As the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ draws ever nearer, construction on all the tournament's stadiums continues apace. Every month FIFA.com brings fans up to speed on how progress is going.
This month's progress Every month the construction site at the Volgograd Arena leaves us with particularly memorable images, thanks to the incomparable location of the future Russia 2018 venue. The stadium is being built on the site of FC Rotor's old stadium on the banks of the Volga river, next to the city park at the foot of Mamayev Kurgan.
This hill in the centre of Volgograd is known around the world for the vicious fighting that occurred here during the Second World War. Indeed, this is the spot where you will find the "Memorial to the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad", above which towers one of the tallest statues in the world, named "The Motherland Calls".
Naturally, the very location of the stadium places significant demands on its construction. The architects were required to harmoniously fit the Volgograd Arena within the panorama of the city and tactfully add to the Mamayev Kurgan arrangement. There are also plans to renovate the memorial park adjacent to the stadium, which is set to become FC Rotor's home ground after the tournament.
The FIFA World Cup is an opportunity for the city to boost its appeal. "Tourism is expected to grow after Russia 2018 and we have everything in place for this," announced Volgograd Regional Governor Andrei Bocharov. "We need to clean up the well-known areas and develop new transport routes. We have to change our approach and provide for different tourist options."
The actual construction of the arena is going ahead at full speed. The stands are being finished off, while the concrete on the body of the stadium is 96 per cent complete. Work on the stadium's facade has begun: the first section weighing 45 tonnes was mounted in July. The seven large blocks of the facade – white multi-beam steel constructions weighing from 25 to 60 tonnes – have already been assembled. The general contractor has also started the finishing works, with the floor being laid on the ground level of the venue.
Elsewhere in Russia In Ekaterinburg, the first of the two circles that will support the roof of the stadium has been erected. The inner circle has already been moulded and assembled, the outer circle will be finished in autumn.
Constructors are preparing to install the roof in Kaliningrad, while in Samaraseven of the 32 panels for the dome roof have been put in place. It is expected that a third of the roof will have been completed by the end of September.
In Rostov-on-Don, work has started on the stadium's facade and the redevelopment of the surrounding area, while the barriers are continuing to be erected.
They have begun assembling the main steelwork providing the frame of the stadium's roof in Nizhny Novgorod. The roof will be put in place using a creeper crane with a maximum load capacity of 750 tonnes, of which there are only two in Russia.
The stat 1611 - The number of people involved in the construction of the Mordovia Arena in Saransk: 1447 are workers and 164 are engineers or technicians.
Did you know? The Luzhniki Stadium, which will host the Opening Match and the Final of Russia 2018, turns 60 on 31 July. The birthday celebrations were held on 23 July during the Sports Day festivities at the Luzhniki Olympic Complex. More than 60 competitions were set up not far from the stadium, for football, BMX and mountain biking, freestyling, street football and other disciplines.