal, with exactly the same as the Swiss initiative, cited "the [private] banks' ability to create credit" as the reason that Iceland's banking system went overboard. Critics responded, this is not the case at all. The Central Bank of Iceland must provide banks with reserves as needed so that the central bank does not lose control of interest rates and a liquidity crisis between banks is not triggered.


2018 Swiss sovereign-money initiative, Reactions to the proposal
The Central Bank of Iceland, critics of the proposal state, had to create and provide new central-bank reserves to accommodate banks as the banks expanded the money supply nineteenfold between 1994 and 2008. They claim that central banks do not and cannot control the money supply, contrary to what Monetarists claim. The money supply would still be endogenous under the Icelandic scheme unless the central bank of the country would be "willing to tolerate the interest rate going beyond its control" or for the economy to lack funds for borrowing.


2018 Swiss sovereign-money initiative, Reactions to the proposal
Iceland's banks, they state, failed for other reasons, which were detailed in the special report commissioned by the Icelandic parliament, they state, such as the rapid growth of the banks, the deterioration of the quality of their portfolio, the fact that foreign deposits and short-term, securitized funding became the main source of funding for the three banks; and the prudential regulator was inexperienced and understaffed given the massive foreign exposure of the banking system.


2018 Swiss sovereign-money initiative, Result
On 10 June 2018, the Swiss rejected in a "landslide" of approximately 75% of negative votes the proposal of the sovereign-money project.


2018 Swiss sovereign-money initiative, Historical precedents
The objective of the Swiss sovereign money initiative of June 2018 was essentially to "end fractional reserve banking." The specific initiative in Switzerland was part of the so-called "International Movement for Monetary Reform," created by the lobbying organisation Positive Money in 2013. The idea of requiring banks’ loans to be fully backed by deposits, according to them,  has its roots in the Great Depression.


2018 Swiss sovereign-money initiative, Historical precedents
Opposition to fractional-reserve banking has been prominent for over a century. The genesis of the Swiss initiative can be traced back to the so-called "Chicago plan" of reforms after the Great Depression. In March 1933, economists from the University of Chicago circulated a six-page memorandum with a proposal to "radically" change the structure of the American financial system. They proposed, among other things, the abolition of the fractional reserve system and the imposition of 100% bank reserves on demand deposits. The proposal in Switzerland to reform the ability of private banks to create money is based on a theory of American economist Irving Fisher from the 1930s.


2018 Swiss sovereign-money initiative, Historical precedents
The proposal resurfaced in 1939 and came to be known as the "Chicago plan."


2018 Swiss sovereign-money initiative, Historical precedents
The Vollgeld initiative's monetary reform ideas had already been the subject of a federal legislation proposal in the United States through U.S. Congressman Dennis Kucinich. In 2011, Positive Money and the American Monetary Institute backed  Kucinich's attempt to introduce the National Emergency Employment Defense Act, a bill of legislation that would assign the authority for money creation exclusively to the U.S. Treasury, thus ending fractional banking. The proposal did not make it to the floor.


2018 Swiss sovereign-money initiative, Historical precedents
In 2015, following the 2008-11 crisis, Iceland's Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson commissioned a study for monetary and banking reform. Frosti Sigurjónsson, economist and MP, published his findings and recommendations the same year, in which the abolition of fractional banking, among other things, was proposed. Economist Bill Mitchell criticized the Icelandic scheme, on the grounds that, as he stated, even if implemented, "essentially the money supply would still be endogenous," unless the country's central bank would be willing to "tolerate the interest rate going beyond its control" or witness "a lack of funds available for borrowing."


2018 Swiss sovereign-money initiative, Historical precedents
Mitchell argued that the cause of the crisis in Iceland was not the "credit-creation capacity of the banks" but other factors, such as "banks speculating in foreign-currency debt & assets"; banks "no longer behaving like banks"; the owners of the specific banks "engaging in devious and self-serving" actions; and "lack of prudential control."


2018 Swiss sovereign-money initiative, Historical precedents
The same year, the  “Ons Geld” ("Our Money") organization that supports "sovereign monetary reform" in the Netherlands mounted a citizen's initiative that resulted in parliamentary debate and the decision to have the government think tank Scientific Council for Government Policy study the proposal to have fractional banking outlawed and “money creation returned to public hands”.


2018 Swope Park Rangers season
The 2018 Swope Park Rangers season is the club's third year of play and their third season in the Western Conference of the United Soccer League, the second tier of the United States Soccer Pyramid. The Rangers moved from the Swope Soccer village to Shawnee Mission District Stadium in Overland Park, Kansas for the team's season opener, before playing the rest of the 2018 schedule at Children's Mercy Park.


2018 Swope Park Rangers season, Previous season
The 2017 Swope Park Rangers season finished the year with a record of 17-7-8 and 4th in the Western Conference qualifying for the 2017 USL Playoffs.


