"The (sports) festival was a great success," Ignatyev said.

"I think we managed to improve our image in all aspects - from the stadiums' construction to the team's performance.

"There were some and even serious doubts regarding our team's performance at the World Cup, but the boys showed courage, character, physical fitness and their ability to achieve the result.".

He added that this year's World Cup showed the superiority of the European football through the success of such teams as England, Belgium, France and Croatia, who reached the tournament's semi-finals.

Hosts Russia were defeated 4-3 on penalties by Croatia in the quarter-final and were eliminated from the tournament, while Croatia advanced to the next round and will now take on England at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium on Thursday (AEST).

The 2018 FIFA World Cup kicked off on June 14 and will continue until July 15, with the final set to be played at the Luzhniki Stadium.