Welcome Indians, to the most economical FIFA World Cup ever

Come 2018, Indians have the best shot at making their dream of watching a senior World Cup come true.

A FIFA World Cup is not just another quadrennial event, it is a festival. A festival of such significance that three out of every seven human beings on the planet watched the 20th edition of the event in 2014, let alone a viewership of a billion in the final where Germany beat Argentina to win the title. Regardless of one's nationality, a World Cup is cherished by all, especially in the Asian countries, which have been drastically absent in the footballing map for years but not now.

Ever since the dusk of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the awareness of the kick and ball sport rose to new heights. The cherry on the cake was the semi-final berth for South Korea. Collectively, Asia has hosted numerous FIFA events. two Futsal World Cups, two U-20 World Cups, three U-17 World Cups and 11 out of 14 Club World Cups to name a few. It is a testament to the importance FIFA has put on this continent. It had already been decided by FIFA norms to host the 2018 World Cup in Europe, had it not been for the rules, Japan, South Korea and Qatar would have been stern contenders for the 2018 affair. The teams who were barred from bidding for 2018 were eligible for 2022. Hence, Qatar swooped for that edition.

The 2018 edition will be the 21st instalment of the event and by far the most reasonable one. During Euro 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin had cleared the air above his country's visa policies, completely abolishing the need to get a visa, only if a person acquires a match ticket and a prior FIFA fan ID during the course of the tournament, making this a standout edition. Another defining factor is the currency conversion rate of the world's largest nation by area.

The conversion rate of the Russian currency in relation to the Indian rupee is lower than any of the hosts that have conducted the tournament since the turn of the millennium. A Russian Rubel equals roughly ₹ 1.1, which is about the same value of the things a person may buy in India. When compared to the likes of Brazil (2014) and Qatar (2022) the Brazilian Real is at a rate of ₹ 20.08 while as of now the Qatari Rial is at ₹17.78.

Add to that, the travel time to Moscow, Russia is lesser than Germany (2006), South Africa (2010) and Brazil (2014). Only travelling to Qatar (2022) will be quicker. Nevertheless, that is five years away from now.

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association has been supportive in landing knowledge about the host country by providing the list of certified hotels, city and tour guides and much other detailed information on the website specially made for the travelling fans. As far as tickets are concerned, the first phase of the sales is currently going on until 28th November 2017, with the second phase to kickoff by 5th December, four days after the final draw on 1st December 2017.

FIFA World Cup 2018 Final Draw 

The tickets are divided into 3 categories with the prices ₹13,588, ₹10,676 and ₹6,794 in CAT 1, CAT 2 and CAT 3 respectively (converted from USD). But, for an Indian citizen, the main problem is accommodation and travel, which will fade away until the end of this piece.

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Beneath, is a list of several scenarios of solo travel to Moscow, each accumulating a couple of matches. The information and authenticity about the hotels are stated on FIFA information pages. Let’s find out how an Indian can watch the World Cup in just  ₹75,000.

Scenario 1

Matches no. – 7 (Argentina vs Iceland) and 11 (Germany vs Mexico) - Group Stage

Match Dates – 16th June and 17th June

Ticket prices – CAT 3 = Rs 6,794

Hotel – ** Hotel Voyage Park, Rub 5,468/night

Round trip flight - 

New Delhi (DEL) to Moscow (SVO) = 15th June

Moscow (SVO) to New Delhi (DEL) = 19th June

Flight charges – Rs. 28,342

The total cost of the trip – Rs. 63,802 + other auxiliary expenses (4 nights, 5 days)

Scenario 2

Matches no. – 15 (Poland vs Senegal) and 19 (Portugal vs Morocco) - Group Stage

Match Dates – 19th June and 20th June

Ticket prices – CAT 3 = Rs 6,794

Hotel – *** Master Hotel Pervomaiskaya, Rub 4,581/night

Round trip flight – 

New Delhi (DEL) to Moscow (SVO) = 18th June

Moscow (SVO) to New Delhi (DEL) = 22nd June

Flight charges – Rs. 26,505

Total cost of the trip – 58,417 + other auxiliary expenses (4 nights, 5 days)

Scenario 3

Matches no. – 29 (Belgium vs Tunisia) and 37 (Denmark vs France) - Group Stage

Match Dates – 23rd June and 26th June

Ticket prices – CAT 3 = Rs 6,794

Hotel – **** Hotel Salut, Rub 6,884/night

Round trip flight – 

New Delhi (DEL) to Moscow (SVO) = 22nd June

Moscow (SVO) to New Delhi (DEL) = 27th June

Flight charges – Rs. 26,505

Total cost of the trip – 74,513 + other auxiliary expenses (5 nights, 6 days)

Scenario 4

Matches no. – 51 (1B vs 2A) and 56 (1H vs 2G) - Round of 16

Match Dates – 1st July and 3rd July

Ticket prices – CAT 3 = Rs 6,794

Hotel – **** Arthurs Village and Spa Hotel, Rub 8,845/night

Round trip flight – 

New Delhi (DEL) to Moscow (SVO) = 30th June

Moscow (SVO) to New Delhi (DEL) = 5th July

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Flight charges – Rs. 28,342

Total cost of the trip – 86,155 + other auxiliary expenses (5 nights, 6 days)