Almost 67,000 Fans Visit Moscow's World Cup Fan Fest on Opening Day -Authorities

MOSCOW, June 15 (Sputnik) - Almost 67,000 people attended Moscow's 2018 FIFA World Cup fan fest on the first day of the tournament on Thursday, the press service of Moscow’s Department of Sport and Tourism told Sputnik on Friday.

"About 67,000 people attended FIFA fan fest during the operational period of the venue, from 3.00 p.m. to 10.00 p.m. [local time, 12:00 to 19:00 GMT]," the press service said.

The visitors watched the broadcast of the World Cup opening match, which ended in Russia's 5-0 rout of Saudi Arabia, on one 1,550-square-foot screen and six smaller screens.

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According to Moscow's Department of Sport and Tourism, a total of 56 broadcasts will be held at the city's Fan Fest during the tournament. On match days, the venue will open three hours before the first match and close one hour after the end of the last one.

The fan zone is located next to Moscow State University's main building at Vorobyovy Gory (Sparrow Hills) and can hold up to 25,000 people. Admission to the fan zone is free of charge.

The FIFA World Cup will continue through July 15, with a total of 64 matches set to be played at 12 stadiums across 11 Russian cities.