How much does it cost to be a World Cup fan?
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The price of support
It’s that time again! The most prestigious and highly-anticipated international football tournament returns.
This year the tournament is being hosted by Russia – geographically the planet’s largest country.
There are 12 host stadiums in 11 cities that span across 1,800 miles. So it’s important you know how to get around, where to rest, refuel and how much it will all cost.
Some package deals are available, but most fans will be heading to Russia on trips they’ve organised themselves.
So if you are travelling to the country for football’s greatest showpiece we’ve got all you need to know to get the most from your World Cup experience. Plus you can check out the latest fixtures, scores and more with our World Cup Guide.
The Tickets
There is a three-phase set-up for the ticket allocation.
Phase one was divided into two sale periods. First, fans were able to request tickets on a random selection basis from (14th September to 12th October 2017). Once this process had taken place the successful applicants could claim tickets on a first come first served basis during November.
Sales Phase two is also split into separate sales periods. There was a random selection draw between December and January where the next raft of tickets was allocated.
This then made way for the last minute sales phase that runs from 18th April to 15th July 2018.
Ticket prices themselves have been split into four categories. The fourth exclusively reserved for Russian residents.
For instance, in the stand-out group game of the tournament Portugal v Spain, fans had to pay up to $210USD or £184 in Category 1. The cheapest tickets for non-Russian residents were $105USD or just £79.
If you want to see all of England’s group games at the World Cup at Category One it will set you back €470.70 or £412.56.
All three games at Cat 2 come in at £370 whilst at Category Three you’ll have to dig out £202.
Even for the most optimistic of England fans, if the team make it to the final in Moscow then the cheapest tickets will amass to a total of €1,111 or £972.60.
Travel
You can travel from Moscow to St. Petersburg (a 700-kilometre trip) on a high-speed train (Sapsan) for about £30 (one way) or with a dorm train like the Red Arrow for about £80 in a second-class compartment (one way).
Airfare rates from the world vary coming into both major Russian cities Moscow and Saint Petersburg.
If you are looking to stay during the tournament then this is how much it will cost to get you there across the continents.
We’ve based out price examples on the same length of stay for the same dates. There’s plenty of options for a variety of budgets. And they’re subject to change depending on the matches that are on and room availability. *
(cheapest prices) *based on Sat 30th June – Tuesday 3rd July 2018.
From London
- Heathrow to Moscow – £332 round trip
- Heathrow to Saint Petersburg – £260 round trip
From Reykjavik
- To Moscow – £577 round trip
- To Saint Petersburg – from £519 round trip
From New York
- From JFK to Moscow – £1,355 round trip
- From JFK to Saint Petersburg- £1,630 round trip
From Sydney
- To Moscow – £943 via Perth and Dubai round trip
- To Saint Petersburg – £1,157 via Dubai round trip
From Rio
- To Moscow – £1,851 via Frankfurt round trip
- To Saint Petersburg – £1,707 via Frankfurt round trip
From Lagos
- To Moscow – £1,003 via Frankfurt – round trip
- To Saint Petersburg – £1,052 via Frankfurt – round trip
From Bogota
- To Moscow – £2,427 via Frankfurt – round trip
- To Saint Petersburg – £2,101 via Frankfurt – round trip
From Seoul
- To Moscow – £626 via Almaty (Kazakhstan) round trip
- To Saint Petersburg – £747 via Shanghai round trip
Once you’re in the country, the cheaper but perhaps not the quickest option is to go by train.
If you’re an England fan and travelling from game to game this month then russiantrains.com is the place to book your seat or bed!
It’ll be a 27 hour overnight sleeper train from Volgograd to Nizhny Novgorod. That’ll come in at £75 or 6,219.58 RUB.
Travelling from Nizhny Novgorod to the Kaliningrad Stadium will be a little trickier and may need a diversion via Moscow.
Accommodation
Visa requirements
- Single entry tourist up to 30 days is £37
- Double entry tourist up to 30 days is £48
There will be a diverse mix of people of all nationalities, backgrounds and ages swarming on the country all with football as a uniting force! So fancy making a weekend of it and heading Russia?
Well here’s how much it will cost you to stay across each host city (based on 22nd June – 24th June for 1 room and 2 adults)
If you’re looking for a luxury stay in Moscow then the Four Seasons comes in at £3,840 whilst the fashionable Ritz-Carlton will be £2,361.
