Little-known secret about the stadium opening the 2018 World Cup

Not only is the symbolic image of Russian sports, Luzhniki stadium is also known as "football graveyard."

The Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow will open the opening ceremony of the 2018 World Cup. This is the iconic stadium of Russian sports.Luzhniki held the 1980 Olympics and many other international sporting events.

Luzhniki was originally named 'Lenin Central Stadium'.It was built between 1955 and 1956. This is a product of the ambition of the Soviet leadership to upgrade the country's sporting facilities after the first achievements they achieved in the 1952 Olympics. ( Photo: Museum of Moscow).

The name Luzhniki comes from the geographical location of the stadium. The building is built on a land at the elbow of Moskva river, Khamovniki area of ​​Okrug administrative center. The name Luzhniki means "flooded meadow . " (Photo: VideoBlocks).

The largest stadium in Russia began construction in 1954, opened on July 31, 1956 after exactly 450 days of construction.Luzhniki is currently one of Europe's largest artificial grass stadiums.Capacity up to 81,000 people.Including 300 seats equipped for people with disabilities.Audience seats and stands will have anti-vandal coating.(Photo: InsideTheGames).

For more than half a century, Luzhniki stadium is still the pride of Russian sports.However, Luzhniki is also associated with a horrific accident that makes it like a 'graveyard' of football.(Photo: Leonid Sorokin).

October 20, 1982 in Moscow, cold, windy and snowy.Spartak Moscow receives HFC Haarlem of the Netherlands at Luzhniki in the framework of the UEFA Cup.The home team opened the score and maintained that advantage until the end of the game.Many fans started to go home.However, the goal to raise the score to 2-0 in the minutes of injury time in the second half caused hundreds of people to pull each other back to the yard to celebrate, leading to the scene of jostling, pushing.(Photo: Museum of Moscow).

"On the slippery stairs, one fell on the other. It was like when people played dominoes. Going to the steel railings also buckled because of the tremendous pressure from the weight of hundreds of people. People crowded to death, " Chesnokov, who was fortunate to survive the recall incident.(Photo: Yle).

In 1989 officials confirmed the tragedy.In some official reports, the death toll is only 66, but according to recent surveys the estimated number is much larger, about 340 deaths.If the figure is validated, this is probably the most horrifying disaster in world football history.) Photo: Lena Tsibizova).

In 1999, Luzhniki Stadium held the UEFA Cup final between Parma and Marseille. In 1996, the stadium was renovated to build roofs on the stands and upgrade seating areas. The Red Devils will not forget the English derby between Manchester United and Chelsea in the 2008 Champions League final. This historic match also took place on Moscow's Luzhniki stadium.(Photo: Fristajlere).

The stadium was used by Spartak Moscow team for a long time.The final match was held on the Luzhniki Stadium in May 2013. In August, this stadium was temporarily closed after the IAAF athletics world championship.(Photo: Goal).

Russia has spent five years renovating the Luzhniki stadium to prepare for the Russian World Cup 2018. One of the top priorities is to keep the historic façade of the stadium, which has become Moscow's iconic image.Inside the stadium was completely refurbished: the track and field was moved, the grass was adjusted and two layers were added.The capacity of Luzhniki stadium increased from 78,000 to 81,000.(Photo: LOC).

At the request of FIFA the football field will be covered with natural grass.The 11m-long stand on the bleachers is made of a modern polycarbonate.The stadium is equipped with lawn heating and stands to host matches in both winter and summer.(Photo: Goal).

The opening match of the 2018 World Cup will take place on the Luzhniki stadium on June 14.This is also the place where 4 group stage matches take place, a round of 1/8, a semi-final and the final on July 15.From Moscow, you can reach Luzhniki stadium by subway or bus.The host country has mobilized a strong team of volunteers to support visitors during the 2018 World Cup. (Photo: Hero_1).