MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Russia's World Cup opening ceremony will be seen by an audience of over 3 billion

Robbie Williams will sing alongside Russian soprano Aida Garifullina shortly before Russia face Saudi Arabia in the first match at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium.

The FIFA World Cup, the biggest sporting carnival on the planet, is all set to kick-start on Thursday. As Russia gets dressed to host the much-awaited event, fans from all over the world are set to see their favorite superstars in action. Brazilian great Ronaldo and British pop star Robbie Williams will be present at the opening ceremony.

 Robbie Williams will sing alongside Russian soprano Aida Garifullina shortly before Russia face Saudi Arabia in the first match of the FIFA World Cup at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony will be telecast live by the Sony Network. The live telecast of the 2018 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony will begin at 6.30 pm IST.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony will be streamed live on Sony Liv. For live updates, and can be followed in sports.ndtv.com.

Football's showpiece event features 32 teams, including holders Germany, competing in 64 games over 32 days. The 21st edition will be played out in 12 stadiums, across 11 cities, spread over 1,800 miles.

Germany, who defeated Argentina in the 2014 final are looking to become the first team to win back-to-back World Cups since 1962, while Brazil seek a record-extending sixth world title. The month-long tournament is expected to attract one and a half million fans to Russia and an estimated global television audience of over three billion viewers.

There are eight groups, each containing four teams, with the top two advancing to the last 16. The final takes place at the 81,000-capacity Luzhniki Stadium on 15 July (16:00 BST).