If you are on a budget or want to spend your money elsewhere then you can pick up two nights for two people from £115 at Nice Hostel Komsomolskaya Loft.
Over in Saint Petersburg, the five star Petro Palace Hotel is £1,350. The three-star Harbor Club hotel is £146.
The Hotel Park Krestovskiy on the grounds of the stadium is £253 for two nights.
Fancy checking out Sochi? it’s the home of the 2014 Winter Olympics and where the Brazil team are staying. Then we’d recommend the Grand Hotel Zhemchuzhina at £221.
The five-star Arfa Park Hotel prices up at £753 for two nights. It’s got its own private beach and is a 33-minute walk to the Fisht Stadium.
Over in Kazan, the four-star Riviera resort is £310 if you fancy more than just the footy!
However, you can grab a room for as little as £56 and many options around the £150 mark.
In Rostov, you can stay at the quiet Jardin Park Hotel for £73.00. You can stay at the Hotel Magnoliya for £29 which is 14km from the Rostov Arena.
Ekaterinburg hosted Uruguay’s 1-0 defeat of Egypt. You can stay in the Radisson Park Inn for £328. There’s also the simple Hotel Luna that starts from £88.
The final Group G clash between England and Belgium is in Kaliningrad. To get a taste of the city and what it has to offer for £799 you can stay at the plush Crystal House Suite and Spa.
At the other end of the spectrum, there is the traditional Villa Elisa Zarkau at £57.
Samara is another stadium built exclusively for the World Cup. You can stay in the city for as little as £56 for two nights at the Zvezda Zhiguley Hotel.
However, the £97 you can spend on Hotel Trend may prove a worthy option.
The four-star Moya Glinka is a relaxing stay for £196 and is 16km from the Samara stadium.
Nizhny Novgorod plays host to Argentina’s crucial second game, Sweden v South Korea as well as England v Panama before the end of the month.
You can grab an apartment in the Sovetsky district for £98. Spend £65 more and you could stay in the highly-rated Marins Park Hotel right on the Oka River.
If you’re looking for a luxury no expense spared trip to Western Russia then the five-star Sheraton Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin is £328 for two nights.
Saransk is 224km south of Novgorod in the eastern part of central Russia. The city is the financial and economic centre of Mordovia and has a population of 307,000.
In these travel dates, you can stay in the VIP13 hotel on Sevatstopolskaya Street for £370.
However, you could try an Airbnb which has a flat for £64 for two nights ‘especially for football fans’. The average cost per night of an Airbnb in the city is between £35-£45.
Volgograd formerly known as Stalingrad is steeped in Russian history and is one of the biggest cultural reference points in the country.
You could stay at the Milot Hotel for £147 10 miles from the football stadium and 12 miles from the city centre.
An Airbnb varies from between £60 to £200 for two nights all dotted along the Volga River embankment.
Everything Else
The cheapest pints are the authentic Russian beers that come in at £1.15 whereas the foreign imports start from around £2.20. However, you can pick up a bottle of beer from 70p to £1.35 at a supermarket.
The cost of a traditional Russian breakfast (usually served until 12) with pancakes or crepes or with cheese rolls can cost about 200 rubles (about £3).
However, you can also order a coffee and a pastry for a similar price.
On a typical day, you should budget around £20-£30 for breakfast, lunch and dinner at your average restaurants.
In terms of World Cup merchandise, frenzied fans have gone mad for the release of the Nigerian shirt.
The kit was released on June 1st but sold out in a matter of minutes. The shirt comes in at £64.95 and is made by Nike.
If you are looking to snag yourself a replica Russia top for the tournament the cheapest price you can find is £49.95.
Patriotic England fans that don’t fancy going retro can pick up the 2018 home shirt from £54.95 or the official Nike stadium shirt from £64.95.
Want a kickabout down the park with your mates or re-create big World Cup moments with your five-a-side team? You can grab the official World Cup competition ball at FIFA store from £44.
That’s under £9 each between five of you!
Whether you’re getting in on the action and travelling to Russia for the World Cup or watching from the comfort of home or your local pub, don’t forget to check out the latest World Cup prices here.
All prices correct at the time of writing.
