Russia 2018 stadium progress

Every month FIFA.com provides readers with a breakdown of how progress is going on the construction and renovation of the stadiums at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™. Here is October’s update on the tournament’s future venues.

The four stadiums that hosted the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017 during the summer (Spartak Stadium, Kazan Arena, Saint Petersburg Stadium and Fisht Stadium) are ready to welcome fans at Russia 2018. Three of them are already hosting the home games of prominent Russian Premier League clubs in Moscow, Kazan and Saint Petersburg.

The World Cup’s showpiece arena is on the verge of its grand re-opening since reconstruction began - Russia will face Argentina at the Luzhniki Stadium on 11 November. It will be one of the last opportunities for both national teams to get a run-out before the Final Draw of the World Cup on 1 December.

In October, the grass at the Mordovia Arena finally began to sprout. Also in Saransk, work has begun on the roof’s membrane covering, the venue’s facilities are being furnished, the territory around the stadium is being redeveloped and lifts are being installed.

The internal facilities of the Kaliningrad Stadium are steadily being fitted out as well. Progress is well under way putting the seats in, temporary structures are being built and pitch specialists continue to carefully maintain the playing surface.  

Elsewhere, the playing surface at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium is now complete, after almost 48,000 kilometres of artificial blades of grass were sewn into the pitch. This is almost 8,000 kilometres longer than the Earth’s equator. The stadium’s roof is being finished off and the facilities furnished.

Work continues on the foundations of the football pitch at the Samara Arena: the layer of sand and gravel has been laid and the drainage system is already half-installed. The venue’s temporary fencing has been replaced by permanent structures. Around the stadium, asphalt is being poured on the roads, pedestrian walkways are being erected and greenery planted as part of redevelopment efforts.

The redevelopment of the territory surrounding the Ekaterinburg Arena has also been finished, reports the contractor in charge of the venue’s reconstruction. More than 150 trees and nearly 2,000 shrubs have been planted, while 180 m² of rockworks and 340 m²of long-lasting flower beds have been laid. The temporary and permanent entrances to the stadium have been constructed. Still ongoing in Ekaterinburg is the installation of the lighting system, which should be ready in November.  

Around 30 per cent of the seating at the Rostov Arena is already in place, as work continues on the multi-media façade, suspended ceilings, ceramic tiling, lifts and escalators, roads, pedestrian walkways, paths and open spaces. The deputy governor of the Rostov Region, Sergei Sidash, confirmed that construction on the stadium is 90 per cent complete.