The 2018 FIFA World Cup took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018. The 64 matches were played in 12 venues across 11 host cities: Moscow, Kaliningrad, Saint-Petersburg, Volgograd, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Saransk, Rostov-on-Don, Sochi, and Yekaterinburg. The event has profoundly affected Russia’s social and cultural life and reached all countries and all nations in the world. More than 2 million people visited Russia to watch the World Cup. Experts of South Ural State University shared their views on the 2018 FIFA World Cup and its role for Russia.
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Elena Yaroslavova
Director of the Institute of Linguistics & International Communications
“Cultural relations are interactions between different nations that lead to their mutual transformations. International sports events provide a wonderful opportunity to immerse in other cultures. The 2018 FIFA World Cup has significantly contributed to strengthening the intercultural dialogue and positively rebuilding Russia’s international reputation. We saw an increasing interest in the Russian multinational culture and the Russian language during the World Cup. At the same time, Russia proved its tolerance of different cultures and people.
Football is a special game. It’s a wonderful thing to watch, a great pastime with friends, and the true spirit of rivalry. The World Cup has given all of us a chance to show respect for those differences existing between people so that we could realise how similar we are in the end.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup was not only about football but about mutual understanding. It has finally broken so many stereotypes surrounding our beautiful country and united our nation more than ever”.
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Ilya Tsalo
Associate Professor at the Department of Economic Security
School of Economics & Management
“The 2018 FIFA World Cup has had a major impact on the economy of the Russian Federation as a whole and on the economy of the host cities in particular. We can break down the positive influence into two components - the GDP increase by 0,2% and promoting the positive image of Russia, which as a result will attract more tourists and foreign investments in the country.
The host cities have economically benefited from the World Cup both in the short- and in the long-term. In the short run, the World Cup has boosted retail sales, catering businesses, and increased revenue in hotels. The local economies have benefited from new jobs created. In the long run, the local infrastructure development will bring additional tax revenue and reduce capital expenditures. Overall, according to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Local Organising Committee, the event has generated a positive economic impact of 867 billion rubles”.
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Vadim Erlikh
Director of the Institute of Sport, Tourism & Service
“The fact that our country was given the right to host the World Cup is a great achievement in itself. The event has considerably influenced both sport and politics. The 2018 FIFA World Cup saw the transformation of Russia with new sports venues built across the country. The host cities have gained in popularity among tourists. Overall, the World Cup has spurred the popularization of sport in Russia.
We’ve often heard that Russian football doesn’t exist. This World Cup has proved that we can play real football. The whole country supported our football team. From Saudi Arabia to Croatia - our guys showed deserving play with those they haven’t faced before. It’s true that every game is about luck to some extent. But if the team plays as a whole organism, then the result will definitely be a victory. Our football team did great in defence and attack. We managed to reach the quarter-finals for the first time! We can push forward, we can win. Russia has talented football players and a wonderful head coach. I’m sure we will be able to reveal our full football potential in Qatar.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup has completely changed our view on the game. Those teams who have been used to winning, couldn’t make it to the end during this World Cup. And although the Russian team haven’t touched the World Cup so far, we have proved our readiness to fight for the gold. The world has finally seen it – Russia can play football”.
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