Chinese fans

Some 60,000 Chinese fans are expected to visit Russia for the tournament, according to FIFA, soccer's international governing body. 

"Though the Chinese men's national soccer team failed to qualify for this year's event, the love for the sport is still there," said Zhu Hui from Ningbo, Zhejiang province, who will fly to Moscow next week to watch his favorite team, Brazil.

"Russia is our neighboring country, and this time lots of my friends will go there and watch some games. I can't imagine how many Chinese would have flown to Russia if our team had made it to the finals."