"I think, we have undoubtedly shown the entire world that we are glad to welcome fans from any country. The atmosphere is very hospitable, I would say, hearty here. Let the UK ministers come, we will welcome them as our guests. We are perplexed with the decisions of some politicians, but if they come, we will be happy to see them," Sorokin told journalists.

Earlier, Sorokin said that over 1.5 million FAN IDs had been issued for the period of the World Cup, 750,000 of them had been awarded to non-Russian residents.

A FAN ID is a personalized document which is obligatory for everyone who has a ticket to any of the games of the upcoming tournament. It provides holders with a visa-free entry to Russia during the World Cup, with fans being able to enter the country 10 days before the first match and stay until 10 days after the last game.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup kicked off on June 14 and will continue until July 15, with the matches being played in 11 cities across Russia.