Each candidate country needs to have at least 10 stadiums complying with certain standards, Mutko said.

 

Five such stadiums are either being built already or their construction should start in the near future in St. Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, and Yaroslavl, Mutko claimed.

 

The Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, which hosted the 1980 Olympics, already meets the required standard, said Mutko, who is also the President of the Russian Football Association.

 

The Stadium, which has a capacity of 78,360, also hosted the 2008 Champions League final when Manchester United beat Chelsea on penalties.

 

It is also due to host the World Athletics Championships in 2013.

 

Mutko said: "So only four stadiums will have to be built in addition to that, and this is not such a big problem.

 

"They can be built through engaging businesses, and we will do this."

 

As the tournament is expected to return to Europe for the first time in 12 years, Russia, along with the joint bid from Spain and Portugal, is considered to be England's main rivals for hosting the 2018 World Cup.

 

The only other European candidate is another joint bid, from Holland and Belgium.

 

Other countries hoping to host the tournament are Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico and the United States, although it is widely prediced that they stand a better chance of hosting the 2022 World Cup, which Qatar and South Korea are also bidding for.

 

The world governing body FIFA is planning to award both events at a meeting in December 2010.

 

Mutko also claimed that Russia met other criteria needed to host the event, including international airports, transportation networks, medical infrastructure, and a proper security level.

 

But Mutko revealed that Russia would continue to bid for major football events even if they lose the campaign to stage the 2018 or 2022 World Cup.

 

He said: "Even if we do not win on the first try, then we will win the right to host the European championship in 2020."