What souvenirs to bring home from FIFA World Cup 2018?

Dec 18 2017

Russia Beyond

Artyom Geodakyan/TASS

Fans who can’t wait for the soccer feast to start can visit the first official souvenir shop that opened last week in Moscow.

No more waiting – soccer fans now can buy World Cup souvenirs in the Russian capital. The first of many official FIFA shops due to open in Russia opened its doors on Tuesday, Dec. 12. It is located on the first floor of the Central Children’s Store or “Detskiy Mir” on Lubyanka Square, and occupies an area of 50 square meters.

One can find all sorts of FIFA-related souvenirs – the Telstar 18 official match ball, T-shirts, toys of the official World Cup mascot — Zabivaka the Wolf, stationery, etc. The prices for the toys, for instance, start from 1,000 rubles ($17).

A second shop is planned to open in St. Petersburg. “We will open 3-5 such shops in all 11 cities that will host World Cup events, perhaps even more in Moscow and St. Petersburg,” Ana Brito, Head of the Brand Management and FIFA Licensing Department, told RBC Daily.

Apart from small stores in shopping malls, FIFA plans to open two large shops (more than 1,000 square meters) in May, just a month before the start of the championship. It will, of course, be possible to buy souvenirs at the stadiums themselves.