Visitors to the World Cup have experienced the beauty and geographic diversity of Russia amid warm, sometimes sweltering temperatures and nearly endless midsummer daylight. Associated Press photographers captured these images of daily life in the vast country as the soccer tournament moved into its knockout phase.
The sun sets behind a Lenin statue during the 2018 soccer World Cup in Podolsk, Russia on June 28, 2018. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Children play with a ball in a soccer field in Kochkurovo village, outside Saransk, Russia on June 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)
Commuters ride home on a subway car decorated for the 2018 soccer World Cup, in Moscow, Russia on June 30, 2018. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Stuffed animals are sold by the side of a road near Portugal's training ground at the 2018 soccer World Cup in Kratovo, outskirts Moscow, Russia on June 29, 2018. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)
A man practices in an outdoor gym during the 2018 soccer World Cup in Kazan, Russia on June 29, 2018. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
A youngster swims in a small forest lake at the 2018 soccer World Cup in Kratovo, outskirts Moscow, Russia on June 28, 2018. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Soccer fans and police ride down an escalator at a subway station in front of a large soviet-era mural depicting Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin, top, during the 2018 soccer World Cup in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia on June 25, 2018. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)
The sun shines through the clouds above the Fisht Stadium at the 2018 soccer World Cup in Sochi, Russia on June 29, 2018. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
People spend a sunny day on a riverfront beach, during the 2018 soccer World Cup in Samara, Russia on June 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
A woman prepares salad for sale on a local food market during the 2018 soccer World Cup in Kazan, Russia on June 29, 2018 (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
A volunteer, left, walks inside the Fan ID center as pedestrians are reflected in a window as they walk along the banks of the Volga river during the 2018 soccer World Cup in Kazan, Russia on June 29, 2018. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
A woman crosses a bridge during the 2018 soccer World Cup in St. Petersburg, Russia on June 25, 2018. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
People walk at sunset during the 2018 soccer World Cup in downtown Kazan, Russia on June 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
Couples dance the tango on Patriarshy Bridge during the 2018 soccer World Cup in Moscow, Russia on June 29, 2018. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
The sun sets over "The Motherland Calls" memorial during near the Volgograd Arena during the 2018 soccer World Cup in Volgograd, Russia on June 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A young couple sit on a bridge as the sun sets during the 2018 soccer World Cup in Moscow, Russia on June 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
Tourists take cover from a heavy rain under umbrellas in Red Square with the with St. Basil's Cathedral, left, and the Spasskaya Tower, right, in the background, in Moscow, Russia on June 30, 2018. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)
A vendor prepares coffee on the back of a van during the 2018 soccer World Cup in St. Petersburg, Russia on June 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
Clouds hang over the Grand Mosque of the Kremlin during the 2018 soccer World Cup in Kazan, Russia on June 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)