In June 2018, I travelled back from London to my hometown, Yekaterinburg, for the World Cup. It was one of the host cities, with a giant “Russia 2018” sign erected in the city centre, where locals and foreign visitors queued up to take photos.
On match days, the city was a riot of colours, with thousands of fans from Sweden, Mexico, France, Peru and Uruguay sporting their team’s kit and waving flags. Russians mingled with foreigners, drinking beer on hot summer nights and taking selfies.
Four years after Vladimir Putin’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, the World Cup was a welcome respite from global tensions and a moment when Russians felt connected to the outside world.
Shorts
Eight years on, that World Cup feels a world away. Russians are watching this year’s tournament – and they are watching, despite the time difference, with games broadcast live from the US, Canada and Mexico – and feeling like the world is celebrating and moving on without them.
