Football: Russia to use 12 stadiums in 2018

MOSCOW: The 2018 World Cup will be played in 12 stadiums across Russia, according to Vitaly Mutko, head of the local organising committee. He also revealed that the announcement of the host cities has been brought forward to October 2012 in order to give the world’s largest country more time to prepare for the soccer extravaganza. “After the Moscow region dropped out last month we still have 13 candidate cities and a total of 15 stadiums,” said Mutko. “We will choose 12 stadiums in 11 cities that would host the tournament.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 12^th, 2011.