Despite being named host of the 2018 World Cup, Russia's interest in football has fallen to an all-time low. AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko

MOSCOW -- Even as Russia prepares to host the 2018 World Cup, football's popularity there is plummeting to record levels.

According to figures released Monday by state-run pollster VTsIOM, 73 percent of Russians say they are "indifferent" to football, the highest proportion the pollster has ever recorded. The figure was only 43 percent 10 years ago.

Just eight percent of Russians said they were dedicated football fans, halved from 16 percent ahead of last year's World Cup in Brazil.

Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko, who is coordinating Russia's World Cup preparations, blamed football's lack of popularity on "many scandals," an uninteresting domestic league and poor performances from the national team.