Luzhniki Stadium (Moscow)

BSA Luzhniki is the largest stadium in Russia. The arena was founded and relatively quickly built in the mid-50s of the last century. After this, the stadium went through several global renovations. The complex in Luzhniki is rightfully the main venue on which the country’s most significant sporting and cultural events are held.

General information

Official website: luzhniki.ru

Capacity: 81, 000 seats

Address: ul. Luzhniki, 24, Moscow, Russia, 119048

GPS coordinates for the navigator: 55.7158° N, 37.5537° E

Year of construction: 1956

Field: 105×68 m

Scoreboard: electronic

Scheme of seats, sectors and stands of the Luzhniki Stadium

After reconstruction for the 2018 World Cup, the pitch angle of the stands became larger. Field visibility has improved. Even visitors to the corner stands can now fully enjoy sports action and see everything that happens on the field. For color design, a pixel coloring (white, burgundy, red) was chosen.

The seats for fans have traditionally been divided into four stands A, B, C, D. 2,000 seats have been allocated for the VIP stand and 2,500 — for media representatives. Along the perimeter of the stadium between the first and second tier are lodges of superior comfort. Here, fans will enjoy special services, more convenient places, extended walkways. There is a separate entrance for guests of the VIP box.

The width of the exits from the sectors was increased by 100 meters. 44 cascading stairs were installed along the perimeter, three more main exits were added. All these improvements are designed to significantly increase the safety of each guest while moving inside the structure.

How to get there

The Luzhniki Stadium is the country’s main and most spacious sports arena. That is why special attention should be paid to transport infrastructure. Before the trip, it is necessary to clarify the availability and following routes. This will help to avoid force majeure situations.

Underground

The nearest metro stations are Vorobyovy Gory and Sportivnaya (the first line of the Moscow metro). In addition, at the disposal of the fans of the Moscow Central Ring Luzhniki station. Most of the spectators who use public transport choose the metro or the MCC. At the same time, the stadium can be reached in another way.

Bus

• “Novodevichy cemetery” stop.  Routes C12, m3, 64, 255;
• “Luzhniki Stadium” stop. Routes A, m3, 806;
• “Luzhniki Stadium (South)” stop. Routes A, C12, t79, m3, 64, 255, 806.

Trolley bus

The Luzhniki Stadium stop can also be reached by trolleybus 28.

Personal transport

There is also the option of using personal transport. You can get to the territory of the sports complex from the Frunze or Savvinskaya embankment. Entrance by private car is paid. The nuances of parking and the cost of travel should first be obtained from the administration or on the official website.

How to buy tickets

Sports fans can purchase entrance tickets in the classic way — at the box office. The points of sale are located at Novoluzhnetskiy proezd, d.9, s.1. The official website says that the ticket offices work seven days a week from 9.00 to 18.00. Reference telephone numbers are also indicated by which you can find out about the availability of tickets and other useful information.

On the official website or other specialized portals, you can remotely order or book a ticket. This process takes only a few minutes and has long been popular with football fans. The client is provided with a graphic image of the stands. You must select the sector, location, number of tickets, payment method, etc. It is also possible to order courier ticket delivery.

Stadium History

At the end of 1954, the top government of the USSR decided that the capital certainly needed a large-scale and impressive sports arena. As early as January next year, design work began under the direction of architect Alexander Vlasov. They decided to build a stadium on a rather inconspicuous and almost abandoned territory to the south-west of the capital.

The project of the future arena was created surprisingly quickly. April 1955 was already the starting point for large-scale construction. The construction of the stadium in Luzhniki was seriously supported and supervised by the state. No problems with manpower and materials were observed. A large number of volunteers participated in the construction. After 450 days, the main work on the main construction site of the country was completed. July 31, 1956 The Big Sports Arena named after V.I. Lenin (first name) passed the stage of the grand opening. The ceremony was attended by hundreds of thousands of spectators. And the battle between the local national team and the players from China (the victory of the hosts 1-0) became the central sports action of that day.

In early August 1956, the First Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR took off in the new sports complex. These were the largest competitions in the world (at that time). After that, six more Spartakiads were held. As a rule, these competitions summed up the pre-Olympic training and helped to create the optimal team for the main international games.

Serious reconstructions were carried out more than once on the Luzhniki BSA. On the eve of the 1980 Summer Olympics at the stadium V.I. Lenin thoroughly redid the podium, which began to meet international requirements in terms of comfort and safety. In addition, tracks for cross-country sports have been expanded. At the same time, the capacity of the stands inside the bowl decreased to 96,000 seats.

The opening and closing ceremonies of the Games of the XXII Olympiad took place at the main stadium of the country. At the sites of the Olympic complex in Luzhniki, the lion’s share of the competition took place. More than 5,000 athletes from 80 countries competed for awards in 21 sports.

In the 90s, one of the most monumental stadiums of the former USSR became just a decoration for a huge market, which was flooded with goods that rushed from foreign countries. The sports complex has become a joint stock company, a large bazaar is located on its territory. Nevertheless, active trading practically did not interfere with the performance of its main functions. Luzhniki regularly hosted football matches and concerts. Traces of rough trade on “sports” land completely disappeared only in 2011.

Another global reconstruction at the Luzhniki BSA was carried out on the eve of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Four years before Mundial, large-scale work began that progressed quite quickly. The designers took into account the specifics of the upcoming competition and made the stadium exclusively football. Treadmills and the sector for athletics were removed. Due to such changes, it was possible to significantly increase the number of seats. In late autumn 2017, the updated stadium hosted the first football match. In a friendly game, the Russian team lost to Argentina (0-1).

Sport events

The status of the country’s main arena obliges to regularly host the most ambitious and significant sporting events. Immediately after the opening, the first Spartakiad of the peoples of the USSR was held at the Olympic complex. In terms of scope and intensity, these competitions were not inferior to Olympic. It was at the Spartakiad that often determined the final composition of the Soviet team, which represented the country at major international starts. In total, seven Sports Games took place on the Luzhniki Stadium. The last sports event under this name took place in 1979.

1980 was a special year for the USSR and the Luzhniki Olympic Complex. The Summer Olympic Games were held here. The main arena, in addition to sports functions, also performed the role of the stage for the opening and closing ceremonies of the competitions.

Luzhniki has repeatedly hosted serious international competitions in a wide variety of sports. At the end of the 50s, the world ice hockey championship was held here. In 1961 and 1974 – World Championship in Modern Pentathlon.

In different years, Luzhniki hosted the Summer Universiade (1973), the Goodwill Games (1986), the World Youth Games. Already in the 21st century, the country’s main arena became the mistress of the Rugby 7 World Cup and the World Athletics Championships.

Despite the numerous sports competitions that took place on the Luzhniki Stadium, the main place in the life of this sports complex is rightfully occupied by football. At the main Moscow stadium there were many matches of the USSR championship and the Russian championship. It is Luzhniki that is the home arena of the Russian national football team and regularly host official and friendly matches of the national team. After reconstruction for the 2018 World Cup, the first official match was held on November 11. It was a friendly match between the Russian and Argentine national teams. The match aroused serious interest among football fans. The first game at the updated Luzhniki stadium was almost sold out. Argentine stars beat local players 1-0. The decisive goal was scored by striker Sergio Aguero.

The most significant cultural and entertainment events

Large sports arenas usually become a venue for large-scale cultural events. The Luzhniki Stadium was no exception. The building, capable of hosting tens of thousands of spectators, was simply doomed to become the main concert venue in the country.

In different years, both domestic and foreign musical legends performed on the Luzhniki stage. In 1983, the sports complex hosted the three-day Rock for Peace festival. In August 1989, Muscovites and guests of the capital were able to attend the even larger-scale action “Moscow Music Peace Festival”, which was also dedicated to the idea of ​​peace. Rock lovers had the opportunity to witness first-hand appearances by Bon Jovi, Ozzy Osbourne, Scorpions, Motley Crew and many others.

In 1990, the bowl of the large sports arena became the place where Viktor Tsoi and his team performed for the last time. The concert of the Kino group was held as part of a holiday organized by one of the Moscow newspapers. Unfortunately, a few years later, here on Luzhniki, a concert was held in memory of Viktor Tsoi, who tragically died in a car accident. Such groups as DDT, Nautilus Pompilius, Chayf and many others performed.

In the 90s, Western stars became even closer to the domestic audience. Of course, the best representatives of the world of show business chose the most spacious venue for the concert. In 1993, the country’s main stadium became the stage for the large-scale show of the legendary Michael Jackson. The performance of the pop king caused a tremendous resonance and attracted the attention of almost all music lovers. After that, the performances of top foreign artists took place more than once in the walls of Luzhniki. In 1998, it was The Rolling Stones. In 2006, Madonna shone on the same stage, and a year later the local audience enjoyed the performance of Metallica.

Before closing for global construction work in 2014, BSA hosted the Time Machines anniversary concert. The performance was dedicated to the 45th anniversary of the group.

The Luzhniki Sports Complex is a center for mass and amateur sports. The main object, of course, is the football arena. However, the territory also has a swimming pool, five-a-side football fields and many sports grounds for various sports. This diversity makes Luzhniki one of the best places for active leisure. It regularly hosts classes in numerous sections, as well as competitions of various scales.

UEFA Cup Final 1999

Luzhniki more than once hosted European cup matches with the participation of Russian teams. However, in the history of the stadium there are much more significant European cup fights. One of them took place on May 12, 1999. It was the UEFA Cup final, in which Parma and the Marseille Olympic took part. The Italian Serie A at the end of the 20th century was considered the best tournament in which fierce competition was observed and the strongest football players of that time played. That is why Parma was considered a clear favorite of the Moscow finals.

For Parma, such stars as Buffon, Thuram, Cannavaro, Chiesa, Crespo, Veron played at that time. It was one of the best teams in the 90s both in terms of player selection and level of play. Marcel could not boast of such a set of performers. The French could only be distinguished by Captain Laurent Blanc and creative midfielder Robert Piraeus.

Nearly 67,000 people came to watch the UEFA Cup final in Luzhniki. They saw beautiful and high-quality football. Parma quickly opened an account. At the 26th minute, Argentinean Hernan Crespo took advantage of a defender’s error and sent the ball into the goal of Stefan Porato. The first half ended already with a score of 2-0 in favor of the Italian team. And on 55 minutes Enrico Chiesa with a perfect shot set the final score of the match — 3-0.

UEFA Champions League Final 2008

The next major test for the Luzhniki BSA was the Champions League final. It was the Moscow arena that was chosen for the main match of the club football season 2007/2008. It was the first Champions League final in which two English teams met — Manchester United and Chelsea. Almost 70,000 fans gathered to watch the sporting event at the stadium. Millions of football fans around the world watched the game in the Luzhnovsky bowl on TV.

The game of the two English teams was expected to abound in struggle, intensity and, of course, was distinguished by top quality. The English Premier League at the end of the 2000s has already managed to become one of the best championships with a large number of stars. On May 21, teams appeared on the Moscow lawn, whose compositions were filled with big names: Ronaldo, van der Sar, Giggs, Scholes, Drogba, Esien, Rooney, Tevez, Ballack, Anelka, Lampard, Terry. Almost every player on the field and bench had the status of an active football star.

The match began with the team in intelligence. However, pretty quickly the red devils came forward. The ball in the 26th minute scored Ronaldo. Chelsea answered Lampard with an accurate shot in 45 minutes. The teams left for the break with a tie.

The second half was more actively spent by players of Chelsea. However, Edwin van der Sar showed a reliable game in the goal net. Subsequently, it was the Dutch goalkeeper of the Mankunians who was recognized as the best player of the match.

The main and extra time ended with a score of 1-1. This was followed by an emotional penalty shootout, which football fans will remember for a long time. Ronaldo was unable to realize his penalty kick, and captain Chelsea Terry got a chance to arrange for his team such a coveted league title. However, John did not execute the penalty in the best way, losing his balance at the most inopportune moment. The series continued, and after a miss by Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka Manchester became the winner of the UEFA Champions League final of the 07/08 season. Spectators gathered at the Luzhniki Stadium saw a wonderful intense game with a unique plot and emotional denouement.