Sports fans can now watch football’s biggest spectacle on the high seas.

Carnival-owned Princess Cruises has announced that it plans to show all 64 matches of the 2018 World Cup in Russia on nine of its 17 ships — Sea Princess, Crown Princess, Diamond Princess, Emerald Princess, Majestic Princess, Pacific Princess, Regal Princess, Royal Princess and Sapphire Princess.

The action, which began this week and culminates in the ­final in Moscow on 15 July, will be broadcast live on 300-square-foot (28-square-metre) Movie Under the Stars screens, with viewing space for hundreds of guests.