2018 Swope Park Rangers season, Previous season
In the first round, the Rangers defeated #5 seed Phoenix Rising on penalty kicks 4-2 after a draw in regulation (1-1). In the conference semi-finals, the Rangers would keep rolling with another win facing the #8 seed Sacramento Republic FC 1-0. The Rangers opponent in the conference Finals was the OKC Energy FC; they tied at the end of regulation and would win in penalty kicks 7-6. For the second year in a row, Swope Park Rangers made it to the USL Championship game; and for the second year in a row would lose the Cup, but to Louisville City FC 1-0.


2018 Sydney International
The 2018 Sydney International was a joint 2018 ATP World Tour and 2018 WTA Tour tennis tournament, played on outdoor hard courts in Sydney, New South Wales (NSW). It was the 126th edition of the tournament and took place at the NSW Tennis Centre in Sydney, Australia. It was held from 7 January through 13 January 2018 as part of the Australian Open Series in preparation for the first Grand Slam of the year. Venus Williams played the event for the first time in 17 years, 20 years after her maiden appearance.


2018 Sydney International, Prize money
1Qualifiers prize money is also the Round of 32 prize money. *per team


2018 Sydney International, ATP singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2018 Sydney International, ATP singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received entry into the singles main draw as special exempts:


2018 Sydney International, ATP doubles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2018 Sydney International, WTA singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2018 Sydney International – Men's Doubles
Wesley Koolhof and Matwé Middelkoop were the defending champions, but chose to compete with different partners in Auckland instead.


2018 Sydney International – Men's Doubles
Łukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo won the title, defeating Jan-Lennard Struff and Viktor Troicki in the final, 6–3, 6–4.


2018 Sydney International – Men's Singles
Gilles Müller was the defending champion, but lost in the quarterfinals to Benoît Paire.


2018 Sydney International – Men's Singles
Daniil Medvedev won his first ATP title, defeating Alex de Minaur in the final, 1–6, 6–4, 7–5.


2018 Sydney International – Men's Singles, Seeds
The top four seeds receive a bye into the second round.


2018 Sydney International – Women's Doubles
Tímea Babos and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova were the defending champions, but chose not to participate this year.


2018 Sydney International – Women's Doubles
Gabriela Dabrowski and Xu Yifan won the title, defeating Latisha Chan and Andrea Sestini Hlaváčková in the final, 6–3, 6–1.


2018 Sydney International – Women's Singles
Johanna Konta was the defending champion, but lost in the first round to Agnieszka Radwańska in a rematch of the previous year's final.


2018 Sydney International – Women's Singles
Angelique Kerber won the title, defeating Ashleigh Barty in the final, 6–4, 6–4. Kerber won the title despite being two match points down in the second set in her first-round match against Lucie Šafářová.


2018 Sydney International – Women's Singles, Seeds
The top two seeds received a bye into the second round.


2018 Sydney Sevens
The 2018 Sydney Sevens was the third tournament within the 2017–18 World Rugby Sevens Series and the fifteenth edition of the Australia Sevens, of which the third to be held in Sydney. It was held over the weekend of 26–28 January 2018 at Allianz Stadium in Sydney, Australia.


2018 Sydney Sevens, Format
The teams were drawn into four pools of four teams each, with each team playing every other team in their pool once. The top two teams from each pool advanced to the Cup/5th place brackets. The bottom two teams from each group went to the Challenge trophy/13th place brackets.


2018 Sydney Sevens, Teams
Fifteen core teams are participating in the tournament along with one invited team, the highest-placing non-core team of the 2017 Oceania Sevens Championship, Papua New Guinea:


2018 Sydney Sevens, Players, Dream Team
The following seven players were selected to the tournament Dream Team at the conclusion of the tournament:


2018 Sydney SuperNight 300
The 2018 Sydney SuperNight 300 (formally known as 2018 Red Rooster Sydney SuperNight 300) was a motor racing event for the Supercars Championship, held on the weekend of 3–4 August 2018. The event was held at Sydney Motorsport Park in Eastern Creek, New South Wales and consisted of one race, 300 kilometres in length. It was the tenth event of sixteen in the 2018 Supercars Championship and hosted Race 21 of the season.


2018 Sydney Swans season
The 2018 AFL season is the 122nd season in the Australian Football League contested by the Sydney Swans.


2018 Sydney Swans season, Squad for 2018
Statistics are correct as of end of 2016 season. Flags represent the state of origin, i.e. the state in which the player played his under 18 football.


2018 Sydney Swans season, Playing list changes
The following summarises all player changes between the conclusion of the 2015 season and the beginning of the 2016 season.


2018 Sydney Women's Sevens
The 2018 Sydney Women's Sevens was the second tournament of the 2017–18 World Rugby Women's Sevens Series. It was the second edition of the Australian Women's Sevens and was held over the weekend of 26–28 January 2018 at Allianz Stadium in Sydney, Australia.


