Luzhniki Stadium to Host 2018 World Cup Final

FIFA have confirmed Moscow’s Luzhniki stadium will host both the opening and final match at the 2018 World Cup.

The Luzhniki, which has a 90,000 capacity, will also stage the opening match and a semi-final following approval by FIFA’s executive committee. St Petersburg will stage the other semi-final.

Moscow, St Petersburg, Kazan and Sochi were approved as venues for the 2017 Confederations Cup, also to be held in Russia, FIFA said.

Moscow’s Luzhniki uses an artificial pitch because of the frigid Russian winters although a natural pitch was laid for the 2008 Champions League final, staged at the stadium.

Eleven Russian cities will host the 2018 World Cup with Moscow having two venues. The other cities are St Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Samara, Volgograd, Rostov, Sochi, Saransk and Yekaterinburg.