Located on the picturesque bank of the Volga River, Volgograd Arena will host four group stage matches in June: Tunisia vs. England, Nigeria vs. Iceland, Saudi Arabia vs. Egypt, and Japan vs. Poland.
The first trial game at Volgograd Arena, which was built especially for the 2018 World Cup, took place on April 21. On Victory Day, the stadium hosted the final match of the Russian Cup, a 'dress rehearsal' of the world championship.
"The city is ready for the World Cup. Today we are holding the Russian Cup final and expecting 45,000 spectators. All is left is to fix up the area around the stadium in the next two weeks. We are expecting football fans from all over the country and abroad. The number of international football fans to come to Volgograd is estimated at 120,000. Some 1,500 volunteers have been trained to work during the tournament," Volgograd Mayor Andrei Kosolapov told the media ahead of the Russian Cup match.
He said that the stadium cost around 16 billion rubles and the construction was fully funded from the federal budget.
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Leonid Slutsky, former head coach of CSKA Moscow and the Russian national team, who visited Volgograd, confirmed that the city will be able to take care of foreign tourists who will be in Volgograd for the World Cup.
"The World Cup is a huge event for Volgograd. All visitors will be well looked after. The stadium is huge and Volgograd has deserved it for a long time. It's an excellent arena, an excellent field," Slutsky told journalists.
