Russia has deployed air defence systems and stringent fan background checks in a sweeping security operation to counter the twin threats of terror attacks and hooliganism at the World Cup.
Fans traveling are required to register with the police on their arrival in one of the 12 host cities and even riverboat traffic is being curtailed to make it easier for the authorities to keep track of everything that moves.
At least 30,000 security personnel will fan out across Moscow by the time the hosts kick off against Saudi Arabia at the Luzhniki Stadium on Thursday.
Squadrons of fighter jets will be on standby near the capital and air defences will be on the alert for suspicious aircraft.
“After long years of preparations we have created a clear security plan,” said FSB domestic security service deputy chief Alexei Lavrishchev. “We are ready to avert and overcome any security threat.”
The 64 matches beamed around the globe will give President Vladimir Putin the chance to project Russia as a modern state that has regained the superpower status of its Soviet past.
But Putin is not the only one trying to take advantage of the unrivalled platform of a World Cup.
Security experts noticed the Islamic State (IS) group threatening to make its presence felt in Russia.
The IS propaganda arm began posting social media pictures at the end of last year showing superstars such as Lionel Messi and Neymar dressed in the orange suits used for videotaped executions.
The message accompanying the images was explicit:”You will not enjoy security until we live it in Muslim countries.”
Analysts said the sheer size of the World Cup would have made it a target even if Russia had not launched a bombing campaign in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in September 2015