The tournament involves 18 teams of the staff of embassies and international representation offices accredited in Moscow - diplomats from Croatia, Kazakhstan, the Czech Republic, Romania, France, Bulgaria, Spain, and Uzbekistan. The team from Germany will play for the cup for the first time. Russia is represented by teams from the Foreign Ministry and the International Relations Institute (MGIMO).
According to MGIMO's deputy rector Valery Vorobyov, a match consists of two times 15 minutes each. At first the teams play with one another in groups, then playoffs begin.
"This competition is very important politically because diplomats communicate informally, which helps find ways to understand one another. Everybody wins here because sport is the best ambassador. Such [competitions] are practiced all over the world," Vorobyov said.
"A festive atmosphere at the stadium will help us understand one another better, and this will have a relevant effect on our work," he added.
Early in the tournament MGIMO played with the Embassy of France: MGIMO 5, France 0.
This is the fourth annual round. Last year there were 19 teams of 250 players. The Third MGIMO Rector's Cup was won by the team from the Russian Foreign Ministry; Spain took second place, Slovakia third.
