Russia spent more than US$10 billion on stadiums and infrastructure for the World Cup. Of the seven new stadiums built for the tournament, three are located in Volgograd, Nizhny Novgorod and Saransk. Nizhny Novgorod averaged just under 20,000 spectators, while nearly 15,000 watched games in Saransk in central Russia. Many had criticized the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games for their exorbitant costs and one of the government’s top concerns was to avoid the World Cup stadiums going to waste after the showpiece was over. Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded officials draft a World Cup “legacy” program to raise attendances and boost youth player development.

Source: Taipei Times February 06, 2019 16:02 UTC