Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the 2018 FIFA World Cup opening game between Russia and Saudi Arabia which will be staged on June 14 at the newly renovated Luzhniki stadium in Moscow.
“For now I can confidently confirm that the president will visit the World Cup opening game between Russia and Saudi Arabia,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday, TASS reported.
When asked about other World Cup matches, which the Russian president might attend during the month-long football tournament in Russia, Peskov said that “it will depend on how the situation will develop” - possibly referring to Russia’s progress.
At the group stage round the host nation will also face Egypt on June 19 in St. Petersburg before taking on Uruguay on June 25 in Samara. Russia expects to welcome around one million visitors during the tournament which is held from June 14 to July 15.
All fans attending the matches are required to apply for a FAN ID. The ID system will provide visa-free entry into the country for foreign fans and free inter-host city travel and use of public transport on match days.
On Thursday, President Putin and FIFA head Gianni Infantino received their own FAN IDs while visiting Russia’s Black Sea resort city of Sochi, one of the 11 host cities for this summer’s showpiece.
READ MORE: ‘We are ready for World Cup 2018’: Putin receives Russia 2018 FAN ID in Sochi
The competition will be staged in 12 stadiums located across 11 Russian cities: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Saransk, Sochi, Kaliningrad, Ekaterinburg, Rostov-on-Don, Volgograd and Samara.