Central Stadium

Central Stadium is the home arena of the football club “Rubin”, located near Millennium Square, just a stone’s throw from the walls of Kazan Kremlin. The complex also includes an indoor football and athletics arena, and the facade of the stadium’s eastern stand faces directly onto the fair square and the Kremlin’s towers.

The stadium, designed by architect Portyankin, opened on 25 June 1960 and was named after the leader of the revolution, Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov; at the time its stands held thirty thousand spectators. The first match was played here on 21 August of the same year, when the local team “Iskra” crushed “Metallurg” of Kamensk-Uralsky 4:1. From 1962 to 1967 the pitch served as home ground for a hockey team that later grew into the club “Ak Bars”. The stadium was rebuilt in 2001–2005, and in 2005–2007 an indoor arena was added, opening on 29 August 2007. In 2010 UEFA awarded the arena category three status. A major upgrade in 2012 was timed to the 2013 Summer Universiade, and in 2023–2024 the stadium was rebuilt once again — this time for the BRICS Games — with roughly one billion rubles invested in the reconstruction, which replaced the roof, running track and all spectator seating.

The playing field measures 110 by 73 metres, with markings of 105 by 68 metres; lighting reaches 1,385 lux, and the Swiss Motomatic turf is maintained by a dedicated greenhouse facility beneath the stands. The running track consists of eight 400-metre circular lanes plus two straights, the stands are fitted with plastic seating and include 133 VIP seats. The adjoining indoor arena covers an area of 178 by 91 metres with a ceiling height of 24 metres and is laid with French Prestige XM artificial turf. Beneath the stands are changing rooms, medical offices, a café and a glazed gallery overlooking the Kremlin, and in 2013 the first branded “Rubin” store opened here.

The stadium has hosted matches of the Russian Premier League, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League, as well as major athletics competitions, including events of the 2013 Summer Universiade. Following the 2024 reconstruction, the arena hosted the athletics events of the BRICS Games, for which modern Olympic-standard equipment was installed and the track surface renewed, while the existing turf field was retained.

Due to safety requirements, the arena’s capacity nearly halved after the latest reconstruction, down to fifteen thousand seats, though the roof, utility systems and entrance areas were all renewed. Today the complex serves as a backup pitch for “Rubin’s” main squad, a home arena for the club’s reserve team and for the club “Sokol”, as well as a base for children’s and youth sports schools specialising in athletics and gymnastics.

Over more than sixty years of history, Central Stadium has repeatedly changed its appearance, yet it has remained an integral part of Kazan’s sporting life — a place where old stands beside the walls of the ancient Kremlin continue to host modern international competitions.