Crowds may still be low, though, and the annual maintenance cost of the stadium could reach $8m so international games and training camps will be among the events relied upon to fill the void. How fortunate, then, that Dinamo St Petersburg – a moderate second-tier outfit – have decided that the best way to escape Zenit’s shadow is to move 1,500 miles and start afresh there next season.
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Legacy It would have been a touch embarrassing if Sochi, currently without a functioning professional club, had no team to play in its own venue after the World Cup. The biggest issue may be its location: it is actually in Adler, around 18 miles from the centre of Sochi, although supporters coped during a successful run at the Confederations Cup and it is well placed for the airport. Such a bizarre sight triggered widespread media interest, and some ridicule, in October.Īny hitches? Nothing significant where the World Cup is concerned, although it needed some expensive reconfigurations – notably the removal of its roof – to comply with Fifa regulations. But the biggest point of interest may be the temporary stands behind each goal that sit outside the main stadium structure. Star attraction The new stadium soars high above the vestiges of its predecessor but does, at least, retain the old facade – which, like at the Luzhniki, is quite a work of art.
The ground’s biggest past dalliance with global significance came in 1959, when it held the World Allround Speed Skating Championships.
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Full international football has yet to take place here although Russia’s under-21s have passed through three times. It is a year younger than the national stadium, dating back to 1957, and is the long-term home of Soviet league stalwarts Uralmash – these days known as FC Ural. History lesson As with the Luzhniki some 1,000 miles away, the old Central Stadium in Ekaterinburg has been renovated for next summer’s competition. Games hosted at Russia 2018: Egypt v Uruguay, 15 June France v Peru, 21 June Japan v Senegal, 24 June Mexico v Sweden, 27 June. In order to pay off the cost of a facility that ended up costing nearly three times more than the initially mooted $155m there will be an emphasis on hosting cultural and commercial events too – and if Kazan’s long-term ambitions bear fruit it could even host Olympic events one day.Ĭompleted: March 2018 (upgrade of stadium originally built in 1957) In common with most of next summer’s stadiums there are plenty of seats to go round for club games: Kazan’s average attendance in the recently-completed season was 9,706. Legacy Rubin Kazan, the Russian Premier League side, moved to the Kazan Arena from the Communist-era Central Stadium – which is situated near the city centre and well worth visiting – in 2014 and will continue to be based there. Access could be better though: the stadium lies to the north-east of the city centre, away from the metro, and taxis were sometimes discouraged from operating in its vicinity during last summer’s tournament. The Confederations Cup was a successful dry run and the Russia v Iran friendly went off without any problems in October. Those arriving from the air may want to appreciate the waterlily-themed roof of this riverside stadium.Īny hitches? Nothing major. It covers 4,030 square metres and will probably bear both competing nations’ flags on a given matchday. Star attraction Anyone who gets lost en route should just look for the high-definition screen – the world’s biggest outdoor one, organisers proudly proclaim – on the side of the stadium. As a sleek, modern facility it will serve the World Cup well – even if it will, amazingly, be one of the tournament’s oldest stadiums. It was designed by Populous, the architects behind Wembley and the Emirates, and was built in time for the 2013 Summer Universiade, where it hosted football and athletics. History lesson Kazan considers itself Russia’s “sporting capital” and the Kazan Arena is one of an impressive array of stylish, modern – and expensive – sporting facilities to have sprung up there in recent years. Games at Russia 2018 France v Australia, 16 June Iran v Spain, 20 June Poland v Colombia, 24 June South Korea v Germany, 27 June Round of 16, 30 June Quarter-final, 6 July.