All you need to know about the 12 venues for World Cup 2018, including history lessons and the hitches along the way by and Main image: Clockwise from top left: Mordovia Arena in Saransk, Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Kazan Arena, Samara Arena, Saint Petersburg Stadium and Ekaterinburg Arena. Photographs by Getty Images. 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. Those arriving from the air may want to appreciate the waterlily-themed roof of this riverside stadium. The Confederations Cup was a successful dry run and the Russia v Iran friendly went off without any problems in October. 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. 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. 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. But the biggest point of interest may be the temporary stands behind each goal that sit outside the main stadium structure. It took some time to settle on a final design, mainly in order to preserve the existing facade, so construction started fairly late. The solution that has been settled upon is certainly eccentric, but Fifa insists the temporary stands were the most cost-effective and practical way to ensure the required 35,000 capacity. Just make sure you bring your binoculars. History lesson This venue is no stranger to big events, having been conceived and delivered for the 2014 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. Four Confederations Cup games were held here and Russia drew 3-3 with Belgium in a friendly eight months ago. It is a spectacular location and the sweeping roofs of its two main stands are certainly dramatic. 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. 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. 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. Its capacity will be reduced when the tournament is over, although reports vary as to by how much. History lesson This brand new facility will provide the Russian exclave, squeezed in between Poland and Lithuania, with an impressive stadium whose concept was originally based on the Allianz Arena. It is situated on Oktyabrsky Island, to the east of the city centre — a picturesque setting that had effectively been a wilderness for many years until this project began. Design-wise, the stadium is fairly functional even if it is easy enough on the eye. Oktyabrsky Island has proved a difficult location, largely because wetland grass does not make the soundest foundation for major structures. The original, more ambitious, design for the stadium included a bigger capacity and a retractable roof: financial concerns ended up scuppering that, as did the fact that the company which drew up the plans went bankrupt four years ago. It all meant that ground was not broken on the revised, simplified project until September 2015 but Kaliningrad is ready for the World Cup. Legacy The capacity will be cut to around 25,000 after the World Cup and Baltika Kaliningrad, the local side, will play here. It risks being another venue that is rarely filled: the club have not played in the Russian top flight for two decades and typical crowds at their current Baltika Stadium home number in the low thousands. Beyond sport, Oktyabrsky Island and its surrounds will benefit from a new residential development as well as parks and riverside embankments. A long-term project to change that finally gathered speed in the mid-2000s, with ground broken in July 2007. It proved something of a false dawn, with a number of delays and quibbles about the design putting the project on ice, but by September 2014 Spartak at last had a permanent abode, the Russian national team had another occasional venue — and the World Cup had a stadium that should be popular among supporters. But the arena itself is enjoyable to spend time in — it was purpose-built for club football and feels that way. The stands are close to the pitch and it is easy to generate an atmosphere, as around 15,000 Chile fans showed to fine effect at the Confederations Cup. It proved a fun, lively venue last summer; a minor gripe would be that, although the stadium has its own metro station and is easy enough to access in around half an hour from the city centre, those looking to get out quickly afterwards may find congestion scuppers their best-laid plans. Legacy Spartak will continue playing here, and the national team will doubtless make further appearances. Several major rock concerts have taken place inside the stadium, a trend that will doubtless continue. A new residential development is also planned for an area that, although not unfavourably situated, is somewhat barren. She has been around since 1956 and has a long, eventful history that includes hosting the 1980 Olympics, the 1999 Uefa Cup final, the 2008 Champions League final between Manchester United and Chelsea, and the 2013 World Athletics Championships. In Communist times it was known as the Central Lenin Stadium and was the most important ground in the USSR. Star attraction This is one of those stadiums whose history you can smell as soon as you get within a few hundred yards. Its classic Soviet facade has been preserved and anyone attending a game will almost certainly walk past the huge statue of Lenin that guards the front entrance. From the concourses there are fine views over the city, and especially the spectacular Moscow State University building. The modernisation has been carried out tastefully: it is a stadium fit for a World Cup final. Nothing major, although a small fire in October 2015 caused brief alarm. The renovated ground was delivered on time and the Russia v Argentina match was — along with a subsequent fixture against Brazil — a successful dry run for this summer. There were long queues to access the transport system after the first game, though: a useful tip could be to dart south-east and head out to Vorobyovy Gory station rather than joining the hordes looking to access the Luzhniki or Sportivnaya stations to the north. Further European finals are surely a possibility. History lesson Ground was broken on this new stadium in March 2015. It is situated in Strelka, a western district of Nizhny Novgorod, and is one of several World Cup stadiums to be placed attractively by a river — or two, in this case, at the confluence of the Volga and the Oka. But the view over the 500-year-old Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin is the real selling point and the sense of place should be strong. Plumes of black smoke were seen rising from the