Putin to attend FIFA World Cup opening match

Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the 2018 FIFA World Cup opening match between Russia and Saudi Arabia on June 14, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday.

"As of now, I can say for sure that the president will attend the World Cup opening match, which will involve Team Russia and Team Saudi Arabia," he said, reports Tass news agency.

When asked if the president planned to attend any other World Cup matches, Peskov said that "everything will depend on how things go".

The 2018 FIFA World Cup, the first-ever hosted by Russia, will be held between June 14 and July 15, in 11 Russian cities -- Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Saransk, Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Yekaterinburg, Samara, Sochi and Rostov-on-Don.

Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Uruguay will make up Group A, while Group B will include Portugal, Spain, Iran and Morocco. Group C is going to consist of France, Australia, Peru and Denmark, while Group D will be Argentina, Iceland, Croatia and Nigeria. Group E will be composed of Brazil, Switzerland, Costa Rica and Serbia. Group F has Germany, Mexico, Sweden and South Korea, while Group G will encompass Belgium, Panama, Tunisia and England. Finally, Group H has Poland, Colombia, Senegal and Japan.

The World Cup opening match will be between Russia and Saudi Arabia. During the group stage, Russia will also play with Egypt on June 19 and with Uruguay on June 25.

--IANS

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