Travel Destinations & Tours

The 2018 World Cup will be held in Russia from June 14th to July 15th. Every four years, it is one of the biggest sporting events on the planet, but also one of the most beautiful popular festivals in the world, which unites far beyond football fans. Rather than follow the matches in front of his TV, why not take the opportunity to go on site and combine both the passion of sport and travel? With supporters from all over the world coming out to cheer on their team, it feels like going around the world while staying in the same country.

So how do you go about organizing a trip to Russia to see the World Cup?

Recently I had my car towed and the driver had give me the following good advice related to the World Cup. Contrary to popular belief, we can very well attend a World Cup without breaking the bank, if we are resourceful, flexible and not demanding on comfort on the road. Whether for South Africa or Brazil, I did not organize anything in advance. But for Russia, the configuration looks different. It is a country more complicated than the others and which is not very touristy. I have been there three times.  As for the World Cup, here is the main information that I could gather and the tips that I can give strong of my experience of last two World Cups.

Russian visa instructions for the World Cup

This is the first good news: fans holding tickets for matches will be exempt from visa to enter Russia. When you know the galley to get it and the price to pay, it’s a big advantage! It will be sufficient to have purchased at least one ticket (on the FIFA website), and this will entitle you to stay in Russia in a period starting ten days before the first match (ie June 4 from 00:00) and finishing ten days after the final (ie until 23:59 on July 25), so much more than the tourist visa which is limited to 30 days. It will however make a request for Fan-ID, kind of ID of the supporter, it will be necessary to present to access the stadiums.

For those wishing to attend the World Cup without buying match tickets in advance, who just want to enjoy the atmosphere or who accompany supporters, it will be necessary to apply for a traditional Russian visa.

Buy tickets for Mondial matches

This is of course the most important step: to successfully buy a ticket (s) for the competition. The FIFA website is the only official website to buy tickets. There have already been several sales phases, including a random draw or first-come, first-served basis. The last phase takes place from April 18 to July 15, the day of the final. The best way to buy these last minute tickets is to connect to the FIFA website in the middle of the night. This is where there is more shopping opportunity, otherwise in the course of the day there is nothing.

I found that it was not too difficult to buy tickets at the last minute before the stadiums before the start of matches. So actually it is not legal, but contrary to popular belief, not necessarily need to pay more than the price of tickets. There are always individuals who resell tickets because they have one or friends who have not seen coming.