Russia floats tender for 2018 World Cup venue reconstruction

The Russian government Wednesday announced $612 million dollar tender to upgrade the venue for the 2018 World Cup final.

The tender, worth some 20 billion rubles, has been put on the government`s procurement, website zakupki.gov.ru, reports Xinhua. The winner of the bid should finish reconstruction of Moscow`s Luzhniki Stadium in three-and-a-half years, ahead of the global football event. The legendary Luzhniki stadium, built in 1956, hosted the 1980 Summer Olympics, the 2008 Champions League final and this year`s IAAF World Championships in August. It will also be used for the football Confederations Cup in 2017, the opening match, a semi-final and the final of the 2018 World Cup. In the original plan, the stadium had a holding capacity of 90,000 spectators. The refurbished venue will add 2,000 VIP seats, 2,000 places for media and 160 commentator positions.