Russia shells out around $6.7 bln for 2018 World Cup preparations

MOSCOW - 25 December 2017: Russian federal budget costs of holding the 2018 FIFA World Cup will be about $6.7 bln, Head of the Russian Chamber of Accounts Tatiana Golikova was quoted as saying by TASS news agency Monday.

"The federal budget will spend about $6.7 bln. The sports infrastructure accounts for slightly more than 38%; all the rest is infrastructure related to roads, public utilities, and various improvements," she said.

Russia selected 11 host cities to be the venues for the matches of the 2018 World Cup and they are Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, Saransk, Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don, Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg and Samara.

The matches of the 2018 World Cup will be held between June 14 and July 15 at 12 stadiums located in the 11 mentioned above cities across Russia.