Russian football to benefit from hosting 2018 FIFA World Cup, UEFA president says

MOSCOW, June 9. /TASS/. Russia’s organization of the 2018 FIFA World Cup this summer will have a positive impact on the domestic football development, Aleksander Ceferin, the president of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), told TASS. UEFA chief Ceferin arrived in Russia's capital this week to take part in the 68th FIFA Congress on June 13 and then to attend the opening match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Moscow on June 14. "Russia is ready to host the FIFA World Cup and I am sure the country will put on a show for all fans that will travel there during the tournament," Ceferin said in an interview with TASS. "I am confident that we will see a very successful event that will be remembered for many years to come." "The World Cup offers the host nation a global platform on which to promote itself during one whole month," Ceferin said. "This presents Russia with a once in a lifetime opportunity to showcase its passion for football but also its culture and its values." "I am sure that during this month, the Russian people will embrace the opportunity to show all the human and professional qualities they have to the whole world," the UEFA president added. The 2018 FIFA World Cup kicks off next Thursday with the opening match in the Russian capital of Moscow between hosts Russia and Saudi Arabia. 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 above-mentioned cities across Russia. Two of the stadiums are located in the Russian capital. Read more