What Happened to FIFA Venues After the World Cup Ends?

After hosting the prestigious World Cup event, many stadiums have undergone major changes. Some FIFA venues are not used after the host the World Cup, such as the Ekaterinburg Arena. This arena added 12,000 seats per the request of FIFA for the World Cup and it will not be used after the event. The 2018 World Cup, which will be held in Russia, will be played at 12different venues and once the excitement of the event ends, there will be the consideration of operating costs when no revenue is being generated by these arenas.

Some of the arenas that are being used this year have been refurbished while others were new construction projects. Unfortunately, many Russian regions will soon have to deal with footing the bill for the maintenance of these arenas once the World Cup games are over. This is a major issue that is of great concern since many of the arenas are not even in areas that have teams that are in the Russian football division.

This issue is not just present in Russia. In fact, South Africa and Brazil both face similar problems in 2010 and 2014 when they hosted the World Cup. Both nations paid for and installed temporary stands that were later dismantled. This year, it is proposed that some of the Russian arenas being used will reduce capacity after the World Cup ends so that the cost of maintenance is not so extravagant.

Abandoned World Cup Stadiums

In 2014, Brazil hosted the World Cup and spent over $3 billion on the stadiums to host the games. Today, not all of those stadiums are being used and some have been completely abandoned. One arena, located in the middle of Amazon took almost 4 years to construct and it cost the government between$220 and $300 million. During construction, three workers died. This huge stadium was used for just four matches during the 2014 World Cup and for a few matches in the 2016 Olympics. However, now, it sits unused. While the stadium can seat more than 40,00 0fans, local matches draw just around 1,000 people, so the stadium has all but been abandoned.

Another abandoned stadium sits in Africa. The Cape Town Stadium was built for the 2010 World Cup and now, the $600 million structure is seldom used. While the stadium can be rented for events and private functions, there are few takers. Aside from a few concerts, this structure is not capable of generating the revenue needed to maintain the property and the 55,000 seat arena loses between $6 and $10 million per year.

World Cup Action in 2018

Some of the venues that have been built to host the 2018 World Cup in Russia are in odd places and will most likely have little use after the event is over. Many World Cup stadiums are erected to meet the specifications of FIFA and after spending millions on the construction of these stadiums, there are few means to generate the revenue needed to maintain the sites after the World Cup ends. In 2018, with 12 stadiums in Russia being used, it is expected that at least half of these will become abandoned in the years to come. While the World Cup does draw thousands of spectators and even online bettors at sites like Casumo, the constructed sites to host matches are simply not cost-effective and will end up costing millions to maintain.