2018 Sydney Women's Sevens
Performances at this tournament helped determine the first ten seedings for the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens together with the previous year's series and the 2017 Dubai Women's Sevens.


2018 Sydney 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 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 Sydney Women's Sevens, Teams
Eleven core teams are participating in the tournament along with one invited team, the highest-placing non-core team of the 2017 Oceania Women's Sevens Championship, Papua New Guinea:


2018 Sydney Women's Sevens, Players, Dream Team
The following seven players were selected to the tournament Dream Team at the conclusion of the tournament:


2018 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
The 2018 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race was the 74th annual running of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. Hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, it began on Sydney Harbour at 13:00 on 26 December 2018, before heading south for 628 nautical miles (1,163 kilometres) via the Tasman Sea, Bass Strait, Storm Bay and up the River Derwent, to cross the finish line in Hobart, Tasmania.


2018 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
Line honours were claimed by Wild Oats XI in a time of 1 day, 19 hours, 7 minutes and 21 seconds.


2018 Syed Modi International
The 2018 Syed Modi International Badminton Championships was a badminton tournament which took place at the Babu Banarasi Das Indoor Stadium in Lucknow, India, from 20 to 25 November 2018 and had a total prize of $150,000.


2018 Syed Modi International, Tournament
The 2018 Syed Modi International was the twenty-fifth tournament of the 2018 BWF World Tour and also part of the Syed Modi International Badminton Championships, which had been held since 1991. This tournament was organized by Badminton Association of India and sanctioned by the BWF.


2018 Syed Modi International, Tournament, Venue
This international tournament was held at the Babu Banarasi Das Indoor Stadium in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.


2018 Syed Modi International, Tournament, Point distribution
Below is the point distribution table for each phase of the tournament based on the BWF points system for the BWF World Tour Super 300 event.


2018 Syed Modi International, Tournament, Prize money
The total prize money for this tournament was US$150,000. Distribution of prize money was in accordance with BWF regulations.


2018 Sylhet City Corporation election
The 2018 election for mayor of Sylhet City Corporation was held on 10 June 2018. Sylhet is a city in Bangladesh. The result was again a victory for the Bangladesh Nationalist Party candidate Ariful Haque Choudhury.


2018 Sylhet City Corporation election, Reference
This Bangladesh-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .


2018 Symetra Tour
The 2018 Symetra Tour was a series of professional women's golf tournaments held from March through October 2018 in the United States. The Symetra Tour is the second-tier women's professional golf tour in the United States and is the "official developmental tour" of the LPGA Tour. It was previously known as the Futures Tour.


2018 Symetra Tour, Schedule and results
The number in parentheses after winners' names show the player's total number of official money, individual event wins on the Symetra Tour including that event.


2018 Symetra Tour, Leading money winners
The top ten money winners at the end of the season gained fully exempt cards on the LPGA Tour for the 2019 season.


2018 Syracuse Orange football team
The 2018 Syracuse Orange football team represented Syracuse University during the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Orange were led by third-year head coach Dino Babers and played their home games at the Carrier Dome. They competed as members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. After being picked to finish last in the preseason media poll, Syracuse went 10–3, 6–2 in ACC play to finish in 2nd place in the Atlantic Division. They were invited to the Camping World Bowl, where they defeated West Virginia.


2018 Syracuse Orange football team, Previous season
The Orange finished the 2017 season 4–8, 2–6 in ACC play to finish in last place in the Atlantic Division.


2018 Syracuse Orange football team, Preseason, ACC media poll
The ACC media poll was released on July 24, 2018.


2018 Syracuse Orange men's soccer team
The 2018 Syracuse Orange men's soccer team represented Syracuse University during the 2018 NCAA Division I men's soccer season. It was the program's 95th season and 6th in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Orange were led by Ian McIntyre, who was in his ninth year.


2018 Syracuse Orange men's soccer team, Background
The 2017 Syracuse men's soccer team finished the season with a 6–8–4 overall record and a 0–6–2 ACC record. The Orange were seeded twelfth–overall in the 2017 ACC Men's Soccer Tournament, where they lost to Clemson in the first round. The Orange were not invited to the 2017 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament.


2018 Syracuse Orange men's soccer team, Background
At the end of the 2017 season, one Orange men's soccer player was selected in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft: Mo Adams.


2018 Syracuse Orange 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 Syrian Cup
The 2018 version of the Syrian Cup is the 48th edition to be played. It is the premier knockout tournament for football teams in Syria. Al-Wahda are the defending champions.


2018 Syrian Cup
The competition has been disrupted because of the ongoing Syrian Civil War, where some games have been awarded as 3:0 victories due to teams not being able to compete.


2018 Syrian Cup
The winners of the competition will enter the 2019 AFC Cup.


2018 Syrian local elections
Local elections were held across Syria on 16 September 2018 to elect 18,478 local council members in 88 electoral districts. More than 40,000 to 41,000 candidates contested the elections according to pro-government sources. The election were the first held since the 2011 Syrian local elections and took place amid the Syrian civil war. The election only took place in territory under the control of the Syrian government, with special constituencies set up for areas outside of government control.


