MINSK, 15 June (BelTA) – The official opening ceremony kicked off the 2018 FIFA World Cup at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on 14 June, BelTA informs.
The ceremony began at 17.30 Moscow time and lasted for only 15 minutes.
Among the celebrities to open the championship in the Russian capital were Brazil legend Ronaldo, Russian opera singer Aida Garifullina and British singer Robbie Williams.
Attending the 2018 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony was Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko. The Belarusian head of state arrived in Moscow on the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin who was also present on the stadium. The opening ceremony was also attended by the heads of state and government of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Moldova, Panama, Paraguay, Rwanda, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and other honorary guests.
The opening show was followed by a match between Russia and Saudi Arabia, where Russia routed its rival 5-0.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup is underway in Russia from 14 June to 15 July. Apart from Moscow, the championship is hosted by ten more Russian cities: St Petersburg, Kazan, Sochi, Volgograd, Yekaterinburg, Kaliningrad, Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Samara, and Saransk.
Photos courtesy of TASS, FIFA Twitter account, Reuters and Xinhua-BelTA