site last October after a fire broke out. It looked more serious than it was, thankfully, and appears to have had little impact on either the delivery or those working on the project. This aside, the process has been relatively smooth. In May, 42,000 packed in for a match against Luch-Energiya Vladivostok, a barely believable figure for that level. The novelty will surely wear off although other sports may well be played inside the arena, too. History lesson Situated on the banks of the River Don, this is another brand new facility and one that — like several of its peers — has suffered a few false starts. Eventually construction began towards the end of 2014 and the finishing touches were just about done by Christmas last year, although this was seven months after the originally mooted completion date. Star attraction Rostov Arena will be notable for its roof — which imitates the meanderings of the river. There are attractive views over that and the south-west Russian city. In common with some of the other stadiums, the plans for Rostov Arena were downsized after original projections were judged to have overreached. The initial plan was a joy to behold — a modern, teardrop-shaped venue that promised to be unique. Eventually spiralling costs put paid to that; the pared-down version is fine but will have little to really distinguish it from the rest. Despite these conscientious efforts to save money, reports suggest the end product cost only 15% less than had been planned for its more lavish predecessor. The capacity will be reduced by around 5,000. It took a decade to build and was finished eight years after the originally mooted completion deadline. Star attraction The stadium is, for those not counting the cost at least, worth the wait. For anyone wanting to make sure of a few thrills before the football kicks off, the vast park on the approach to the ground contains a number of decidedly white-knuckle rollercoasters. Far more than could be listed in this space. But the practical niggles encountered in the past year or two have commanded particular attention — they include a serially leaky roof, which some officials have attributed to damage caused by cormorants, and a pitch initially found to have vibrated seven times more than the permissible limit. Concerns have also been raised about the levels of formaldehyde and ammonia in the materials used to finish some of the internal structure. On a matchgoing level, thousands of supporters were caught out by the mile-long walk from the nearest metro station at the Confederations Cup, meaning the stadium started filling up only towards half-time. These troubles perhaps pale into insignificance when an in-depth investigation last year by the Norwegian magazine Josimar, which alleged at least 110 North Koreans had been working at Krestovsky in atrocious conditions, comes into play. Legacy Zenit St Petersburg will continue to play here — after some early false starts that saw them return to their old Petrovsky Stadium — and hope that the facility helps them push on in their quest to become a more consistent European force. History lesson Ground for the Cosmos Arena was broken in 2014. The project has been controversial locally and its originally mooted location on an island outside the city was rejected after heavy criticism. It was not an easy ride towards construction although the end product, amid an attractive green setting, is pleasing to the eye. Samara is proud of its history as one of the primary hubs of the Soviet space programme and the 65m-high glass dome, which will be lit up at night, promises to be spectacular. The city itself should be an enjoyable visit — raw, energetic and beautifully situated at the confluence of the Samara and Volga rivers. That contributed to a change of constructor in early 2016. A number of tweaks to the original plan — including a downscaling of the dome, intended to be 80m high — had to be made to cut costs and prevent it falling further behind schedule, while in August a fire added to the many difficulties. Eventually it was signed off on 27 April — one day before its first test match, between local side Krylia Sovetov and Fakel Voronezh. It has been cut ridiculously fine and the surrounding infrastructure will hardly have had the most rigorous of workouts before its doors are opened for the World Cup. They have been a yo-yo club recently but will be back in the top flight next season after a year away. It is an old club with rich tradition but, even so, it would take some turnaround for them to fill the ground. A residential development is expected to surround the new structure in good time. History lesson Saransk is the smallest of the World Cup host cities and, to Russians, was a surprising choice of venue — particularly when a football-loving city such as Krasnodar, to the south-west, will have an outstanding facility sitting idle. But Mordovia Arena, whose construction began in 2010, should serve its purpose well enough and is situated near enough to both railway station and newly completed airport for a swift getaway if supporters are seeking brighter lights. Legacy Capacity will be scaled back to around 28,000 and Mordovia will move in. Make of that what you like; Saransk has never been a football-mad city and the commercial facilities inside the ground will probably be subject to a heavy sell, while other sports will be played on the site. History lesson The stadium is new, but the site can tell a tale or two. Here used to stand the Central Stadium, home to Rotor Volgograd and venue for the goalless first leg of their famous Uefa Cup win over Manchester United in 1995. Star attraction The finished article has a light, airy feel that should sit well with visitors; it will be worth a pilgrimage, too, for anyone wanting to remember one of the more enduring European shock results of the 1990s. A few minor issues. In June 2017 a small fire broke out on the site after a welding accident, and it had to be combed thoroughly for unexploded ordnance after bombs from the Battle of Stalingrad were found in 2014. Existing concerns about its location on a wetland area briefly raised their heads again in April when photographs purporting to show a crack in a concrete beam supporting the upper tier circulated online; a statement assuring the public of their safety was swiftly made. The capacity will drop by around 10,000, which could help. Editor: Jim Powell Writer: Nick Ames Graphics: Pablo Gutierrez Photographs AFP, AP, Fifa, Getty Images and Reuters.