2018 Syrian local elections
The Syrian government claimed that there was "good turnout" in the election, although this has been disputed.


2018 Syrian local elections, Candidates
Between 40,000 and 41,000 candidates contested the elections. The majority of the candidates were from the Ba'ath Party-led National Progressive Front under the National Unity List, while 30% of candidates were independents. Legal opposition parties such as the Syrian National Youth Party and the Syria Watan Party criticized the election for not being fully democratic and did not stand any candidates. Some candidates from non-Ba'athist National Progressive Front parties withdrew in opposition to Ba'athist domination of the organisation.


2018 Syrian local elections, Results
The Ministry of Local Affairs claimed that turnout of the election was 56%, although some sources say that turnout was lower at 26.5%. The Ba'ath Party dominated the election and won in many areas by default.


2018 Syrian-Turkish border clashes
The 2018 Syrian-Turkish border clashes began on 31 October 2018 when the Turkish Armed Forces began to shell People's Protection Units (YPG) positions near the cities of Kobani and Tell Abyad as well as surrounding villages. Turkey views the YPG as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been waging an insurgency in Turkey for over 40 years.


2018 Syrian-Turkish border clashes, Background
Journalist Ahmet S. Yayla stated that the operation by Turkey may have been carried out to relocate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and al-Qaeda elements from Idlib in light of the demilitarization agreement between Russia and Turkey. Salih Muslim, the former co-chairman of the Democratic Union Party, stated that Russia and Turkey were plotting to send jihadists to fight against the YPG as part of the agreement. On 30 October 2018, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said to a public gathering prior to the operation, "The plan is to remove the YPG, collect their heavy weaponry and finally allow the real Manbij people to be in full control of their city."


2018 Syrian-Turkish border clashes, Clashes
The Turkish military reported that four Kurdish militiamen were killed and another six were injured  in the shelling of YPG positions. The Syrian Democratic Forces states that the attack had temporarily halted operations against ISIL near the Iraqi border. The Syrian Democratic Forces also stated that Turkish strikes were not limited to Kobani, but surrounding areas along the Syria–Turkey border held by Rojava. On 30 October 2018, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan vowed to clear the Eastern Euphrates region of Kurdish militias, while on 29 October Turkish forces had targeted YPG positions along the Euphrates river.


2018 Syrian-Turkish border clashes, Clashes
In response to the attack, the SDF redeployed multiple units from the Deir Ez Zor region to confront the Turkish forces. In retaliation, the YPG stated that it destroyed a Turkish vehicle and released a video of the attack; however, the statement has not been acknowledged by the Turkish government. A Turkish military vehicle fired at the border station in the town of Tell Abyad, leaving one dead from the SDF's Self-Defense Forces.


2018 Syrian-Turkish border clashes, Clashes
With the US holding positive relations with both Turkey and the Syrian Democratic Forces, an American military delegation reportedly arrived in Tell Abyad to attempt to mediate between the two parties to attempt to resolve the conflict.


2018 Syrian-Turkish border clashes, Clashes
On 1 November 2018, the Turkish military targeted Kobani with helicopters as well as howitzers in preparation for an offensive and coordinated plans for an offensive with allied opposition groups based in Afrin.


2018 Syrian-Turkish border clashes, Clashes
Clashes continued with sporadic shelling and on 6 November Turkey targeted the town of Ras al-Ayn, a YPG supply point.


2018 Syrian-Turkish border clashes, Aftermath
On 21 November, United States Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis announced the U.S. will set up new observation posts along the Turkish border in northern Syria in order to reduce similar incidences between Turkish forces and Kurdish militants in the region. The endeavor is seen as a way of easing tensions between the two NATO allies and doesn't require additional U.S. troops to be deployed to Syria. The move is controversial due to U.S. lawmakers voicing concerns over mission creep in Syria in recent weeks and months.


2018 Syrian-Turkish border clashes, Aftermath
A total of three observation posts were to be set up in Tal Abyad and two in Kobani. The first Tal Abyad post was completed on 27 November. Three total observation posts were established by 12 December. "The positions were clearly marked and any force attacking them would definitely know they are attacking the United States", said a US official.


2018 Syrian-Turkish border clashes, Aftermath
On 12 December 2018, the Turkish government announced it would begin operations against Rojava "in a few days" in an apparent rebuke of US efforts at ensuring Turkish border security in the area. In response, the Pentagon said that any unilateral military action taken in northern Syria, where US forces are operating, would be "unacceptable." However, several days later the US announced the withdrawal of their troops from Syria, after which Turkey postponed the planned attack.


2018 Syrian-Turkish border clashes, Aftermath
On 25 December, the SDF handed over the town of Arima west of Manbij to troops of the Syrian government.


