The Fifa World Cup is one of the biggest sporting events on the planet. So the fact that Russia is hosting the event is a great opportunity to demonstrate what a warm welcome people from around the world receive when they visit the country.

Of course, not everyone will get the tickets they want to cheer their team on in person, but don’t worry: the FIFA Fan Festivals offer the next best thing.

These festivals are the official location for public screening of 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and 2018 World Cup matches for those who couldn’t make it into the stadium. They provide a great opportunity for fans to watch live broadcasts of the games played by the best international teams, and to do so in a safe environment. And remember that Fan Festivals aren’t just limited to Football, traditionally offering visitors a great programme of entertainment, including performances by popular artists.

The FIFA Fan Festivals will take place in all the host cities for both the Confederations Cup and World Cup.

Host cities

·         Moscow

·         St Petersburg

·         Kazan

·         Sochi

·         Kaliningrad

·         Saransk

·         Nizhny Novgorod

·         Volgograd

·         Rostov-on-Don

·         Ekaterinburg

·         Samara

Meanwhile, Football for Hope is one of FIFA’s biggest programmes during the event, using the power and influence of the game to good effect.

Football for Hope plays an important social role, using football’s potential to help people. Launched in 2005, the first 10 years of the programme’s existence have seen FIFA support and finance 450 social development projects in 78 countries.

To launch the programme, FIFA and the Organising Committee Russia-2018 are selecting non-profit organisations in Russian cities to collaborate on joint projects.

One of the programme’s principal events is the Football for Hope forum. It took place during the Confederations Cup, and gathered 200 representatives of NGOs and international experts who discussed the best ways of using football as a social development tool. The three-day forum included presentations, seminars and a number of social events. The Football for Hope Festival will take place in 2018, during the World Cup, bringing together NGO representatives from 32 states. The festival will last two weeks and include a wide range of educational and entertainment events. There are also plans for a youth football tournament for the teams of the 32 states.

Whether you’re attending the Confederations or World Cup, or if you’d just like to visit the country when the tournaments are on (or any other time, for that matter), we can make all your travel and accommodation arrangements for you. Just give us a call on 0207 985 1234, and we’ll be with you every kick of the ball!