The Best And Worst Of This Summer's World Cup Venues

The Best And Worst Of This Summer's World Cup Venues
20:55, 06 Jun 2018

Next Thursday sees the beginning of a World Cup and the end to seven and a half years of meticulous planning by its host nation.

Since Russia was awarded the tournament in controversial fashion back in 2010 a figure estimated at $10.8 billion has been spent preparing for the biggest show on earth with a further $325m taken from federal budget funds last year to ensure construction of new stadia and other infrastructure was completed to deadline. Indeed a sizable portion of this eye-watering sum was allocated for this sector which is hardly surprising given that of the twelve stadiums based in eleven host cities, eight are brand spanking new while the other four have undergone serious upgrades.

Naturally, for such a widespread and daunting undertaking there have been problems because every four years there always are and the rest of the world tut-tuts as if they’d do things perfectly. In Russia’s case unquestionably her biggest headache was the Krestovsky Stadium, an imposing edifice plonked next to the Neva River off the Gulf of Finland. The new home of FC Zenit St Petersburg was built to resemble the colossal Toyota Stadium in Japan and finally opened in 2017 a full nine years later than planned and an astonishing 548% over budget. Aptly nicknamed the ‘Spaceship’ further contention arose when a Norwegian publication claimed that over a hundred North Korean worked in ‘slave-like conditions’ during its construction.

Elsewhere difficulties materialised that simply could not be accounted for. In the very early stages of the Kaliningrad Stadium’s erection some pre-war buildings were discovered during excavation that had not shown up on any topography surveys while work on the Rostov Arena was postponed when five preserved WWII shells were discovered during the breaking of ground.

Of most interest to England fans will be the aforementioned Kalinigrad; the Nizhny Novgorod new-build that looks across to the Kremlin; and the beautifully designed Volgograd Arena that will host the opener for Gareth Southgate’s men against Tunisia. With its meshed exterior and cabled roof intended to evoke a bicycle wheel the Volgograd is a delicate example of architecture in a city that during the Battle of Stalingrad once staged the largest and bloodiest fight in the history of warfare.

Let us dream for a moment and speculate that the revamped Luzhniki Stadium will also be on the itinerary for the thousands of Three Lions fans heading east next week. The national stadium was the only and obvious choice to stage the final on July 15th and for the opening game is set to premiere an advanced hybrid grass that was installed over eight days using laser-guided technology.

In its 62 years of existence the iconic ground has experienced the giddy highs of an Olympic Final (in 1980) and the terrible lows of a disaster two years later that led to 66 spectators losing their lives following a stampede. It has also been home to CSKA, Spartak, and Torpedo Moscow at various times.

Beyond England matters the stadium that is sure to be talked about the most is the newly christened Ekaterinburg Arena (previous the more uniform ‘Central Stadium’) that is set to host four group games. With its stunning outside façade and proud history as a velodrome and of putting on the world’s biggest speed skating events there is a lot to like about the ground based in the former mining capital of Yekaterinburg and that’s before we get to its highly unusual temporary stands that jut out of the bowl like lolling tongues. Restricted by preservation orders and with its former incarnation failing to meet FIFA’s demands the pair of grandstands act as inventive solutions, if unsightly minus a roof or walls.

It will take a brave fan to watch from the higher seats. Then again, just think of the view.

Lastly, if you happen to be in western Russia this June without a match-day ticket it may well be worth popping down to the Kazan Arena. The arcing ground, built for the Summer Universiade in 2013, boasts the largest LED outdoor screen in Europe.

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