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2018 FIFA WORLD CUP IN RUSSIA

Moscow gears up for 2018 FIFA World Cup’s Fan Fest opening on June 10

The Fan Fest will be held on the main square in front of the Moscow State University, which offers a visiting capacity of up to 25,000 people

© Sergei Bobylev/TASS

MOSCOW, June 7. /TASS/. The Russian capital of Moscow is fully set for a grand opening ceremony of the 2018 FIFA World Cup's official Fan Fest zone and other football related events on June 10, Nikolai Gulyaev, Head of the Moscow City Department of Sport and Tourism, told journalists on Thursday.

"The Fan Fest will be held on the main square in front of the Moscow State University (MSU), which offers a visiting capacity of up to 25,000 people," the official said. "The opening ceremony of the Fan Fest is scheduled for June 10 and will be marked with cultural activities and a concert."

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"I invite everyone for the opening ceremony at this unique place," Gulyaev stated.

According to the official website of the world’s governing football body, FIFA, "the Moscow venue in Vorobyovy Gory (Sparrow Hills) will open its doors on Sunday 10 June for a special event, offering an exciting foretaste of what is in store for fans and the media throughout the tournament in all 11 Host Cities."

"An impressive line-up of artists will perform from 16.00 p.m. (Moscow time)," according to FIFA’s statement. "At 19.00 p.m. (Moscow time), FIFA Legends and FIFA Fan Fest Ambassadors Marcel Desailly and Aleksandr Kerzhakov will join on stage for the official opening and later take part in a mixed zone."

All people attending the Fan Fest on Sunday in Moscow will be able to take a look and take pictures as well next to the FIFA World Cup Trophy and 2018 FIFA World Cup official mascot Wolf Zabivaka.

"The 2018 FIFA World Cup Winner’s Trophy will be on display for all visitors to admire and the Official Mascot Zabivaka will entertain the crowd with his dynamic dance moves."

"The 11 FIFA Fan Fests in Moscow and in the other Host Cities, which will be open from 14 June to 15 July, provide the unique opportunity to enjoy an authentic FIFA World Cup experience - the perfect place to watch matches of the FIFA World," the statement from FIFA said.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup kicks off next Thursday with the opening match in the Russian capital of Moscow between hosts Russia and the national team from Saudi Arabia.

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Russia 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.

On December 1, 2017, the State Kremlin Palace in Moscow hosted the Final Draw for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which determined the group breakdown for the FIFA flagship event this year. A total of 32 national football squads were divided into eight groups with four teams in each. Hosts Russia were placed in Group A with teams from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Uruguay.

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2018 World Cup in Russia FIFA

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