By Richard van Poortvliet
August 7 – The future of the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, which will host the 2018 World Cup final, has become a lot clearer, after it was announced that FIFA will allow the arena to have a capacity of 81,000 spectators for the showpiece event.
The original plan was to upgrade the stadium to hold 89,000 fans and dignitaries, however, spiralling costs led to the possibility that the arena may have to be built from scratch, as this would have proved to be much cheaper than trying to renovate the existing ground.
Another option had been to sink the playing surface by four to six metres, however, this would have caused numerous problems with the water pipelines running under the playing surface.
The stadium will need to upgrade its media and VIP facilities ahead of the tournament, but the façade will stay in tact and only minimal changes will be made to its exterior.
The Luzhniki Stadium is set to hold its last major sporting event, with the World Athletics Championships starting on August 10. Upon its conclusion, the arena will be closed to undergo renovation.
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