Fans Eagerly Await Start of World Cup|2018年世足賽開幕 商機逾五千億美元

The atmosphere here in Moscow is great! There are so many celebrations and activities going on everywhere. Fans from all over the world, including the 32 nations playing in the tournament, have all gathered here. It's great. Tomorrow we will go to St. Petersburg to watch Morocco's group stage match.

Russia is hosting the World Cup for the first time, and 64 matches will be played over 32 days at 12 stadiums in 11 cities. The matches will be watched by an estimated four billion viewers, in addition to the spectators in the stadiums. The tournament is also expected to bring a record US$500 billion in business opportunities. The opening ceremony will take place on the evening of June 14, and British singer Robbie Williams and Russian operatic soprano Aida Garifullina will perform. Williams, who is a huge football fan, said he feels honored to perform in the opening ceremony.

This has been the staple of my life, ever since I can remember, it's been the pinnacle of entertainment, you know, for the world, so it's an honor being here, and it's just a shame that it's every four years. I wish it was every couple.

The opening match is between host Russia and Saudi Arabia. The tradition of using animals to predict winners of World Cup matches has continued with this edition. A cat named Achilles who lives in the basement of the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg shot to fame after correctly predicting the results of last year's FIFA Confederations Cup. For the opening match, he predicted a victory for Russia. Although the United States failed to qualify for the tournament, it does have something to celebrate, as it won the bid alongside Canada and Mexico to jointly host the 2026 World Cup. The Empire State Building will also coordinate its lighting with the colors of the flags of the countries that are taking part during the duration of the tournament.