Karagandy-Arena

Karaganda Arena stands apart from the city’s main football ground, Shakhter Stadium, in more than just surface. Where Shakhter holds football matches on natural grass, this facility hosts ice hockey. It sits on pr. Respubliki 13.

The building opened in January 2012, a decade after the symbolic stone was laid for Shakhter’s old ground. The architect behind the project was Ruslan Satin. State-owned and managed by the Karaganda region government, the arena serves as the home of Saryarka, the local ice hockey club. Inside, the ice surface measures 30 by 60 metres, standard for the sport. The stands hold 5,500 spectators, a fraction of the crowds that fill Shakhter Stadium for European matches.

Shakhter Stadium, by contrast, has hosted UEFA Champions League play-offs, including a match against BATE Borisov. Karaganda Arena has not seen such events. The Kazakhstan Hockey Federation lists the facility on its portal, though it does not maintain a standalone website.