Stadiums Hosted First Matches of 2018 FIFA World Cup

On June 18 the stadiums constructed by JSC “STG” for 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia successfully hosted the first matches of the World Cup.

The game between the Sweden and Korea Republic teams was the opening one for the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium at FIFA 2018 World Cup. The match set the new attendance record attracting 42,300 spectators. In the 65^th minute the Korea team conceded a penalty, and the resulting spot kick by the Swedish captain won the match with the minimum score of 1:0.

The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Korea to the Russian Federation Woo Yoon-keun came to encourage the national team. The FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the Governor of the Nizhny Novgorod Region Gleb Nikitin also watched the game from the stand. Following the match results, the Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee for FIFA 2018 World Cup Russia Arkady Dvorkovich noted there was no reprimand regarding organization of the FIFA 2018 World Cup first match in Nizhny Novgorod.

About 41,000 spectators viewed the match between England and Tunisia at the Volgograd Arena Stadium, while 53,258 natives and guests of Volgograd watched the game on the large outdoor LED screen installed in the Central Embankment, where the FIFA Fan Fest took place. The scoring in the match was 2:1 for England. Commenting on the game on-air, the well-known sportscaster Viktor Gusev gave credit to the Volgograd Arena Stadium and noted that “it was the most up to date and convenient stadium one could imagine”.

The oncoming FIFA 2018 World Cup matches will be held on June 21 and 22. The Nizhny Novgorod Stadium will host the match between Argentina and Croatia, and the Volgograd Arena – the match between the Nigeria and Iceland teams.