KEIR RADNEDGE REPORTING —-

The much-delayed Zenit Arena, a cornerstone venue for the 2017 Confederations Cup and World Cup 2018, has staged its debut event.

Igor Albin, deputy Governor of St Petersburg, has confirmed that the stadium will cost around $730m in total, with 10,000 in attendance for an extreme sports show designed to test the logistics and security of the stadium.

The project of building the 68,000-seater stadium has been rife with complications such as delays, cost increases and design alterations.

The venue will host a concert for 35,000 people on February 23.

The Zenit Arena is the working title for the stadium, which is due to be officially named the St. Petersburg Arena. Zenit Arena has been lined up for a prominent role at the World Cup, including staging a semi-final, while it has also been pencilled in as one of four venues for the Confederations Cup.

Its main tenant will be Russian Premier League club Zenit St. Petersburg.

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