By David Gold
October 14 – Moscow, St Petersburg and Yekaterinburg are vying to host the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup in 2018, according to Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko.
Mutko confirmed the process for the selection of World Cup stadia earlier this week following a meeting of the World Cup Organising Committee, which he chairs, and FIFA.
The three venues are in contention as the only stadia with the required capacity of more than 60,000 to stage games of such profile.
Last month Mutko, who is also a FIFA Executive Committee member, said that the Luzhniki Stadium (pictured) in Moscow would host both the final and semi-final of the tournament.
The venue is one of only two proposed venues already built, though it will undergo renovation works in the years ahead.
If this is confirmed, then St Petersburg, where current champions Zenit’s new stadium, which is still in construction, will vie with Yekaterinburg’s proposed new ground, which will be the only stadium east of the Ural mountains if selected to host World Cup games.
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