2018 WC: hospitality and hotel price hikes in Kazan Restaurant staff are taking crash language courses and landlords are jacking up prices as the mostly Muslim capital of Russia's Olympic dreams prepares to host the World Cup. For the 1.2 million inhabitants of Kazan some 700 kilometres (450 miles) east of Moscow, a city with its own Kremlin and one of Russia's largest mosques, the championship presents a chance to unveil itself to the world. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES