In the past, its field has been used as the home ground for many years of football rivalsSpartak Moscow andCSKA Moscow. It is currently used for some matches of theRussia national football team, as well as being used for various other sporting events and for concerts. Luzhniki Stadium is currently the temporary home ground ofFC Torpedo Moscow.
The stadium is located inKhamovniki District[4] of theCentral Administrative Okrug of Moscow city, south-west of the city center. The nameLuzhniki derives from the flood meadows in the bend ofMoskva River where the stadium was built, translating roughly as "The Meadows". It was necessary to find a very large plot of land, preferably in a green area close to the city center that could fit into the transport map of the capital without too much difficulty.[5]
According to one of the architects: "On a sunny spring day of 1954, we, a group of architects and engineers who were tasked with designing the Central stadium, climbed onto a large paved area on the Lenin Hills [which after the Soviet era would revert to their old name, theSparrow Hills ]... the proximity of the river, green mass of clean, fresh air – this circumstance alone mattered to select the area of the future city of sports... In addition, Luzhniki is located relatively close to the city center and convenient access to major transport systems with all parts of the capital".[6]
On 23 December 1954, theGovernment of the USSR adopted a resolution on the construction of a stadium in the Luzhniki area in Moscow.[12] The decision of the Soviet Government was a response to a specific current international situation: By the early 1950s, Soviet athletes took to the world stage for the first time afterWorld War II (rus. theGreat Patriotic War), participating in the Olympic Games. The1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki brought the Soviet team 71 medals (of which 22 gold) and second place in the unofficial team standings.[13]
It was a success, but the increased athletic development of the Soviet Union, which was a matter ofstate policy, required the construction of a new sports complex. The proposed complex was to meet all modern international standards and at the same time serve as a training base for the Olympic team and arena for large domestic and international competitions.[citation needed]
The stadium was built in 1955–56 as the Grand Arena of the Central Lenin Stadium. The design began in January 1955 and was completed in 90 days[14] by the architects Alexander Vlasov, Igor Rozhin, Nikolai Ullas, Alexander Khryakov and engineers Vsevolod Nasonov, Nikolai Reznikov, Vasily Polikarpov.[15] Building materials came fromLeningrad and theArmenian SSR, electrical and oak beams for the spectator benches from theUkrainian SSR, furniture fromRiga andKaunas, glass was brought fromMinsk, electrical equipment fromPodolsk inMoscow Oblast, and larch lumber from Irkutsk in Siberia. It was necessary to demolish a whole area of dilapidated buildings (including the Trinity Church, which is supposed to be restored). Because the soil was heavily waterlogged, almost the entire area of the foundations of the complex had to be raised half a meter. 10,000 piles were hammered into the ground and dredgers reclaimed about 3 million cubic metres ofsoil. The total area of the stadium occupies 160 hectares.[16] Eight thousand people moved home to make place for the stadium. The ChurchTikhvin, an architectural monument of the 18th century was moved, too.[17]
The stadium was officially opened on 31 July 1956,[18] with a friendly football match between theRSFSR and China. 100 thousand spectators welcomed the event.[19][20] The stadium was built in just 450 days. It was thenational stadium of theSoviet Union, and is now the national stadium of Russia.[21] In 1960 a 26-foot bronze statue ofLenin by sculptorMatvei Manizer, which was created forExpo 58 inBrussel, was placed on the square in front of the main stadium entrance.[4][22]
On 20 October 1982,disaster struck during aUEFA Cup match between FC Spartak Moscow andHFC Haarlem. 66 people died in thecrowd crush,[30] which made it Russia's worst sporting disaster and most infamous cover-up at the time.
In the spring of 1992, the state enterprise, including the sports complex, was privatized and renamed the Luzhniki Olympic Complex, and by June of the same year, Lenin's name was removed.[31] 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.[18] Till the renovation, the stadium could accommodate 81 thousand people.[32]
The Luzhniki Stadium was chosen by the UEFA to host the2008 UEFA Champions League Final won byManchester United who beatChelsea in the first all-EnglishChampions League final on 21 May. 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."[35]
The original stadium was demolished in 2013 to give a way for the construction of a new stadium. However, the self-supported cover was retained. The facade wall was retained as well, due to its architectural value, and was later reconnected to the new building. Construction of the new stadium was completed in 2017.[37] The total cost of repairs was 24 billionrubles.[38]
The2018 FIFA World Cup was held in Russia with the Luzhniki Stadium selected as the venue for the opening match and also thefinal, which was held on 15 July 2018. For the 2018 World Cup the stadium organized six checkpoints with 39 inspection lanes and seven pedestrian points with 427 points for the passage of spectators. About 900 scanners, 3000 cameras and monitors were installed. Special seats were provided for fans with disabilities.[39] The stadium's capacity was increased from 78,000 to 81,000 seats,[40] partly caused by the removal of the athletics track around the pitch. In 2018 FIFA named the stadium as best arena in the world.[41]
1997 –Russia vs. FIFA team in honor of the 850th anniversary of Moscow, the 100th anniversary ofRussian football and the opening after the reconstruction of the Luzhniki stadium.
29 June 1991 – As part of the holiday of the newspaperMoskovsky Komsomolets,Oleg Gazmanov took part in the concert. It was the last time theOlympic flame was lit at the stadium.
26 July 2008 – The holiday "MosKomSport – 85 years" was held. During it a concert took place, in which the bandsU-Piter,Chaif,Crematory, and others took part.
2011–2013 – A musical competitionFactor A was held in thecomplex.
31 May 2014 – A concert of theMashina Vremeni dedicated to the band's 45th anniversary was held in front of the stadium, which was closed for the renovation.
When the Luzhniki Stadium hosted the final game of the 1957Ice Hockey World Championship between Sweden and theSoviet Union, it was attended by a crowd of 55,000 and set a new world record at the time.[47] On 23 May 1963,Fidel Castro made a historic speech in Luzhniki Stadium during his record 38-day visit to the Soviet Union.[48]
New Japan Pro-Wrestling, the Japaneseprofessional wrestling promotion, ran a show in 1989.[49] Luzhniki Stadium also makes an appearance in the Russian supernatural thriller filmNight 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.[citation needed]
In 2008,Manchester United beatChelsea on penalties after a 1–1 draw to win their thirdEuropean Cup. This was United's third appearance in the final, and Chelsea's first.[8]
On 18 March 2022, Russian president Vladimir Putin held arally at the stadium marking the eighth anniversary of theannexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation and to draw support forRussia's invasion of Ukraine. It was attended by approximately 200,000 supporters, according to police, with media reports suggesting that state employees were bussed to the rally while others were paid or forced to attend.[50][51]
During the World Cup, Luzhniki had six access control stations with 39 inspection lines, and seven access control points with 427 entrances for fans arriving on foot. The grounds were serviced by 3,000 surveillance cameras and about 900 scanners, monitors, and detectors.[59]
^"История создания комплекса" [Moscow to host Champions League final on natural grass]. Luzhniki Stadium. Archived fromthe original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved10 December 2016.
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