Russia’s airports a melting pot of World Cup fans
Russia’s airports have had a face-lift and thankfully for the exhausted fans on the World Cup trail they have not proven to be much of an inconvenience.
With distances between venues potentially thousands of miles, they have had to be amenable.
Coffee shops, relaxing massage chairs or playing table football. They’re all available.
In this Friday, June 22, 2018 photo, an Iranian fan enjoys a foot massage at a shop at Kazan International Airport in Kazan, Russia. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
As are bars showing what has brought all these travelers to Russia — there’s no escaping the football.
There’s no escaping the fans, either, as they crisscross this huge country. Football is a universal language.
For Korean software engineer Seo Dong Yal, preparations for the World Cup began a year ago and it has cost his three-member family around $10,500. Experiencing the World Cup for the fifth straight time, he is always on the lookout for ways to keep down the cost of his three-week stay in Russia.
In this Saturday, June 16, 2018 photo, a supporter of Portugal holds a ball he bought at an airport shop at Sochi International Airport in Sochi, Russia. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
His favorite World Cup was in Germany in 2006.
“It was perfect. Beautifully organized. Amazing transport and cheap,” he said. “The most expensive was in 2014 in Brazil due to the large cost of air tickets.”
German engineer Detlef Ziolkowski has come to Russia with his wife Birgit from Cologne for a week to watch two matches. It has not been cheap — $7,000.
In this Saturday, June 16, 2018 photo, Tunisian fans wait to embark a plane at the Vnukovo International Airport, in Moscow, Russia. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
“I paid 220 euros ($255) for each ticket to see my country play against Sweden but fortunately we won in the end,” he said.
Following Sochi, it’s Kazan. For Russia, that’s not considered a huge distance at around 1,500 kilometers (930 miles). However, it usually involves flying back to Moscow.
It can be a draining experience.
Time will tell what the World Cup has done for Russia’s image as a tourist destination. There were predictions that more than 1.5 million foreign tourists would visit Russia during the World Cup. Not all will have tickets. The Fan Fests in every host city have been vibrant — FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, announced that in the first week of the matches, 2.5 million fans watched games in designated areas across the 11 host cities.
In this Friday, June 22, 2018 photo, a supporter of Brazil looks at souvenirs on sale at the Kazan International Airport in Kazan, Russia. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
In this Friday, June 22, 2018 photo, a passenger checks his cellphone next to a table soccer as other fans wait to embark a plane at Kazan International Airport in Kazan, Russia. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
In this Sunday, June 24, 2018 photo, supporters of Germany sleep at Sochi International Airport in Sochi, Russia. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
In this Sunday, June 24, 2018 photo, Colombian fans embark a plane at the Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow, Russia. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
In this Sunday, June 24, 2018 photo, supporters of Sweden and Germany sleep before their flight at the Sochi International Airport in Sochi, Russia. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
In this Sunday, June 24, 2018 photo, a supporter of Germany embarks a plane at Sochi International Airport in Sochi, Russia. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
In this Saturday, June 16, 2018 photo, the TV shows the soccer star Lionel Messi during a match between Argentina and Iceland, as Russian fans watch the game, at Vnukovo International Airport, in Moscow, Russia. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
In this Saturday, June 16, 2018 photo, a man charges his cellphone after a flight at the Volgograd International Airport in Volgograd, Russia. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
In this Friday, June 22, 2018 photo, a supporter of Argentina embarks a plane at Kazan International Airport in Kazan, Russia. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
In this Sunday, June 24, 2018 photo, a family from Colombia take photos as a Polish fan sits in a shuttle bus at Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow, Russia. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
In this Sunday, June 24, 2018 photo, a supporter of Germany looks at an advertising banner that reads in Russian language ''Beauty in motion'' at Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow, Russia. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
In this Friday, June 22, 2018 photo, a soccer fan wearing a T-shirt with the British flag checks his cellphone after a flight at Sheremetyevo International Airport, in Moscow, Russia. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
In this Friday, June 22, 2018 photo a supporter of Argentina embarks a plane at Kazan International Airport in Kazan, Russia. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
Text from story AP story, AP PHOTOS: Russia’s airports a melting pot of World Cup fans, by Thanassis Stavrakis.