Ak Bars Arena (Russian: «Ак Барс Арена»; Tatar: Ак Барс Арена, formerly known as Kazan Arena (Russian: «Казань Арена»; Tatar: Казан Арена)) is a stadium in Kazan, Russia. It was completed in July 2013, and hosts football matches, especially FC Rubin Kazan's home games in the Russian Premier League. The stadium has the largest outside screen in the world. Its capacity is around 45,379.[3]

Ak Bars Arena
Map
Former namesKazan Arena (2013–2018)
AddressKazan
Russia
LocationProspekt Khusaina Yamasheva, 115 А, Kazan, Russia
Coordinates55°49′16″N 49°09′39″E / 55.82111°N 49.16083°E / 55.82111; 49.16083
OwnerFC Rubin Kazan
OperatorFC Rubin Kazan
Capacity45,093 (Russian Premier League)[1]
42,873 (2018 FIFA World Cup)[2]
Field size105 x 68 m
SurfaceGrassMaster
Construction
Broke ground5 May 2010; 14 years ago (2010-05-05)
Built2010–2013
OpenedJuly 2013
Construction cost$ 450 million
ArchitectPopulous, V. Motorin
Tenants
FC Rubin Kazan (2013–present)
Russia national football team (selected matches)

History

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The stadium's LED facade is the largest one installed on a football stadium in the world.[4]

The stadium was constructed for the 2013 Summer Universiade. On May 5, 2010, president Putin held the groundbreaking ceremony.[5] The construction of the stadium was completed in 2013. The total cost was 15.5 billion rubles.[6] The stadium hosted the 2013 Summer Universiade opening and closing ceremonies,[7] and 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.[8][9] On August 17, 2014, the first football match of the Russian Championship was hosted in the Ak Bars Arena.[10]

The 16th FINA World Championships were held in Kazan, with some events held at the Arena. It saw twelve swimming records.[11]

In the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the stadium hosted six matches, including the ones where three past champions (Germany, Argentina, and Brazil) were eliminated from the tournament.[12]

UEFA announced in March 2020 that the stadium would host the 2023 UEFA Super Cup;[13][14] however, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the venue was later moved to the Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus, Greece.

Moreover, this was supposed to be the location for the 2025 World Aquatics Championships, but it was later moved to Singapore.[15][16]

Design

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The architectural concept has been designed by Populous;[6] according to lead designer Damon Lavelle, the stadium is a unique response to the local culture and place. As a multiple-purpose venture, Ak Bars Arena can be used as football matches and other sporting events, cultural events concerts.[17] With a capacity of 45,379 seats[18] and 28 ha stadium territory, Ak Bars Arena is one of the UEFA's highest category stadium.[19] The stadium has also 72 skyboxes and a fitness center.[6] The general design stage: "TatInvestGrazhdanProekt", "Intex", "TsNIIpromzdany". It replaced Central Stadium as Kazan's main football stadium.[20]

2017 FIFA Confederations Cup

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Date Time Team #1 Result Team #2 Round Attendance
18 June 2017 18:00   Portugal 2–2   Mexico Group A 34,372[21]
22 June 2017 21:00   Germany 1–1   Chile Group B 38,222[22]
24 June 2017 18:00   Mexico 2–1   Russia Group A 41,585[23]
28 June 2017 21:00   Portugal 0–0 (0–3 pen.)   Chile Semi-finals 40,855[24]

2018 FIFA World Cup

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Poland vs Colombia match during 2018 FIFA World Cup
Date Time Team #1 Result Team #2 Round Attendance
16 June 2018 13:00   France 2–1   Australia Group C 41,279[25]
20 June 2018 21:00   Iran 0–1   Spain Group B 42,718[26]
24 June 2018 21:00   Poland 0–3   Colombia Group H 42,873[27]
27 June 2018 17:00   South Korea 2–0   Germany Group F 41,835[28]
30 June 2018 17:00   France 4–3   Argentina Round of 16 42,873[29]
6 July 2018 21:00   Brazil 1–2   Belgium Quarter-finals 42,873[30]
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References

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  1. ^ "Russian Premier League 2021/22". RSSSF. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  2. ^ "Kazan Arena". FIFA. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  3. ^ "Футбольный стадион Ак Барс Арена". kazanarena.com. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  4. ^ "Größte LED-Fassade an einem Fußballstadium" (in German). invidis.de. 11 July 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  5. ^ "ЗА КУЛИСАМИ СПОРТИВНОЙ СТРОЙКИ". sport-express.ru. 17 December 2010. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  6. ^ a b c "Ak Bars (Kazan Arena)". stadiumdb.com. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  7. ^ "Kazan Arena". stadiumguide.com. 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  8. ^ "Kazan Arena: FC Rubin Kazan". football-stadiums.co.uk. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  9. ^ "Universiade-2013 organisers begin preparations for closing ceremony". tass.com. 8 July 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  10. ^ "Kazan Arena Stadium". eng.russia.travel. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  11. ^ "Host City - Kazan". Special Broadcasting Service. 1 April 2018.
  12. ^ "FIFA World Cup 2018: Kazan Arena - where Champions bid adieu to the World Cup". sportskeeda.com. 8 July 2018. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  13. ^ "UEFA Super Cup bound for Helsinki and Kazan". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations.
  14. ^ "Champions League in seismic overhaul with tennis-style knockout change". 20 May 2022.
  15. ^ "Kazan and Budapest awarded 2025 and 2027 World Aquatics Championships".
  16. ^ "Singapore replaces Kazan as host of 2025 World Aquatics Championships". InsideTheGames. 9 February 2023.
  17. ^ "Футбольный стадион Ак Барс Арена". kazanarena.com. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  18. ^ "General Information about Kazan Arena". national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  19. ^ "Kazan and the World Cup 2018". idaoffice.org. 11 May 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  20. ^ "World Cup 2018 stadium guide: The facts and stats of every host venue". stadia-magazine.com. 8 June 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  21. ^ "Match report – Group A – Portugal - Mexico" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 18 June 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 July 2017. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  22. ^ "Match report – Group B – Germany - Chile" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 22 June 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 July 2017. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  23. ^ "Match report – Group A – Mexico - Russia" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 24 June 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 July 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  24. ^ "Match report – Semi-final – Portugal - Chile" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 28 June 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 July 2017. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  25. ^ "Match report – Group C – France - Australia" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 16 June 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  26. ^ "Match report – Group B – IR Iran - Spain" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 20 June 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  27. ^ "Match report – Group H – Poland - Colombia" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 24 June 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  28. ^ "Match report – Group F – Korea Republic - Germany" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 27 June 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  29. ^ "Match report – Round of 16 – France - Argentina" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 30 June 2018. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  30. ^ "Match report – Quarter-final – Brazil - Belgium" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
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Preceded by Summer Universiade
Opening and Closing Ceremonies

2013
Succeeded by