The chief executive of Russia's bid to host the 2018 World Cup does not believe the campaign will be affected by the bomb on a train that killed 26 people travelling from Moscow to St Petersburg .

Alexei Sorokin, speaking at the Soccerex business convention in South Africa, said terrorism was a global concern and his nation was as safe as other contenders to host the tournament.

“Every country has suffered at one time or another from terrorist attacks and there are very few exceptions among our competitors,” he said.

“I do not think this incident will have any impact on our bid. We are a huge nation, we have about 180 nationalities: we have friends, we have enemies, and we’re a target like everyone else.”

The former Soviet republic of Ukraine is struggling to complete infrastructure developments ahead of their co-hosting of the 2012 European Championship with Pland.

Uefa, European football’s governing body, have expressed their concern over unfinished stadiums. Sorokin said Ukraine’s problems would not apply to Russia.

“Politically and economically we have been two different countries for a long time, it is no secret that politically Ukraine is unstable but there is an absolutely stable situation in Russia,” he said.

“The ability for our country to provide all the resources we need for a major bid is not in doubt. We have staged 25 world championship events in Russia without incident or reprimand.”