Luzhniki Stadium

Luzhniki Stadium

UEFA Category 4 Stadium
Former names	Central Lenin Stadium (1956–1992)
Location	Moscow, Russia
Coordinates	55°42′57″N 37°33′14″E / 55.71583°N 37.55389°E / 55.71583; 37.55389Coordinates: 55°42′57″N 37°33′14″E / 55.71583°N 37.55389°E / 55.71583; 37.55389
Owner	Government of Moscow
Operator	Luzhniki Olympic Sport Colmplex JSC
Capacity	78,360 (current)
Record attendance	102,538 (USSR–Italy, 13 October 1963)
Surface	FieldTurf (grass for 2008 UEFA Champions League Final)
Construction
Opened	July 31, 1956
Architect	PA Arena, Gmp Architekten and Mosproject-4 (renovation)
Tenants
USSR/Russia national football team (1956–present)

The Luzhniki Stadium (Russian: Стадион «Лужники»; IPA: [stədʲɪˈon lʊʐnʲɪˈkʲi]), is a sports stadium in Moscow, Russia. Its total seating capacity is 78,360 seats, all covered (upgraded). The stadium is a part of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex, and is located in Khamovniki District of the Central Administrative Okrug of Moscow city. The name Luzhniki derives from the flood meadows in the bend of Moskva River where the stadium was built, translating roughly as "The Meadows".

In the past its field was mainly used (at various times) for football games played by PFC CSKA Moscow, Torpedo Moscow, who also own the sports complex, and Spartak Moscow, but none of these teams are based there any more. Today it is mainly used as one of the home grounds of the Russian national football team. It is one of the few major European stadia to use an artificial pitch, having installed a FIFA-approved FieldTurf pitch in 2002. The pitch is necessary because regular grass pitches cannot withstand the harsh Russian winters and must be replaced at high cost. However, a temporary natural grass pitch was installed for the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final.^[1] The stadium is also used from time to time for various other sporting events and for concerts.

Stadium history

Opening ceremony of the 1980 Olympic Games

Stadium in 2009: Russia vs. Germany

Five-star rating by UEFA in May 1999

The stadium was built in 1955–56 as the Central Lenin Stadium, and was officially opened on 31 July 1956.^[2] It was the national stadium of the Soviet Union, and is now the national stadium of Russia.

It was the chief venue for the 1980 Summer Olympics, the spectator capacity being 103,000 at that time. The events hosted in this stadium were the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Athletics, Football finals, and the Individual Jumping Grand Prix.^[3]

In 1992, the stadium was renamed the Luzhniki Stadium. An extensive renovation in 1996 saw the construction of a roof over the stands, and the refurbishment of the seating areas, resulting in a decrease in capacity.^[2]

The stadium hosted the 1999 UEFA Cup Final in which Parma defeated Marseille in the second UEFA Cup final to be played as a single fixture.

The Luzhniki Stadium was chosen by UEFA to host the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final won by Manchester United who beat Chelsea in the first all-English Champions League Final on May 21. Prior to the match some skeptics questioned the state of the pitch and also the ability of Russian authorities to keep order amongst the traveling British fans; however, the match passed incident-free and a spokesman for the British Embassy in Moscow said, "The security and logistical arrangements put in place by the Russian authorities have been first-rate, as has been their cooperation with their visiting counterparts from the UK."^[4]

In August 2013 the stadium hosted the World Athletics Championships.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup has been awarded to Russia and the Luzhniki Stadium has been selected by the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup bid as the venue for the final which will be held on July 15, 2018. The stadium will then join Rome's Stadio Olimpico, Berlin's Olympiastadion, Munich's Olympiastadion and London's Wembley Stadium as the only stadia to have hosted the finals of the FIFA World Cup, UEFA's European Cup/Champions League and featured as a main stadium of the Summer Olympic Games.