2018 Syrian-Turkish border clashes, Aftermath
Through 27-28 December, the Manbij Military Council had invited Syrian troops to enter Manbij in order to ward off a future Turkish advance. Syrian forces gradually deployed to the surrounding countryside as American troops continued to patrol inside the city and along the contact lines with the Syrian National Army, whose units continued to deploy and mobilize along the Manbij frontier.


2018 Syrian-Turkish border clashes, Aftermath
Following criticism of the planned withdrawal of their troops, on 6 January the US imposed the security of their Kurdish-led allies as a condition for the withdrawal.


2018 Szuperkupa (men's water polo)
The 2018 Szuperkupa (known as the TippMix Férfi Szuperkupa for sponsorship reasons). It was played on 22 December 2018 in Budapest, Hungary. With Ferencvárosi TC winning both the 2017–18 Országos Bajnokság I championship and the 2017 Magyar Kupa cup winners Szolnoki Dózsa.


2018 Sánchez-Casal Mapfre Cup
The 2018 Sánchez-Casal Mapfre Cup was a professional tennis tournament played on clay courts. It was the first edition of the tournament which was part of the 2018 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Barcelona, Spain between 8 and 14 October 2018.


2018 Sánchez-Casal Mapfre Cup, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2018 Sánchez-Casal Mapfre Cup – Doubles
Marcelo Demoliner and David Vega Hernández won the title after defeating Rameez Junaid and David Pel 7–6(7–3), 6–3 in the final.


2018 Sánchez-Casal Mapfre Cup – Singles
Roberto Carballés Baena won the title after defeating Pedro Martínez 1–6, 6–3, 6–0 in the final.


2018 São Paulo FC season
The 2018 season was São Paulo's 89th year since the club's existence. Due previous year playing for remaining in first division of national league, the club started his performance at state league, Campeonato Paulista, mistrusted by his own fans and media. The head coach Dorival Júnior was fired after 5 losses in only 14 matches, being defeated by all main rivals in just a month. To replace Dorival, São Paulo selected the Uruguayan Diego Aguirre, a former forward who was in the club for a short period of time in 1990.


2018 São Paulo FC season
Despite the elimination in the semifinals of Campeonato Paulista and second round of Copa Sudamericana, Aguirre did a consistent job in the early months leading the team. In the first half of league São Paulo ended in first place holding its performance for 8 rounds at the middle of competition. However a couple of draws and the rise of his rival Palmeiras, took place from São Paulo that dropped down in table 4 positions finishing his participation in 5th. Diego Aguirre was fired in the 33rd round after an away draw against Corinthians by 1-1. For the interim charge André Jardine trained the club in the last 5 matches, he was announced as the head coach for 2019.


2018 São Paulo FC season, Players, Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


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


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


2018 São Paulo gubernatorial election
The 2018 São Paulo gubernatorial election occurred on 7 October 2018 and 28 October 2018, and elected the Governor and Vice Governor of São Paulo and 94 State Deputies.


2018 São Paulo gubernatorial election
The previous gubernatorial election in the state was held in October 2014, in which Geraldo Alckmin of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party was re-elected in the first round with 57.31% of the vote, against 21.53% of Paulo Skaf and 18.22% of Alexandre Padilha.


2018 São Tomé and Príncipe Championship
The 2018 São Tomé and Principe Championship is the 33rd season of the São Tomé and Principe Championship the top-level football championship of São Tomé and Principe.


2018 São Tomé and Príncipe Championship
There are two separate championships, one for teams of São Tomé Island and one for teams of Príncipe Island. The champions of the two island championships play a home-and-away two-legged final to decide the overall champions.


2018 São Tomé and Príncipe Championship, Regional Leagues, São Tomé, Selected results
São Tomé's played their next top tier match in a few decades, they suffered their first two losses, first to Agrosport, then to Neves, at the third round, they made a 1-0 win over Vitória Riboque their next at the top tier in decades. The first of three matches that were ăto play on May 5, Folha Fede vs. Aliança Nacional and Caixão Grande and Agrosport were abandoned in the middle of the second half due to heavy rain, they continued on May 9, the first ended in a three goal draw, the second Agrosport won. The third one was Sporting


2018 São Tomé and Príncipe Championship, National final
First Leg [Dec 8, Estádio Regional 13 de Junho, Santo António]


2018 São Tomé and Príncipe Championship, National final
Second Leg [Dec 15, Estádio Nacional 12 de Julho, São Tomé]


2018 São Toméan legislative election
Parliamentary elections were held in São Tomé and Príncipe on 7 October 2018. Municipal elections and elections to the regional council on Príncipe were held alongside them.


2018 São Toméan legislative election, Electoral system
The 55 members of the National Assembly are elected by closed list proportional representation in seven multi-member constituencies.


