Excitement among Russian schoolchildren is building as the countdown continues towards the 2018 World Cup finals (14th May).
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With just one month to go before the 2018 World Cup kicks off, Russian cities hosting tournament matches have started opening football clinics for schoolchildren.
Volunteers in Yekaterinburg organised a "Welcome 2018 World Cup!" class for more than a hundred children of different ages in the city on Monday.
Along with practical lessons in the skills of football, the students can learn about the history of the game as well as the World Cup tournament itself and the details of Russia's preparation for the world's biggest football event.
2018 FIFA World Cup ambassador Sergei Karyakin, winner of the 2017 Dakar Rally, was present at Monday's session in Yekaterinburg.
Karyakin was keen to stress the importance of sport for children.
"I think sport is a base from where one can find knowledge, one can find aspiration and strength," he said. "That's a backbone which can help later on, that's their way into the future."
His view was echoed by Sergei Tushin, the Deputy Head of Yekaterinburg's city administration.
"Children, pupils. it is all for them, they are the main consumers, main beneficiaries, main users of what will remain after the World Cup," he said. "We want them to have knowledge of football, sports and a healthy lifestyle. Be true sports fan citizens."
The city's 35,000 capacity Yekaterinburg Arena, the most easterly of all the venues for the 2018 World Cup and and the only one that stands in 'Asian Russia', will host four group matches during the tournament.
The first match kicks off at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium on June 14th and features the host nation taking on Saudi Arabia.
The final takes place at the same venue on July 15th.
