"It is a golden opportunity for Saudi Arabian fans to visit Russia. Our estimate is around 10,000 Saudis attending the opening match and other matches. This is the largest number ever of Saudis coming to Russia," the ambassador said.

Kremly stressed that the tournament would provide a great opportunity both for Saudis and Russians to know each other better, noting the importance of the event in terms of touristic, economic and sport reasons.

"It is important because frankly both sides have limited knowledge of each other and some of the images are taken from Hollywood movies that distort reality in both Saudi Arabia and in Russia. Seeing firsthand the reality and then meeting firsthand with Russian counterparts is very important for both sides. This will tremendously increase the number of Saudi tourists coming later to Russia," the ambassador said.

Russia will host its first-ever FIFA World Cup between June 14 and July 15, with matches set to take place in 11 host cities, including Moscow.