- Address: Luzhniki Street, 24, Moscow
- Country: Russia
- Capacity: 81,000
- Opened: 31 July 1956
- Main use: Football
- Tenants: Torpedo Moscow (football)
Extra stadium info – Grand Sports Arena of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex
The Grand Sports Arena of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex opened as the Central Lenin Stadium. It became a venue for several events, like athletics, concerts, football, ice hockey, rugby sevens and wrestling. Spartak Moscow used the stadium for home games until they moved to a new home in 2014. In 2017, they became the first Russian football club with 10 domestic top-flight league titles. Spartak Moscow drew an average attendance of 32,000 in 15 home games during that domestic top-flight football league season. The stadium’s record attendance was set in 1963, when 102,000 people showed up for a football match between the former USSR and the national football team of the Italian Republic, commonly known as Italy.
Famous tournaments
In 1980, the stadium was one of the venues for the world famous Games of the Olympiad. On 20 October 1982, a disaster occured during a UEFA Cup match. 66 people died in the stampede, which made it the nation’s worst sporting disaster at the time. In 2008, the venue hosted the first UEFA Champions League final in Russia. 67,000 spectators attended the prestigious football match, which was won by Manchester United Football Club after defeating Chelsea Football Club. It was the first UEFA Champions League final between two English clubs.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup
The first match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup was played at the stadium. 78,000 people attended the game between the national football teams of Russia and Saudi Arabia. Russia won the match against Saudi Arabia 5-0. Yury Aleksandrovich Gazinsky scored the first goal of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The venue also hosted the 2018 FIFA World Cup final, which was won by the national football team of the French Republic after beating Croatia 4-2. Elon Reeve Musk, who was born in South Africa in 1971, was one of the world famous people who attended the 2018 FIFA World Cup final. He became the richest person in the world. The 2018 FIFA World Cup final was the first FIFA World Cup final for Croatia and the third FIFA World Cup final for the French Republic.
FIFA World Cup finals
The national football team of the French Republic were crowned world champions in 1998 for the first time in their history. They won the title after beating Brazil. The Brazilians won four world championship titles when they faced the French team in the final of the 1998 FIFA World Cup. The French Republic, commonly known as France, lost their second FIFA World Cup final in 2006. That year, the national football team of the Italian Republic were crowned world football champions in the German city of Berlin. The Italians won their fourth world championship title after beating the French Republic.
