| Capacity | 44 442 |
|---|---|
| Country | Russia |
| City | Saransk |
| Clubs | FC Mordovia Saransk |
| Inauguration | 21/04/2018 |
| Broke ground | 2010 |
| Construction | 2011-2018 |
| Cost | 300 million USD |
| Design | SaranskGrazhdanProekt |
| Contractor | SDS – Upravlenie stroitelstva |
| Address | Volgogradskaya Ulitsa, 1, Saransk, Respublika Mordoviya, Russia, 430009 |
The World Cup stadium was built on the flood plain of the Insar River that runs through Saransk and is within walking distance of the city centre and residential districts. Plenty of hotels, landmarks and the FIFA Fan Fest are also located not far from the Mordovia Arena.
The Mordovia Arena was designed using a blend of orange, red and white, a colour scheme that reflects the traditional folk art of the native Mordvin peoples.
The stadium is oval in shape, with a high two-story basement. The walls and the roof form a solid shell of perforated steel panels, painted in bright colours. This shell is elevated above the basement, creating the impression of lightness, a hovering effect. At a distance, the building resembles an air balloon, ready to take off. The architects had meant the shape and coloration of the shell of Mordovia Arena to evoke warmth, the sun, hospitality, and a warm welcome. For perfect visibility, no spectator seat is farther than 90m away from the middle of the pitch. The distance between any corner of the pitch and the opposite spectator stall does not exceed 190m.
The first few games at the newly constructed Mordovia Arena took place in April and May of this year. Local side FC Mordovia inaugurated their new home ground with a 0-0 draw against Zenit Izhevsk on 21 April, following that up with a defeat by KAMAZ Naberezhnye Chelny on 4 May. They got their first win at the stadium on 16 May, beating Syzran-2003 to gain qualification to Russia’s second flight, the Football National League.
After the 2018 World Cup the upper stands are to be dismantled, decreasing capacity to 28,000. Between the stands left and the roof a promenade with retail and leisure spaces is to be created. Away from football, city and regional governments plan to turn the facility into the largest sports and leisure centre in the Republic of Mordovia. The arena will be able to stage numerous events, host clubs and academies from various sports and serve as the location for many other activities as well.
Matches
The Mordovia Arena is hosting four matches during the group stage at Russia 2018, including Peru’s opening game against Denmark on 16 June.
World Cup 2018 