Luzhniki Stadium, officially named Grand Sports Arena of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex, is a multi-purpose stadium located in Moscow, Russia. It is used mostly for association football matches, hosting the home games of the Russian national team.
Opened on 31 July 1956, it replaced the previous Dynamo Stadium and originally had a seating capacity of 103,000. It was then renovated for the 1980 Summer Olympics and its capacity was reduced to 78,360 seats. The stadium was designed by Aleksandr Vlasov and his team, and the construction cost was funded by the Soviet government.
As a UEFA category four stadium and one of the biggest stadiums by capacity in Europe (the biggest in Russia), Luzhniki Stadium hosted several matches of the 1980 Summer Olympics, including its opening and closing ceremonies. It also hosted the 2008 and 2018 finals of the UEFA Champions League, and the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final. It was elected as the world's best football stadium in a 2018 online poll by StadiumDB. Throughout its history, Luzhniki Stadium has welcomed more than 40 million spectators. The stadium is one of the potential venues for future international tournaments.
While the previous stadium was also officially named 'Central Lenin Stadium', both the old and the new stadia are invariably referred to by their unofficial name, Luzhniki Stadium. Luzhniki is the name of the neighborhood the stadium was built on, located in Khamovniki District of the Central Administrative Okrug of Moscow city, near the river Moskva. This unofficial name caught on soon after the original stadium's construction; the people of Moscow used to simply call it Luzhniki ('the meadows'). Therefore, the stadium's common name became 'Luzhniki Stadium', which is usually anglicized to 'Luzhniki Stadium'. This translation, however, could be argued to be inaccurate, since Luzhniki refers not to 'meadows' but to the original address of the stadium: Luzhnetskaya Embankment ('Embankment of Luzhniki').
The stadium was built as part of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex, and was named the Central Lenin Stadium in 1956 at the time of its opening. The name was in honour of Vladimir Lenin, the first leader of the Soviet Union. It was designed and built within about 450 days, which was quite an achievement at that time. The Luzhniki Stadium has been witness to numerous significant events in the history of Russia and the world. It hosted the 1980 Summer Olympics, the 1999 UEFA Cup Final, the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final, and the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final. The stadium has undergone several renovations to modernize its facilities and increase its capacity, the latest one being in 2013 in preparation for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Today, it is not only the largest football stadium in Russia but also one of the largest in Europe.
Despite its official name being the Central Lenin Stadium, it has always been popularly known as Luzhniki Stadium, after the Luzhnetskaya Embankment on which it is located. The Luzhniki Stadium continues to be a source of pride for the people of Russia and a symbol of the country's significant accomplishments in the world of sports.
Located in the Khamovniki District of the Central Administrative Okrug in Moscow, Luzhniki Stadium holds a significant position in the city's infrastructure. The new stadium was originally known as 'Central Lenin Stadium', reflecting its proximity to the city centre and its connection to the nation's history.
From the beginning, the intention for the club was to own both the stadium and the surrounding lands. Initially, a lease was made on the municipal lands, with a final purchase taking place in 1956. The designs for the sports complex were initiated in the late 1940s by architect Aleksandr Vlasov, who was a prominent figure in Soviet architecture.
Driven by the club's president, Nikolai Starostin, the associates faced an increased fee to support the building costs for the new stadium. They offered large donations, and some even took it upon themselves to work on the construction site during holidays or weekends. There was also a 'cement campaign', where large quantities of cement bags were donated to the club.
The construction officially began on 2 July 1955. Less than two years later, at a cost of 1.2 billion rubles, on 31 July 1956, a 100,000-capacity crowd filled the stadium for the inaugural match against rivals FC Dynamo Moscow.
Over the years, Luzhniki Stadium has undergone several renovations to maintain its status as a world-class sports facility. The most noteworthy upgrade occurred in preparation for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The renovation transformed the stadium's appearance, enhancing its facilities, and increasing the seating capacity to 81,000. Despite these changes, the historical facade of the stadium was preserved, honoring Luzhniki's rich history and cultural significance.
Luzhniki Stadium - Grand Sports Arena of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex (1956): Description about the Luzhniki Stadium and its historical significance. http://www.mos.ru
Luzhniki Stadium – until 2003: Details about the stadium before its 2003 renovations. http://www.stadiumdb.com
Luzhniki: The Stadium That Never Sleeps, Prefácio, Prime Books, 2003: A detailed account of the Luzhniki Stadium and its importance. http://www.primebooks.net
100 Glorious Years of Luzhniki - The History 1, Edição e Conteúdos, S.A., 2003: A comprehensive history of Luzhniki Stadium. http://www.edicao-e-conteudos.com
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