As Chinese soccer fans head to Russia for the World Cup, Alibaba's mobile payment app Alipay is helping to make their visit a little easier, reports Xinhua News Agency.

A Chinese customer pays for her subway ticket using Alipay at a station in Moscow. [File Photo: Xinhua]

Five stations in Moscow have been set up to allow visitors to scan a QR code to pay for their tickets using Alipay. Instructions written in Chinese have been put up in the subway station to help Chinese tourists who can't speak Russian.

A Chinese customer shows the Moscow metro ticket she purchased using Alipay. [File Photo: Xinhua]

Over 4,000 shops across Russia, including several leading local department stores, are also providing customers with the option of using Alipay to pay for purchases.

According to FIFA, Chinese fans have purchased more than 40,000 tickets for this year's World Cup. This makes China the ninth biggest buyer of tickets for the event.