With the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ drawing ever nearer, construction on all the tournament's stadiums continues apace. Every month FIFA.com provides an update for fans on how progress is going.

This month's progressWith a population of around 300,000, Saransk is the smallest of the 2018 World Cup Host Cities, so it is unsurprising that they are particularly excited about the coming tournament. The Mordovia Arena, which is to be within walking distance of the city's historical centre, will play an important role long after the end of the World Cup. It is expected to become a large multi-use venue and an important part of the city's life.

“When the Mordovia Arena appears, Saransk will practically have a new city centre, a centre of gravity with a special energy. We have never had anything like it before,” said Aleksey Merkushin, the Minister for Special Programmes of the Mordovian Republic. “The stadium is within walking distance of Saransk's historical centre, right next to new housing developments populated mainly by young families with children. From the outset, this residential complex has been built as a 'city of the future.'

“One characteristic of the Mordovia Arena will be how compact it is, you will have a perfect view of the pitch even from the back row,” added Merkushin. During the World Cup the arena will hold 45,000 seats, but after it has ended 15,000 will be dismantled, due to it being a ‘transformer’ stadium. “A large number of areas will be freed up thanks to this construction solution,” said Merkushin.

These areas will primarily be used to build other buildings in the grounds of the stadium, one of which will be a fitness centre. Moreover, the arena, which will serve the local club FC Mordovia, will not only be used for sport. “The stadium will become a wonderful platform for business, as we will be able to host exhibitions and conferences in it, and a part of the area will be given over to real estate, so there will be cafés, restaurants, beauty parlours, and other local businesses,” noted Merkushin.

The monolithic work at the stadium is near completion, with 80 per cent of it already finished. The third level of the stands is complete, and the internal walls are being put in place.

Elsewhere around RussiaThe construction of the external walls and partitions in the Rostov-on-Don stadium is into the final straight. At the beginning of this month the builders began decorating the interior areas of the sports complex by insulating, plastering and painting the walls and ceilings, and also tiling the floors.

In Ekaterinburg,the assembly of the external support ring of the roof has begun, its first block weighs 112 tonnes and has already been installed. Construction has begun on the 39.5-metre-high northern stand of the sports complex.

In Samara, the construction of the roof is in full swing. Already, the builders have mounted five of the assembly blocks for the domed cantilever, with a combined weight of 450 tonnes.

In Volgograd, the work on the supporting structures is complete. In the 'A' sector there are five floors, and the other sectors have three floors each. The monumental work is 95 per cent complete, and is due to be finished in July with the completion of the stands and the internal and external staircases. The erection of 20 rows of seats in the lower circle and 44 rows in the upper circle of the 'A' sector stand is complete.

In Sochi, construction of the staircases in the north and south stands of the Fisht stadium is under way. The entrance lobby pavilions and the internal areas of the north stand are being built, while the frames for the video screens are being erected.

In Nizhny Novgorod, the pedestrian overpass that will skirt the second floor of the stadium's main building is being assembled. There will be 22 staircases leading to the overpass and it will be surrounded by 88 triangular columns, each 46 metres high, which are currently being erected.

Figure of the monthThe payload capacity of a special caterpillar crane which has been assembled on the building site of the Ekaterinburg Arena is 750 tonnes. The crane, necessary for the construction of the roof, was delivered to the site on ten trucks. Previously, it was used in work on the Olympic sites in Sochi.

Did you know?In Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium, where the World Cup's Opening Match and Final will be played, the assembly of the so-called decorative frieze has begun. This belt of bronze-coloured panels will be situated along the perimeter of the stadium, right under the roof. The panels will be decorated with images of footballers, hockey players, athletes and other sportspeople.