The 2018 World Cup is half a year away but just five out of the 12 stadiums where competition matches are planned in Russia are functional.
FIFA, however, says it is not concerned and almost all the venues should be completed by a December 31 deadline.
Here is an overview of the stadiums spread across 11 cities, from Moscow’s show-stopping Luzhniki to the behind-schedule venue in Samara on the Volga river:
Moscow’s legendary Luzhniki
Capacity: 81,000
Russia’s most famous football venue has been hosting matches since 1956. The entirely renovated stadium saw its first event in November this year with a match between Russia and Argentina.
The athletics track has been removed, bringing seating areas closer to the pitch and highlighting the monumental scale of the stadium.
But movement could prove a problem: thousands of spectators were blocked inside the Luzhniki for more than two hours after the inaugural match because of jams at the exits.
Russia’s World Cup venues, from Luzhniki to delayed Samara
