“The majority of fans were Russians, of course, but among foreigners, fans from the U.S., Germany and Brazil were the most numerous,” he added.
An estimated half a million fans visited fan zones on match days, while 160 million fans actively followed the tournament on television from around the world, according to FIFA figures.
The director of Russia’s World Cup organizing committee, Alexei Sorokin, said that his team was surprised by the atmosphere at the tournament.
“The World Cup exceeded the expectations of even the organizers. I was amazed by the atmosphere that gripped our country,” he said.