Akhmat Arena

Grozny had a stadium of note before, in the Soviet years, but the modern арена bears a different signature: it went up in the middle of the republic's post-war reconstruction, and its name has always been тем, что нельзя отделить от политики города. Built between 2006 and 2011, it opened on 11 May 2011 as the Akhmat-Kadyrov Stadium, named for the republic's first president — the name has stayed put through the years, even as the club it hosts changed its own from Terek to Akhmat in 2017, and for a stretch fans and press used "Terek-Arena" informally to describe the same ground.

The opening itself doubled as a statement of intent: a laser show, concerts from Cee Cee Catch, Toto Cutugno, Al Bano and Craig David, and an exhibition match pitting a local side against a World XI that included Luís Figo, Franco Baresi, Alessandro Costacurta and Fabien Barthez. Two years later it hosted a genuine piece of Russian football history, the 2012/13 Cup final between CSKA and Anzhi, settled on penalties. It has also stepped outside football: in July 2014 Ruslan Chagaev defended his WBA heavyweight title here against Fres Oquendo, and in 2016 Russia beat Romania 1-0 in a friendly, Magomed Ozdoev scoring the only goal. At the 2018 World Cup, Egypt used the pitch for training rather than matches.

The wider complex grew alongside it: an ice arena opened next door in August 2017, with Vladislav Tretiak among those on hand. Akhmat Arena itself has held its capacity, just over 30,000, unchanged since it was built.