June 11, 2018 – An incredible 25,000 people gathered for Moscow’s FIFA Fan Fest™ on opening day, June 10, 2018, to enjoy a vibrant music line-up and appearances by French FIFA World Cup™ champion Marcel Desailly and Russia’s all-time top scorer Aleksandr Kerzhakov. The FIFA Fan Fest Ambassadors greeted the crowd with Moscow’s Head of Sports Department and Tourism, Nikolay Gulyaev, and the 2018 FIFA World Cup Official Mascot Zabivaka. They were joined by the dream of the 32 teams competing in the tournament in just a few days: the FIFA World Cup Winner’s Trophy.
“It’s amazing to see so many people here today, having fun and celebrating the World Cup in such a nice venue for free,” said Desailly. “The excitement is already immense and will only increase over the next few days ahead of the Opening Match. Having seen this, however, we can already say that Russia has got off on the right foot.”
“I am very proud that our country will host the 2018 FIFA World Cup,” added Kerzhakov. “Now, with just four days to go, you can already feel the football atmosphere, and today’s event demonstrated our fans’ tremendous interest in the tournament once more. I am sure the stadiums will be full and Russians will celebrate at the FIFA Fan Fests with fans from all over the world.”
Over 20 well known live music acts were featured on the opening day of Moscow’s FIFA Fan Fest as a taste of the thrilling entertainment programmes planned for all upcoming FIFA Fan Fests. Moscow and 10 other venues will open on June 14 for the match between Russia and Saudi Arabia and will host fans free of charge on match days throughout the competition.
All photos by Slobodan Kadić
