Visa touted the adoption of contactless payments in the opening days of the FIFA World Cup in Russia, with 54 per cent of transactions made in stadia completed using contactless cards, mobile payment apps or wearables.

Prior to the tournament (which kicked off on 14 June) the payments company installed the contactless terminals (pictured) across the 12 stadiums used for the event. It also provides payment facilities at retailers and merchants in cities hosting fixtures.

The average transaction value inside stadiums during games in the first five days of the tournament was RUB1,682 ($26.80).

As with previous international tournaments, including the Winter Olympics in February, Visa produced a number of branded prepaid contactless devices able to execute transactions using NFC chips embedded into the device. In this case it sold bands and rings aimed at those attending games.

In addition to contactless use in venues hosting matches, the card provider said increased use of the technology was evident in Russia’s 11 host cities, with a fifth of transactions processed through Visa contactless since the start of the tournament.

It noted a significant number of these transactions were made by overseas customers, with those from the US, China and Mexico spending the most – even though two of those country’s national football teams failed to qualify for the tournament.

Visa Russia country manager Ekaterina Petelina noted: “In the stadiums, particularly, fans are using contactless payment technology to speed through the lines and quickly get back to the action on the pitch.”