The Russian president Vladimir Putin experienced from the VIP box the victory of his national team against the Saudi Arabian team in the opening match of the World Cup.
Moments before, the president inaugurated the sporting event in front of 80,000 spectators at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. "I congratulate you on the start of the most important championship in the world," Putin said in Russian.
Although he has visited few stadiums since coming to power 18 years ago, he presided over a ceremony in which he was accompanied by the world football's top leader, Gianni Infantino.
The Saudi prince Mohámed bin Salman was also present, whom Putin did not hesitate to console when the Russians opened the scoring.
Among the attending heads of state were the presidents of Bolivia, Paraguay, and Panama, as well as the leaders of Kremlin-allied countries. (With information from Efe and Afp).