"The stadiums, the organisation, the people, everybody has been fantastic here. And the competitive balance has been really interesting," he said.

"What impressed me most is tactical flexibility, the high-intensity pressing, the speed of action and the speed of thought."

The 2018 FIFA World Cup kicked off on 15 June with the final showdown between France and Croatia set to take place at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium on Monday morning AEST.