Kazan: They may not have had a victory to celebrate but the Australian fans won plenty of admirers themselves in the city of Kazan having proven a major hit with the locals, in particularly pub owners after drinking pubs dry.

The capital of Tatarstan was turned into a sea of green and gold on Saturday night as an estimated 15,000 Australians descended on the city's centre for the Socceroos' opening match of the 2018 World Cup, a 2-1 defeat to France.

It made for one of busiest nights seen in Kazan's small city centre, so much so the predominantly Australian crowd drank a number of pubs of all their beer.

Australian fans cheer prior to the group C match between France and Australia at the 2018 soccer World Cup in the Kazan Arena in Kazan, Russia, Credit:AP

Despite losing the match, the Australian fans still had plenty to celebrate after rattling Les Bleus with a stoic defensive display that was only undermined by the Video Assistant Referee and a heavy deflected goal. The popular tourist district of Baumana street in central Kazan was the scene of Australia's party that went long into the night and would have left many with a sore head on Sunday.