There were many fears over whether Russia was prepared to host the 2018 World Cup, but at least one team had a very good experience from start to finish.
England manager Gareth Southgate had nothing but praise for the tournament’s organizers after their 2-0 defeat in the third-place playoff, stating that, despite a difficult relationship between the two countries politically, the tournament had been an excellent experience for the team.
Southgate thanks Russia 2018 organisers & volunteers. 'Our welcome in every city in Russia has been outstanding … there's a lot talked about the relationship between our two countries. On a personal level, mixing with people, we couldn't have been made more welcome'
— Sam Wallace (@SamWallaceTel) July 14, 2018
There were definitely worries about how things would go in Russia, which faced criticism over some repressive government policies and fears of racism. One England player was so worried about the latter that he asked his family not to make the trip with him. Fortunately, it seems that the worst has been avoided, and overall, Russia’s issues were a lot less significant.
