"We're thankful for the millions of kind words that the World Cup guests said about Russia and our people, we're glad that they liked our hospitality and openness, nature, culture, traditions of our big country," Putin said at a concert in the Bolshoi Theatre devoted to the closing of the FIFA World Cup.

The Russian leader added that he was happy that "the guests had seen everything with their own eyes."

On Sunday, Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium will host the final match between the national teams of France and Croatia, which will mark the end of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.