(Photos: FIFA)

Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium is located at the Luzhnetskaya Embankment, close to Moscow’s Third Transport Ring belt road.

It was originally built on the bank of the Moskva River opposite the Vorobyovy Gory landmark in 1956. It was known as the Lenin Central Stadium until 1991. 

It was the Soviet Union’s and is Russia’s largest stadium, with a capacity of up to 101,000 seats before it was renovated. The stadium hosted both the opening and the closing ceremonies of the 1980 Summer Olympics, the first Olympic Games in the country’s history.

In 1997, the stadium completed an upgrade with a complete roof, earning a 5-star ranking from UEFA and the right to host the UEFA Cup final in 1999 and the UEFA Champions League final in 2008.

As part of the reconstruction, the stands were moved closer to the pitch following the removal of the athletics track. The pitch itself was replaced with a natural grass surface, and the angle of the now two-tier stands was changed, while the roof became larger by 14 meters and now boasts a 30,000-square-meter LED screen.

The reconstructed stadium, which has a capacity of 80,000 seats, was newly unveiled on November 11, 2017, with a friendly played between Russia and Argentina (0-1).

The sports complex area totals over 159 hectares while the stadium’s entire post-reconstruction area including the stands is 221,000 square meters.

Following the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the arena will host matches of the Russian national team and key games of the Russian club tournaments, such as the Russian Cup final, as well as various concerts and shows.