2018 FIFA World Cup: Everything You Need to Know Before it Starts
The 2018 Fifa World Cup will be the 21st quadrennial international football tournament contested by the national teams of the member associations of FIFA.
It will take place in Russia from June 14th to July 15th and will involve 32 national football teams. What we know for sure is that there will be an amazing opening ceremony and that Russia and Saudi Arabia will play the very first match on June 14th at 4 pm at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.
There are 11 Russian host cities — Kaliningrad, Kazan, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Saint Petersburg, Samara, Saransk, Sochi, Volgograd, and Yekaterinburg — with a total of 12 stadiums. All the cities are in or just outside the European part of Russia to reduce travel time for the teams in the huge country.
As millions of tourists and football lovers from all over the world will come to Russia on this unique occasion, we want to make sure that you know how to proceed and what to do.
First of all: the Fifa FAN ID. This special card represent the first step of your stay in Russia for the Fifa World Cup.
Basically, a FAN ID is a personalized visitor card and it’s mandatory for all ticket owners, Russian residents included. For foreign citizens the FAN ID gives a right to visa-free, multiple entrance to Russia.
You can buy tickets for the matches and get your FAN ID online on Fifa official website after signing up, or in person at a FAN ID distribution center. Pay attention: these are the only two ways to apply for a FAN ID and get it, so stay away from scammers and dealers.
Now that you know you don’t need a Visa, don’t forget that you still need your passport to enter Russia! It must be valid 6 months after the expiry date of your FAN ID.
Talking about general security, even friendly matches will be accompanied by solid lines of security personnel from the nearest subway station to the stadium. Anyway, remember to always keep your passport in a safe place on your person, and not in pockets or backpacks. You should also leave a copy of your passport, visa, and travel and insurance documents with family or friends at home, so that in case of theft it’ll be easier to apply for new documents.
In view of the massive arrival of tourists, some hotels and hosts in the major cities will charge extremely high rates and eventually take more booking than they actually should. If you would like to try living like a local and improving your Russian skills as well, you could consider staying in a host family. You can visit the Fifa 2018-dedicated section on our website, where Liden & Denz offers you a variety of services which include accomodation search, excursions and guided tours during the games and Russian language courses in St. Petersburg and Moscow. There will be no time for boredom during your stay!
Bonus: here are a few Russian word that might be useful during the World Cup:
football team : команда (komanda)
player: игрок / футболист (igrok/futbolist)
ball: мяч (mjač)
goal: гол (gol)
goalkeeper: вратарь (vratar’)
goal net: ворота (vorota)
Now that you know what to expect – and which words to use -, get ready for fun…the games are about to start!
Don’t hesitate to contact us for any further information, you can always write us on Facebook or send us an email, we will be happy to help you and make sure you will enjoy a pleasant stay in Russia during the World Cup.
