Olay, Olay, Olay, Olay! The World Cup Is Here!

A World Cup banner hanging in Red Square near the Kremlin.

The 2018 World Cup has arrived in Russia!!

And so has our friend, Ben!

Ben, Fritz, and I standing with the Kremlin and Moscow River in the background.

Ben has a history of being one of our few friends who not only visits us no matter where in the world we are living, but he also routinely shows up within the last week before we move out.  True to his reputation, Ben flew in for our last weekend in Moscow.  As a super football fan (I will use the globally recognized terminology in this post rather than the American "soccer"), Ben had extra incentive to drop in, and he managed to secure three tickets to the Belgium vs. Tunisia game!  

Over the past few weeks, Fritz and I have had the opportunity to watch the city transform as all the World Cup preparations have taken shape.  A flood of international football fans have invaded the city.  While flags, banners, and statues decorate the city streets, the World Cup presence seems to be most palpable underground in the tunnels of the Metro.  On the first day of the tournament, Fritz and I were headed toward the Metro escalator when raucous echoes of a large group started to overwhelm the rotunda entranceway.  While the subway is often crowded, it is almost never loud.  People silently bustle between trains and funnel their way up and down the escalator while keeping to themselves.  I would be lying if I didn't say the sounds of a yelling crowd made me a little nervous, but upon peering down the escalator, we discovered the source of the commotion: a group of 6 Mexican fans decked out in sombreros and flag-capes enthusiastically singing their way through the station at full volume and stirring others to join in their festivities.   This kind of self expression is far from the typical behavior in the Russian underground.  But the enthusiasm of World Cup fever has begun to spread in Moscow!

The recorded announcements that play throughout the metro stations have changed as well.  New messages have been recorded to welcome visiting fans and support confused travelers.  Announcements are made first in Russian, then translated into English and spoken with a friendly British accent.  Some of the announcements are a bit comical.  "Dear passengers, if you see someone struggling to use the Metro, please call for help."  "Dear passengers, if you fall onto the track, do not attempt to climb out on your own...  Avoid touching the third rail as it carries the electricity...  The trains are designed to keep you safe." 

LED screens appeared in the tunnels overnight displaying all the station lines in both Cyrillic and English - a useful aid I wish had been available when I arrived a month ago.  A collection of Metro cars have been repainted displaying the colorful and whimsical World Cup motif.  TV monitors were mounted inside the Metro cars, live-streaming games so fans don't miss a moment during their transit.  

Travelers have a much easier time getting into the country compared to standard tourists, like me, who have to undergo an extensive (and expensive) visa application process followed by various bureaucratic hurtles.  Ben was able to enter Russian with his passport and "Fan ID" which was issued to him after he purchased his World Cup ticket.  

Ben and Fritz registering for their Fan ID

Once Ben arrived, Fritz and I also had to sign up for our own Fan IDs in order to get into the game.  The ID served as a pass into the stadium when paired with an official World Cup ticket.  It also allowed free metro rides and various discounts around the city on game day.  Acquiring the physical ID required an excursion to an official Fan ID site.  So we set off through the Moscow tunnels to the nearest Fan Zone. 

Ben and Fritz in the Metro.

Riding to the Fan Zone.

Outside the Fan Zone

The location of the Fan Zone ended up being in a remote part of the city in the backside of a building that had been adapted specifically for this temporary purpose.  The experience was akin to visiting a colorful, Russian version of an American DMV.  After providing our names, we took numbers and waited to be called.  

Each booth was equipped with a camera and white screen to take a quick photo (no smiling!) for our respective IDs.  My tall husband had to adopt an awkward squat pose in order to fit in the frame.  His resulting photo has a slight tilt to it - a great souvenir from our World Cup experience. 

Sporting our official Fan IDs, we made our way over to the game on the northwest end of town in Spartak Stadium. 

