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With the draw for the 2018 FIFA World Cup done and dusted earlier this month, the countdown for the mega event to start has already begun. From June 14 to July 15 next year, the biggest footballing extravaganza will take place in Russia and 32 nations from six continents will face off to be crowned the World Champions.
Football fans from across the globe will descend upon the world's largest nation for the mega-event and for fans in India, the World Cup being hosted in Russia is the best and the cheapest opportunity to watch the biggest teams face off at the grandest stage of them all.
No visa requirements
First of all, one does not require a Russian visa to visit the country for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. A legislation passed earlier by the government of Russia made it easier for fans to enter and exit the country at the time of the event, which states that in order to be admitted to Russia during the tournament, foreign citizens must have a valid identity document (passport) and a personalized spectator card, which is also known as Fan ID.
Travelling fans will be required to submit personal information such as passport details, address and telephone numbers, which will be processed by the Russian authorities to obtain the Fan ID. It will serve not only as a means to get to games but also as a visa and a transport pass.
Reasonable tickets
Next up is the issue of tickets, which will be released by FIFA in phases and will be issued on a lottery basis to fans. The first sale phase was conducted earlier this year before the draw, which allowed fans to purchase tickets on the basis of date and venue of a match.
The post-draw phase begins on December 5 and will run until January 31, 2018, when fans can submit applications and in case the demand exceeds the available number of tickets for a particular game or section, a draw will take place. The tickets will also be available after that from March onwards, where fans can purchase and confirm the tickets while in April, the 'Last Minute Sales Phase' will take place.
Next up, we have their prices, which for the group stages are quite reasonable as an Indian fan. Non-Russian fans can only buy tickets in US Dollars and for the three categories -- A, B and C, the ticket prices are $210, $165 and $105 respectively, which translates to approximately Rs 13,500, Rs 10,600 and Rs 6700 at the time of writing this article.
Two matches in two days in Moscow
Depending on one's favourite teams and travel plans, fans can decide and shortlist which games to watch and plan accordingly. We will take the example of a short round trip between Moscow and New Delhi, which allows the individual fan to witness Argentina take on Iceland at the Spartak Stadium on June 16 and the next day, see defending champions Germany take on Mexico at the iconic Luzhniki Stadium.
A round trip between the two capital cities, as of now, costs a minimum of Rs 26,502 for the dates June 15 and 18. On its website, FIFA has also made a list of hotels available and the one of the best options available is the Master Hotel Pervomaiskaya, which charges RUB 4,581 per night, which means approximately Rs 5,000.
The hotel is a three-star one and is just 9 km away from the Spartak Stadium. From the Luzhniki though, it is a fair 26 km away by road.
The total sum, including match tickets (Category C), flight travel and accommodation (3 nights), comes out to be approximately Rs 55,000. Of course, there will be a number of other expenses to factor in as well, but the major chunk of the total costs will be included in these three things.
Messi and Muller or Neymar and Pogba?
And it is not just these two games that can be watched together in two days in Moscow! In the group stage itself, there will be two other pairs of matches that fans can witness in the same manner. Poland vs Senegal and Portugal vs Morocco will be played in the Russian capital on June 19 and 20, while fans can also watch Denmark vs France and Brazil vs Serbia on June 26 and 27 respectively.
The permutation and combinations are endless and the choices and conditions will be different for each person but for Indian football fans overall, the 2018 World Cup is the opportunity of a lifetime to watch two matches at the premier event in a four-day pilgrimage to Russia and that too while burning the smallest hole in your pocket.
So will it be the duos of Lionel Messi and Thomas Muller, or Robert Lewandowski and Cristiano Ronaldo, or Neymar and Paul Pogba that you will watch in Russia? The choice is yours!