2018 São Toméan legislative election, Parties
The elections were contested by five parties and two electoral alliances, three of which presented a candidate for Prime Minister; the ruling Independent Democratic Action (ADI) under Prime Minister Patrice Trovoada, the main opposition party the centre-left MLSTP-PSD led by its newly elected president former Minister of Education and Culture Jorge Bom Jesus, and a centre-right coalition formed in August between the MDFM–UDD Union (a merger between the MDFM-PL and UDD) and the Democratic Convergence Party (PCD). The coalition fielded the leader of PCD Arlindo Carvalho as its candidate for Prime Minister.


2018 São Toméan legislative election, Parties
In addition, the newly established People's Strength Party, the alliance between the Social Democratic Movement and the Green Party (MSD–PVSTP), the Party for all Santomerese (PTOS), and the Caué-based Movement of Independent Citizens of São Tomé and Príncipe (MCISTP) contested the election.


2018 São Toméan legislative election, Results
Unlike previous elections in the multi-party era, results were not announced on election night for the two largest constituencies, Água Grande and Mé-Zóchi, containing a total of 26 seats. Results from the five smaller constituencies gave 14 seats to the ADI, 12 to the MLSTP/PSD, one to the PCD–MDFM–UDD coalition and two to the MCISTP in the Caué constituency.


2018 São Toméan legislative election, Results
On election night the Secretary General of the ADI Levy Nazaré announced the party had gotten 26 seats and would continue to govern with support from the MCISTP, whereas MLSTP/PSD had only gotten 23 seats, but this announcement was made before all votes had been counted.


2018 São Toméan legislative election, Results
The final result was 25 seats to the ADI, 23 to the MLSTP-PSD, 5 to the PCD/MDFM-UDD coalition and 2 to the MCISTP, both in the Caué constituency.


2018 São Toméan legislative election, Aftermath
At a joint press conference the leaders of MLSTP/PSD and the PCD–MDFM–UDD coalition announced they had a pre-election agreement to govern together and requested that Jorge Bom Jesus should be made Prime Minister, but ADI insisted that the country had had minority governments before and that they as the biggest party should form the government.


2018 São Toméan legislative election, Aftermath
The ADI asked for verification of the more than 2,000 blank and void votes hoping to gain an extra seat and obtain a majority together with MCISTP. This unleashed riots in parts of the country as opposition supporters feared the government would rig the results.


2018 São Toméan legislative election, Aftermath
On 12 October the police announced that there would be a 72 hour ban on demonstrations after the Constitutional Court declares the final results. The opposition claimed that this was illegal, as only the President could authorize a ban on the advice of the government and with the consent of the National Assembly, and that they would not comply with the ban if the final results deviate from the ones issued by the electoral commission.


2018 São Toméan legislative election, Aftermath
The proclamation of the ban happened after President Evaristo Carvalho had left the country to participate in the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Equatorial Guinea's independence. In the airport Carvalho said that he would follow the constitution and authorize the party with the most seats to form the new government, indicating that Patrice Trovoada could continue as Prime Minister despite the ADI losing their majority.


2018 São Toméan legislative election, Aftermath
On 30 November the President nominated Jorge Bom Jesus as Prime Minister. The new government was sworn in on 3 December.


2018 Södermanland regional election
Södermanland County or Region Sörmland held a regional council election on 9 September 2018 across its nine municipalities. This was part of the 2018 Swedish regional elections and held on the same day as the municipal and general elections.


2018 Södermanland regional election, Results
The number of seats rose from 71 to 79. This meant that both the Social Democrats and the Moderates kept their seat numbers in spite of their vote and seat share falling sizeably. The Social Democrats fell the most, going from 33.3 % to 28.7 %. The local party Vård för pengarna ended up becoming the largest party in both coastal municipalities of Nyköping and Oxelösund. This was the first time any other party than the Social Democrats had topped the poll in Oxelösund in any election since the location's founding.


2018 Södermanland regional election, Results
Even so, commanding vote leads in the interior and in the largest town Eskilstuna led to the Social Democrats being the largest party. The Sweden Democrats gained 13.1 % of the popular vote in a large numerical rise, rendering four parties gaining about 4/5 of the seats as the Green Party lost all their four seats.


2018 T10 League
2018 T10 League was the second season of the T10 League. The matches had a 10-over-a-side format with a time duration of 90 minutes. The tournament was played as a round robin followed by semifinals and the final. It was played from 21 November to 2 December 2018 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Three new teams, Sindhis, Rajputs and Northern Warriors, joined the tournament with the exclusion of Team Sri Lanka from last season.


2018 T10 League
Before the start of the tournament, Karachians changed their name to Sindhis after a Pakistan court order had objected to their title, citing a clash of identity with the Pakistan Super League team Karachi Kings.


2018 T20 Blast
The 2018 Vitality Blast was the 2018 season of the t20 Blast, a professional Twenty20 cricket league in England and Wales. It was the first season in which the domestic T20 competition, ran by the ECB, has been branded as the Vitality Blast due to a new sponsorship deal. The league consisted of the 18 first-class county teams divided into two divisions of nine teams each with fixtures played between July and September. The final day took place at Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham on 15 September 2018.


