Russia's first-ever World Cup came to a close on Sunday, with France beating Croatia 4-2 in Moscow to lift the trophy for the second time.

"For Russian football, as I already said when talking with the players, this World Cup has opened a new era. This is quite obvious," Medvedev said at a meeting with his deputies.

He also thanked Russia footballers as well as their head coach Stanislav Cherchesov and the team's coaching and technical staff, adding that the entire country was proud of their performance at the World Cup.

Russia reached the quarter-finals of their home tournament after advancing to the knockout stage for the first time since the end of the Soviet era.

Medvedev added that it was now time to think about the tournament's legacy.

"This is an issue that will be studied in the near future," Medvedev said.

A total of 11 Russian cities, including Moscow, St. Petersburg and Sochi, hosted the World Cup, which was hailed as the "best ever" by FIFA President Gianni Infantino.