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Luzhniki Stadium

Luzhniki Stadium
Full name Luzhniki Stadium
Former name(s) Central Lenin Stadium (1956–1992)
Owners Government of Moscow
Location Flag of Russia Moscow, Russia
Broke ground 1955
Opened 31 July 1956
Renovated 1996—1997, 2001—2004,
2013—2017
Tenants Russia national football team
1973 Summer Universiade
1980 Summer Olympics
1998 First World Youth Games
2018 FIFA World Cup
Capacity 78,360

Luzhniki Stadium, is a sport stadium in Moscow, Russia. The stadium has capacity of 81,006 people. It was opened in 1956, and was called as Central Lenin Stadium. Luzhniki Stadium is located on the Luzhniki Sports Complex. The stadium has served as venue of various clubs, such as Spartak Moscow and CSKA Moscow. Currently there are no clubs based at the stadium.

The stadium will serve as one the venue of 2018 FIFA World Cup. It will host the final match.

History and description[]

Luzhniki Stadium, initially called Central Lenin Stadium, was built between 1955 and 1956. It was the result of the ambition of the Soviet leadership to upgrade the country’s sports facilities after the Soviet Union had tasted its first post-war successes at the 1952 Olympics.

Works on Luzhniki Olympic Complex started in 1954 and construction of its centrepiece stadium, also called the Grand Sports Arena, in 1955. The stadium got finished in just 450 days and officially opened on 31 July 1956.

Luzhniki Stadium served as the centrepiece stadium of the 1980 Olympics, hosting the opening and closing ceremonies, athletics events, football finals, and equestrian programme.

In 1982, a stadium disaster took place at the stadium during a second round UEFA Cup match between FC Spartak and Dutch side HFC Haarlem. In the dying seconds of the match, people started rushing for the exits to make it to the metro before the rest of the crowd. When someone fell on the icy staircases, chaos ensued, and the resulting crush and domino effect killed 66 people.

Until the 1990s, the roofless stadium could hold just over 100,000 spectators. In 1996, the stadium got extensively renovated, which included the construction of a roof over the stands and the refurbishment of the seating areas, which resulted in a decrease of capacity.

In 1999, Luzhniki Stadium hosted the UEFA Cup final between Parma and Marseille (3-0), and in 2008 the Champions League final between Manchester United and Chelsea (1-1).

The stadium was regularly used by Spartak Moscow, lacking a home of their own, until they moved to the newly built Otkritie Arena in 2014.

Luzhniki Stadium got selected to host the final of the 2018 World Cup, and as a result had to undergo a large redevelopment. It hosted its last football match in May 2013 and closed following the IAAF Athletics World Championships in August 2013.

Redevelopment works entailed the complete reconstruction of the stands, now divided over two tiers, the removal of the running tracks, and an expanded roof structure. The characteristic exterior of the stadium has remained intact. Works were completed in the summer of 2017, and the first football match at the reopened stadium, a friendly between Russia and Argentina (0-1), was played on 11 November 2017.

Apart from the final, Luzhniki will also host the opening match, three further first round group matches, a round of 16 match, and a semi-final.

External links[]