Other events

The Luzhniki Stadium hosted the final game of the 1957 Ice Hockey World Championship between Sweden and the Soviet Union, attended by a crowd of 55,000 and setting a new world record at the time. Other events staged include the 1973 Summer Universiade, the 1989 Moscow Music Peace Festival and the inaugural World Youth Games in 1998. The 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens was held at the ground. It also hosts European games for other football clubs, such as Rubin Kazan, owing to the home stadiums of the respective clubs not meeting UEFA standards.

Artists such as Michael Jackson (1993 Dangerous Tour), The Rolling Stones, Madonna (2006 Confessions Tour), Metallica (Sick Of The Studio '07 tour), Kino, U2 (2010 U2 360° Tour)^[5] have all performed concerts in the stadium. It also makes an appearance in the Russian film Night Watch (Russian: Ночной дозор, Nochnoy Dozor), during the power shut-down scene when the power station goes into overload. The stadium is seen with a match taking place, and then the lights go out. New Japan Pro Wrestling, the Japanese professional wrestling promotion, ran a show in 1989 as well. Most recently, Red Hot Chili Peppers played at the stadium on July 22, 2012.^[6] The Alisa album Shabash is taken from two concerts performed here over two nights in late October 1990.

1982 Luzhniki Disaster

On October 20, 1982, disaster struck during the UEFA Cup match between FC Spartak Moscow and HFC Haarlem. 66 people died in the stampede,^[7] which made it Russia's worst sporting disaster at the time.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Luzhniki Stadium.

• Official website

Olympic venues in athletics 1896: Marathon (city), Panathenaic Stadium 1900: Croix-Catelan Stadium 1904: Francis Field 1908: White City Stadium 1912: Stockholm Olympic Stadium 1920: Olympisch Stadion 1924: Stade de Colombes 1928: Olympic Stadium 1932: Olympic Stadium, Riverside Drive at Griffith Park 1936: Avus Motor Road, Olympic Stadium 1948: Empire Stadium 1952: Olympic Stadium 1956: Melbourne Cricket Ground 1960: Arch of Constantine, Raccordo Anulare, Stadio Olimpico, Via Appia Antica, Via Cristoforo Colombo 1964: Fuchu City, Karasuyama-machi, National Stadium, Sasazuka-machi, Shinjuku 1968: Estadio Olímpico Universitario, Zócalo 1972: Olympiastadion 1976: Montreal Botanical Garden, Olympic Stadium, Streets of Montreal 1980: Grand Arena, Streets of Moscow 1984: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Santa Monica College, Streets of Los Angeles, Streets of Santa Monica 1988: Olympic Stadium, Streets of Seoul 1992: Estadi Olímpic de Monjuïc, Marathon course, Mataró, Walking course 1996: Marathon course, Olympic Stadium, Walking course 2000: Marathon course, North Sydney, Olympic Stadium 2004: Marathon (city), Olympic Stadium, Panathenaic Stadium, Stadium at Olympia 2008: Beijing National Stadium, Olympic Green Promenade Walking course, Streets of Beijing Marathon course 2012: Marathon Course, Olympic Stadium 2016: Flamengo Park, Estádio Olímpico João Havelange, Sambódromo

Olympic venues in equestrian 1900: 7th arrondissement of Paris 1912: Fältrittklubben, Liljeholmen, Lindarängen, Östermalm Athletic Grounds, Stockholm Olympic Stadium 1920: Olympisch Stadion 1924: Hippodrome d'Auteuil, Stade de Colombes 1928: Hilversum, Olympic Stadium 1932: Olympic Stadium, Riviera Country Club, Westchester 1936: Döberitz, Mayfield, Olympic Stadium 1948: Aldershot, Empire Stadium, Tweseldown Racecourse 1952: Laakso, Olympic Stadium, Ruskeasuo Equestrian Hall, Tali Race Track 1956: Lill-Jansskogen, Olympic Stadium, Ulriksdal 1960: Piazza di Siena, Pratoni del Vivaro 1964: Karuizawa, National Stadium 1968: Avándaro Golf Club, Campo Marte, Estadio Olímpico Universitario 1972: Dressage Facility Nymphenburg, Olympiastadion, Riding Facility, Riem 1976: Olympic Equestrian Centre, Bromont, Olympic Stadium 1980: Grand Arena, Trade Unions' Equestrian Complex 1984: Fairbanks Ranch Country Club, Santa Anita Park 1988: Olympic Stadium, Seoul Equestrian Park 1992: Club Hípic El Montayá, Real Club de Polo de Barcelona 1996: Georgia International Horse Park 2000: Sydney International Equestrian Centre 2004: Markopoulo Olympic Equestrian Centre 2008: Hong Kong Equestrian Venues 2012: Greenwich Park 2016: National Equestrian Center

