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On June 14, inauguration of the FIFA World Cup 2018 took place at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughter Leyla Aliyeva attended the ceremony.

The programme of the opening ceremony, joined by heads of states and governments of about twenty countries, was distinguished by its richness and different format as opposed to the opening ceremonies of previous world cups. This time’s event took place in a shorter time-period, which was held right before the Russia-Saudi Arabia match, rather than on the eve of trainings.

Vladimir Putin, the President of the Russian Federation - the host of the World Championship, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino addressed the opening ceremony.

This World Cup, which brought together national teams of thirty two countries, will run from June 14 to July 15. The championship will be held in 12 stadiums of 11 Russian cities.

Organized in Russia, the World Cup started with a match of the host team.

Right after the inauguration ceremony, the match between Russia and Saudi Arabia – both competing in the “A” Group - started.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, and Leyla Aliyeva watched the match.