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FIFA gives high marks to Russia’s organization of Confederations Cup — Deputy PM Mutko

This year’s FIFA Confederations Cup was held between June 17 and July 2 at four stadiums in Russia

MOSCOW, July 5. /TASS/. The world’s governing body of football, FIFA, has given high marks to Russia’s organization of the 2017 Confederations Cup, which concluded with its final match last Sunday in Saint Petersburg, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko said on Wednesday.

"We have reached the previously set task on the whole and received a high evaluation mark on behalf of FIFA, the organizing committee and football fans," Mutko, who is also the president of the Russian Football Union (RFU), said.

"The average admittance at the stadiums during the (2017 FIFA Confederations Cup) matches totaled 39,000, while volunteers deserved the highest possible evaluation mark for their mark," he said. "We are now set for the World Cup."

This year’s FIFA Confederations Cup was held between June 17 and July 2 at four stadiums in Russia and they are Spartak Stadium in Moscow, St. Petersburg Stadium, Fisht Stadium in Sochi and the Kazan Arena in Kazan.

Initially, the participants in the 2017 Confederations Cup were hosts Russia, 2014 FIFA World Cup Champions Germany, 2015 Copa America Champions Chile, 2015 AFC Asian Cup Champion Australia, 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup winners Mexico, 2016 UEFA Euro Cup champs Portugal, OFC (Oceania Football Confederation) Nations Cup victors New Zealand and 2017 CAF Africa Cup of Nations Champion Cameroon.

The trophy of the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup went to reigning World Champions Germany after they defeated 1-0 the ambitious team from Chile in the overtime of the tournament’s final match on July 2 in Saint Petersburg.

Russia won the bid to host the 2018 World Cup at the FIFA Congress in Guatemala on December 4, 2010. The victory came following a tight race against the bid from England, the joint bid from Portugal and Spain and the joint bid on behalf of Belgium and the Netherlands.

The country selected 11 host cities to be the venues for the matches of the 2018 World Cup and they are Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, Saransk, Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don, Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg and Samara.

The matches of the 2018 World Cup will be held between June 14 and July 15 at 12 stadiums located in the 11 mentioned above cities across Russia. Two of the stadiums are located in the Russian capital.