2018 T20 Blast
Nottinghamshire Outlaws were the champions going into the tournament having beaten the Birmingham Bears by 22 runs in the 2017 final.


2018 T20 Blast, Competition format
The 18 first-class county cricket clubs are taking part in the competition. Teams are initially split into two divisions on a geographical basis (North and South) for the group stage of the competition, each group having nine teams. During the group stage, which ran from July until the middle of August, each county played 14 matches, playing six of the other sides in their group twice, once home and once away, and the other two teams once.


2018 T20 Blast, Competition format
The winners of each match received two points for a win, with one point awarded in the case of a tie or if a match was abandoned. Teams are ranked within their groups by total points, then net run rate. At the end of the group stage, the top four teams from each group entered the knockout stage of the competition.


2018 T20 Blast, League stage, South Division
The top four teams from each division qualified for the knockout stage.


2018 T20 Inter-Insular Cup
Jersey cricket team hosted Guernsey cricket team from 17 to 18 August 2018 to contest the inaugural T20 Inter-Insular Cup, a series consisting of three Twenty20 (T20) matches. The series took place at Farmers' Field in Saint Martin. The two sides had played an Inter-Insular match annually since 1950, generally as timed or 50-over contests. For the first time, the 2018 Inter-Insular was played as a three-match Twenty20 series.


2018 T20 Inter-Insular Cup
The series provided preparation for both teams ahead of the European T20 qualifying tournament for the 2019 ICC Men's T20 World Cup Qualifier; both teams named the same squad for the two events. Despite several senior players being unavailable for selection, Jersey whitewashed Guernsey to win the series 3–0.


2018 T20 Inter-Insular Cup
Following the International Cricket Council's decision to grant T20I status to all matches played between Associate Members after 1 January 2019, future editions of the Inter-Insular T20 Cup (starting from the 2019 edition) will have this enhanced status. In 2019, the traditional 50-over Inter-Insular Trophy match returned in addition to the Inter-Insular T20 Cup, which would now have a separate trophy awarded.


2018 TAC Cup Girls season
The 2018 TAC Cup Girls season was the second season of the TAC Cup Girls competition for under-18 female Australian rules footballers in Victoria. The season commenced on 3 March and concluded on 19 May. The premiership was won by the Geelong Falcons, who defeated the Northern Knights in the first Grand Final match in the competition.


2018 TAC Cup season
The 2018 TAC Cup season was the 27th season of the TAC Cup competition. The season was won by the Dandenong Stingrays who have claimed there first premiership title after five despite losses in grand finals, they defeated the Oakleigh Chargers in the grand final by 1 goal.


2018 TCR Asia Series
The 2018 TCR Asia Series season is the fourth season of the TCR Asia Series. For the first time at the first three events of TCR Asia, the South-East Asia Cup will be held.


2018 TCR Asia Series, Calendar and results
The provisional 2018 schedule was announced on 17 January 2018, with five events scheduled.


2018 TCR China Touring Car Championship
The 2018 TCR China season was the second season of the TCR's Chinese Touring Car Championship.


2018 TCR China Touring Car Championship, Calendar and results
The 2018 schedule was announced on 18 December 2017, with six events scheduled.


2018 TCR Europe Touring Car Series
The 2018 TCR Europe Touring Car Series was the third holding of TCR Europe, and first held as a standalone series. The series began at the Circuit Paul Ricard in May and ended at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in October.


2018 TCR Europe Touring Car Series
As part of an deal with the series' promoters, at five of the seven events, the 2018 TCR BeNeLux Touring Car Championship series was held which was its third edition.


2018 TCR Europe Touring Car Series
TCR Europe Series also saw the introduction of the DSG Challenge for cars equipped with Direct-shift gearbox.


2018 TCR Europe Touring Car Series, Results and standings, TCR Europe standings, Drivers' standings
† – Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 75% of the race distance.


2018 TCR Europe Touring Car Series, Results and standings, TCR Europe standings, Teams' standings
† – Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 75% of the race distance.


2018 TCR Europe Touring Car Series, Results and standings, TCR Europe standings, TCR BeNeLux Drivers' standings
† – Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 75% of the race distance.


2018 TCR Italy Touring Car Championship
The 2018 TCR Italy Touring Car Championship is the fourth season of the ITCC to run under TCR regulations and the 32nd season since the national touring car series was revived in 1987 as the Campionato Italiano Turismo. The series will begin at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in April and conclude at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza in October.


2018 TCR Italy Touring Car Championship, Calendar and results
The 2018 calendar was announced on 26 October 2017, with a single round scheduled to be held in France as the only round held outside Italy.


2018 TCR Italy Touring Car Championship, Calendar and results, TCR Italy Drivers' Standings
† – Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 75% of the race distance.


