Look on the bright side - China may have failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, but that hasn't stopped fans from flocking to Russia to soak up the action.

With the influx of Chinese fans gripped by football fever, a Russian tour guide told Sing Tao Daily, sister paper of The Standard, that it has greatly benefited Russia's economy.

"There is no shortage of Chinese tourists during the World Cup," he said. "They don't mind paying higher travel expenses."

He also said the World Cup has led to increased demand for Chinese-speaking tour guides in Moscow.

"The salary of tour guides rose from US$150 (HK$1,177) to US$300 (HK$2,354) per day. This is really crazy," he said.

The guide said he graduated from the Department of Chinese at Saint Petersburg State University and also traveled to Beijing to enhance his Putonghua.

In recent years, the number of Chinese-speaking tour guides in Moscow has surged from 10 to 300.

A large number of Chinese fans attended the clash between Argentina and Iceland in Moscow on Saturday, which ended as a 1-1 draw.

Despite China not being in action, it didn't deter them from waving Chinese flags and chanting "Good luck for the next World Cup, China!"

Official figures up to June 7 show Chinese football fans purchased more than 40,000 out of over 2.4 million tickets sold worldwide, putting them in ninth place among all countries and regions.

China was also ranked second in ticket sales among nations that failed to qualify for the World Cup. The United States heads the standings.

As many as 100,000 Chinese tourists are expected to travel to Russia during the World Cup, which runs from June 14 to July 15, according to Ctrip, China's largest online travel agency.

While most Chinese fans in Russia are enjoying top-notch football, 90 fans from Chongqing endured a more frustrating experience as they weren't able to attend matches since their Chinese travel agency ordered counterfeit tickets on a Russian website, according to the Chongqing Morning Post.

While the travel agency attempted to solve the embarrassing blunder, it only managed to secure 60 authentic tickets last Monday.

The agency even spent more than 20,000 yuan for one ticket, which was originally priced at about 5,000 yuan.

The agency confirmed it would continue searching for 30 more tickets.