The walk from the Metro to the stadium took us down some random roads lined with World Cup banners while modern apartment buildings loomed in the distance.  

As we got closer, the flow of fans increased along with Russian volunteers wearing friendly smiles and high-five gloves, eager to share the universal sign of sportsmanly excitement.  

Tunisian flag wearers.

No one could figure out how to take a group photo of us that also included a full view of the stadium in the background.

I think this was our 5th attempt at asking a stranger for a picture with the stadium.  Success!

Spartak Stadium

The long road to the stadium allowed for photo-ops along the way.  When we finally got to the gate, officials scanned our ticket and Fan ID before allowing us to move through the tight security check.  

Scanning ticket and ID to get into the stadium.

We have arrived!

We gave ourselves plenty of time to leisurely weave through the amassing crowds, taking in the various displays of Tunisian and Belgian pride.  My favorite part of any sporting event is always stepping into a stadium full of fans and seeing the field for first time.  

We found our seats as fans from all over the world filed in around us.  The excited energy and anticipation was enormous as the opening ceremony began.  

Coordinated banner bearers

Openning Ceremony

We had Tunisians next to us and Belgians in front of us.  The game started and it didn't take long before Belgium began burying goal after goal.  

Happy Belgian Fans

Belgian selfies in action

It was not an even match, and watching the Tunisian guys next to us growing more and more distraught as their team was eaten alive was a stark contrast to the overjoyed, mohawk-wearing fans taking selfies in front of us.  

The wave swept its way through the stadium several times as did cheers for Russia.  This cracked me up considering there were no Russian players on the field, and yet "Ra-see-ya, Ra-see-ya" (Russia pronounced in Russian) echoed through the stadium louder than any definitive chants for Belgium or Tunisia.  

Which reminds me, although we only went to one game at the stadium, we did watch many other games in local bars and pubs including the very first game of the tournament - Russia vs. Saudi Arabia.  For the those with limited 2018 World Cup knowledge, Russia was the lowest-ranked team in the tournament, but the host country always gets a spot in the lineup.  The US, sadly, did not make it to the World Cup this year.  Everyone thought Russia would be wiped out quickly, but so far they have continuously proven themselves with victory after victory.  The opening game was absolutely thrilling to experience with a lively crowd of Russian enthusiasts.   We packed ourselves into a bar overflowing with fans as the team put away goal after goal.  The bar was electric with all eyes glued to the many TVs scattered throughout the bar.  The fans shouted, "Ra-see-ya!  Ra-see-ya!  Ra-see-ya!" in unison.  And then came the singing!  After the second goal, the bar erupted in that traditional, age-old, Russian tune that has been passed down from generation to generation.  A true sense of Russian culture filled our bones and we joined in as the crowd sang, "Olay, olay, olay, olay..."  Hmmmmmm.  I had always thought that one originated in Latin America, but I guess some football songs span the continents.  

The whole Russian World Cup experience was terrific, and I'm so glad I decided to attend the Belgium/Tunisia game.  I have to admit, going to a giant stadium in Moscow sparked a bit of irrational nervousness given some of the horrific attacks that have happened at stadiums around the world in the past few years.  I had reserved the right to bail on the game right up until the last minute, but the reward for swallowing that fear proved to be well worth it.  

In fact, as the opening ceremony began and each team's national anthem echoed through the stadium, a moment of reflection on the magic of this event moved me to think about the significance of this global pastime.  The World Cup is the only international event that I can think of on this scale, where people from vastly different cultures, speaking completely different languages, and having a complex diversity of worldviews stand together on the same patch of grass and play for over 90 minutes following exactly the same rules and having exactly the same expectations of one another.  The "language" of football truly is universal and it provides these amazing moments of shared excitement, singing, cheering, loss, and triumph.  Not even the Olympics provides this level of consistent interaction and common ground.  I think this year's World Cup music video said it right, "Where their is unity, there is always victory." And I feel so fortunate to have been a part of that unity.