2018 TCR Korea Touring Car Series
The 2018 TCR Korea Touring Car Series is the first season of the TCR Korea Touring Car Series. The series supported the TCR Asia Series for their inaugural round held at Korea International Circuit in August.


2018 TCR Korea Touring Car Series, Teams and drivers
All teams were Korean registered. All drivers, excepting German driver Peter Terting, raced under South Korean racing license.


2018 TCR Korea Touring Car Series, Calendar and results
The provisional calendar was released on 5 February 2018, with all rounds being held within South Korea.


2018 TCR Middle East Series
The 2018 TCR Middle East Series season was the second season of the TCR Middle East Series. The championship started at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi on 19 January and ended at Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir on 24 February. Josh Files and Liqui Moly Team Engstler were the defending drivers' and teams' championships respectively.


2018 TCR Middle East Series, Calendar and results
The 2018 schedule was announced on 10 November 2017, with four events held across the Middle East. On 21 December 2017, was announced that will now be contested over three racing weekends instead of the four included in the previously released schedule.


2018 TCR Scandinavia Touring Car Championship
The 2018 TCR Scandinavia Touring Car Championship was the eighth Scandinavian Touring Car Championship season. This season was the second season since the introduction of the TCR regulations and the last under the promotion of STCC AB, which declared bankruptcy in early February 2019. The season started at Ring Knutstorp on 4 May and ended at Mantorp Park on 22  September, after six rounds.


2018 TCR Scandinavia Touring Car Championship
Robert Dahlgren is the defending drivers' champion, while Volkswagen Dealer Team Sweden are the defending teams' champions.


2018 TCR Scandinavia Touring Car Championship, Calendar
On 16 November 2017, the calendar was announced which was reduced from seven events to six. The championship will host five rounds in Sweden and the series would make a return to Norway for the first time since 2008 when it was called Swedish Touring Car Championship with the event would be held at the Rudskogen circuit. The Solvalla Circuit in Stockholm and Alastaro Circuit in Finland were dropped.


2018 TCR Scandinavia Touring Car Championship, Calendar
On 19 December 2017, it was announced that the series would revert to a two-race format after using a three-race format in the previous season. Reversed grids for Race 2 were also reintroduced after being absent from the previous season.


2018 TCR Scandinavia Touring Car Championship, Championship standings, Drivers' Championship
Championship points were awarded on the results of each race at each event as follows:


2018 TCR Series seasons
This article describes some of the 2018 seasons of TCR Series across the world.


2018 TCR Series seasons, VLN TCR Class
The 2018 Veranstaltergemeinschaft Langstreckenpokal Nürburgring TCR Class was the second season for the TCR Class in the championship.


2018 TCR Series seasons, TCR Baltic Trophy
The 2018 TCR Baltic Trophy Ws the second season of the TCR Baltic Trophy. TCR Baltic Trophy was contested within the Baltic Touring Car Championship events.


2018 TCR Series seasons, TCR Baltic Trophy, Calendar and results
The 2018 schedule was announced on 15 March 2018. The calendar includes three rounds in Latvia and two in Estonia all supporting the Baltic Touring Car Championship.


2018 TCR Series seasons, TCR Swiss Trophy
TCR Swiss Trophy was an event, organized by Auto Sport Switzerland and was the inaugural season. The calendar consisted of 5 events from TCR Europe, TCR BeNeLux, ADAC TCR Germany and TCR Italy.


2018 TCR Series seasons, TCR Swiss Trophy, Championship standings
† – Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 75% of the race distance.


2018 TCR Series seasons, TCR Ibérico Touring Car Series
The 2018 TCR Ibérico Touring Car Series season was the second season of the TCR Ibérico Touring Car Series. The championship started at Circuito Internacional de Vila Real in Portugal on 23 June and ended at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain on 21 October.


2018 TCR Series seasons, TCR Ibérico Touring Car Series, Championship standings
† – Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 75% of the race distance.


2018 TCR Thailand Touring Car Championship
The 2018 TCR Thailand Touring Car Championship will be the third season of the TCR Thailand Touring Car Championship. The championship will run within the Thailand Super Series' events.


2018 TCR Thailand Touring Car Championship, Calendar and results
The 2018 schedule was announced in December 2017. The first three events will support the 2018 TCR Asia Series, which also marks the first time the series has held a round outside of Thailand.


2018 TCR UK Touring Car Championship
The 2018 TCR UK Touring Car Championship was the first season of the TCR UK Touring Car Championship, promoted by the British Racing and Sports Car Club. The season began on 1 April at Silverstone Circuit and ended on 14 October at Donington Park. The Driver's Champion was Daniel Lloyd, and the Team Champions were WestCoast Racing.


2018 TCR UK Touring Car Championship, Calendar and results
The 2018 schedule consisted of seven race weekends with two races each weekend, with the grid for Race 1 being determined by a traditional qualifying session. The grid for Race 2 will be made up by reversing the top 10 from the second fastest qualifying lap. The calendar was announced on 13 September 2017.