Shkaplerov was the commander of Expedition 55 to the International Space Station (ISS), which began in February and ended on Sunday.

"We've signed the ball and put the official ISS stamp on it and filmed the process to prove that the ball indeed had been in the outer space... Right after the landing the ball was evacuated and passed on to the FIFA representatives. We were told that this ball would open the first 2018 FIFA World Cup game at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. I hope I will be invited to the game, or at least will be given a ticket," Shkaplerov said.

The Russia 2018 Local Organizing Committee's press service later confirmed that the ball had spent a total of 75 days at the ISS and that one of its hexagons had the official ISS stamp on it.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup will be held between June 14 and July 15 at 12 stadiums across 11 Russian cities.

Moscow's 81,000-seater Luzhniki Stadium will host seven World Cup games, including the opener, one of Round of 16 fixture, a semi-final and the final.