Support The Moscow Times!

First Official World Cup Store Opens in Central Moscow

Artyom Geodakyan / TASS

The first official World Cup store opened in the center of Moscow on Tuesday, just in time for the New Year’s shopping rush.

The shop is located on the first floor of Detsky Mir, or Central Children’s Store, on Lubyanka, at walking distance from Red Square. It offers official World Cup souvenirs, ahead of the tournament in Russia next summer  — such as the Telstar 18 football, t-shirts, backpacks and stationery, among other items.

St. Petersburg and other World Cup host cities will also have their own official fan stores, as the Russian authorities continue to clamp down on fakes. 

Last week, border guards in Russia's Far East confiscated 640 counterfeit stuffed toys of the official World Cup mascot, the wolf Zabivaka, the state news agency TASS reported earlier.

And in 2016, more than 61,000 counterfeit products with images of Zabivaka were found in Moscow, the Moskva 24 news channel reported earlier.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more