Olympic venues in association football 1900 Vélodrome de Vincennes 1904 Francis Field 1908 White City Stadium 1912 Råsunda IP, Stockholm Olympic Stadium (final), Tranebergs Idrottsplats 1920 Jules Ottenstadion, Olympisch Stadion (final), Stade Joseph Marien, Stadion Broodstraat 1924 Stade Bergeyre, Stade de Colombes (final), Stade de Paris, Stade Pershing 1928 Monnikenhuize, Olympic Stadium (final), Sparta Stadion Het Kasteel 1936 Hertha-BSC Field, Mommsenstadion, Olympiastadion (final), Poststadion 1948 Arsenal Stadium, Champion Hill, Craven Cottage, Cricklefield Stadium, Empire Stadium (medal matches), Green Pond Road, Griffin Park, Selhurst Park, White Hart Lane 1952 Helsinki Football Grounds, Kotka, Lahti, Olympic Stadium (final), Tampere, Turku 1956 Melbourne Cricket Ground (final), Olympic Park Stadium 1960 Florence Communal Stadium, Grosseto Communal Stadium, L'Aquila Communal Stadium, Livorno Ardenza Stadium, Naples Saint Paul's Stadium, Pescara Adriatic Stadium, Stadio Flaminio (final) 1964 Komazawa Olympic Park Stadium, Mitsuzawa Football Field, Nagai Stadium, Tokyo National Stadium (final), Nishikyogoku Athletic Stadium, Ōmiya Football Field, Prince Chichibu Memorial Football Field 1968 Estadio Azteca (final), Estadio Cuauhtémoc, Estadio Nou Camp, Jalisco Stadium 1972 Drei Flüsse Stadion, ESV-Stadion, Jahnstadion, Olympiastadion (final), Rosenaustadion, Urban Stadium 1976 Lansdowne Park, Olympic Stadium (final), Sherbrooke Stadium, Varsity Stadium 1980 Dinamo Stadium, Dynamo Central Stadium, Grand Arena, Grand Arena (final), Kirov Stadium, Republican Stadium 1984 Harvard Stadium, Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Rose Bowl (final), Stanford Stadium 1988 Busan Stadium, Daegu Stadium, Daejeon Stadium, Dongdaemun Stadium, Olympic Stadium (final) 1992 Estadi de la Nova Creu Alta, Camp Nou (final), Estadio Luís Casanova, La Romareda, Estadi de Sarrià 1996 Florida Citrus Bowl, Legion Field, Orange Bowl, RFK Memorial Stadium, Sanford Stadium (both finals) 2000 Stadium Australia, Brisbane Cricket Ground, Bruce Stadium, Hindmarsh Stadium, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Olympic Stadium (men's final), Sydney Football Stadium (women's final) 2004 Kaftanzoglio Stadium, Karaiskakis Stadium (women's final), Olympic Stadium (men's final), Pampeloponnisiako Stadium, Pankritio Stadium, Panthessaliko Stadium 2008 Beijing National Stadium (men's final), Qinhuangdao Olympic Sports Center Stadium, Shanghai Stadium, Shenyang Olympic Sports Center Stadium, Tianjin Olympic Center Stadium, Workers' Stadium (women's final) 2012 City of Coventry Stadium, Hampden Park, Millennium Stadium, St James' Park, Old Trafford, Wembley Stadium (both finals) 2016 Estádio Nacional de Brasília, Arena Fonte Nova, Mineirão, Arena Corinthians, Arena da Amazônia, Estádio Olímpico João Havelange, Maracanã (both finals)