Russia

The Luzhniki Stadium has an interesting history when you look at it. It was built between 1955 and 1956 and was the home of the USSR national side until the break-up of the Soviet Union at the start of the 1990s. After that it became the home of the Russian national side instead. The stadium was chosen to be the location for the most important matches of the 2018 World Cup once Russia had been awarded the right to host it in 2010, but it was clearly in no fit state to handle such prestigious games. As such, a decision was undertaken to renovate the stadium ahead of the FIFA World Cup. Unlike other stadiums such as Wembley, however, the ground was not completely demolished before a new stadium was built in its place. Instead, it was completely and utterly gutted and the insides were replace with a much more modern and exciting alternative. Part of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex and located in the Khamovniki District of Moscow, the stadium was seen as the ‘heart of Russian sport’ when it first opened its doors.