UEFA Champions League final stadiums

1956: Parc des Princes · 1957: Santiago Bernabéu · 1958: Heysel Stadium · 1959: Neckarstadion · 1960: Hampden Park · 1961: Wankdorf Stadium · 1962: Olympisch Stadion · 1963: Wembley Stadium · 1964: Prater Stadium · 1965: San Siro · 1966: Heysel Stadium · 1967: Estádio Nacional · 1968: Wembley Stadium · 1969: Santiago Bernabéu · 1970: San Siro · 1971: Wembley Stadium · 1972: De Kuip · 1973: Red Star Stadium · 1974: Heysel Stadium · 1975: Parc des Princes · 1976: Hampden Park · 1977: Stadio Olimpico · 1978: Wembley Stadium · 1979: Olympiastadion · 1980: Santiago Bernabéu · 1981: Parc des Princes · 1982: De Kuip · 1983: Olympic Stadium · 1984: Stadio Olimpico · 1985: Heysel Stadium · 1986: Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán · 1987: Prater Stadium · 1988: Neckarstadion · 1989: Camp Nou · 1990: Prater Stadium · 1991: Stadio San Nicola · 1992: Wembley Stadium · 1993: Olympiastadion · 1994: Olympic Stadium · 1995: Ernst-Happel-Stadion · 1996: Stadio Olimpico · 1997: Olympiastadion · 1998: Amsterdam Arena · 1999: Camp Nou · 2000: Stade de France · 2001: San Siro · 2002: Hampden Park · 2003: Old Trafford · 2004: Arena AufSchalke · 2005: Atatürk Olympic Stadium · 2006: Stade de France · 2007: Olympic Stadium · 2008: Luzhniki Stadium · 2009: Stadio Olimpico · 2010: Santiago Bernabéu · 2011: Wembley Stadium · 2012: Allianz Arena · 2013: Wembley Stadium · 2014: Estádio da Luz · 2015: Olympic Stadium · 2016: San Siro · 2017: Millennium Stadium · 2018: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium · 2019: Wanda Metropolitano · 2020: Estádio da Luz · 2021: Estádio do Dragão · 2022: Stade de France · 2023: Atatürk Olympic Stadium

UEFA Cup and Europa League final stadiums

1998: Parc des Princes · 1999: Luzhniki Stadium · 2000: Parken Stadium · 2001: Westfalenstadion · 2002: Feijenoord Stadion · 2003: Olímpico de Sevilla · 2004: Nya Ullevi · 2005: Estádio José Alvalade · 2006: Philips Stadion · 2007: Hampden Park · 2008: Etihad Stadium · 2009: Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium · 2010: Hamburg Arena · 2011: Dublin Arena · 2012: Arena Națională · 2013: Amsterdam Arena · 2014: Juventus Stadium · 2015: Stadion Narodowy · 2016: St. Jakob-Park · 2017: Friends Arena · 2018: Parc Olympique Lyonnais · 2019: Baku Olympic Stadium · 2020: RheinEnergieStadion · 2021: Stadion Miejski 2022: Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán 2023: Puskás Aréna 2024: Aviva Stadium 2025: San Mamés

2018 FIFA World Cup stadiums

Kaliningrad Stadium (Kaliningrad) · Krestovsky Stadium (Saint Petersburg) · Luzhniki Stadium (Moscow) · Otkrytiye Arena (Moscow) · Kazan Arena (Kazan) · Nizhny Novgorod Stadium (Nizhny Novgorod) · Cosmos Arena (Samara) · Volgograd Arena (Volgograd) · Mordovia Arena (Saransk) · Rostov Arena (Rostov-on-Don) · Fisht Olympic Stadium (Sochi) · Central Stadium (Yekaterinburg)

  UEFA 5 Star Stadiums 

 Austria: Ernst Happel
 England: Old Trafford · Wembley
 France: Stade de France
 Germany: HSH Nordbank Arena · Olympiastadion · Olympiastadion · Signal Iduna Park · Veltins Arena
 Greece: Olympic Stadium
 Italy: San Siro · Stadio Olimpico
 Netherlands: Amsterdam ArenA · Feijenoord Stadion
 Portugal: Estadio da Luz · Estadio do Dragao · Estadio Jose Alvalade
 Russia: Luzhniki Stadium
 Scotland: Hampden Park · Ibrox Stadium
 Spain: Camp Nou · Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys · Estadio Olimpico de Sevilla · Santiago Bernabéu · Vicente Calderon
 Turkey: Ataturk Olympic Stadium · Sukru Saracoglu Stadium
 Ukraine: Donbass Arena
 Wales: Millennium Stadium

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