en Akhmat-Arena

Akhmat Arena
Location	Grozny, Chechnya, Russia
Capacity	30,597
Surface	Grass
Opened	11 May 2011
Tenants
	FC Akhmat Grozny (2011–present)

The Akhmat Arena (Russian: Ахмат Арена) is a multi-use stadium in Grozny, Chechnya, Russia, named after former President of the Chechen Republic Akhmad Kadyrov. It was completed in May 2011, and is used mostly for football matches. The stadium hosts home matches of FC Akhmat Grozny. The stadium was designed with a capacity of 30,000 spectators. It replaced Sultan Bilimkhanov Stadium as the home of FC Terek. The grand opening took place on 11 May 2011.^{[citation needed]} The first competitive match in Akhmat Stadium took place on 20 May 2011.^{[citation needed]}

History

In 2004 budget for construction of stadium was allocated by order from Vladimir Putin.^[2] Project documentation was developed in 2005.^[3] Construction started in 2006 and lasted approximately 5 years.

Akhmat-Arena was opened 11 May 2011. Opening ceremony included laser show and performances by celebrities of Chechen and worldwide music, such as Toto Cutugno, C. C. Catch and Craig David. The festivities also included a friendly match between the "Caucasus" and "World" teams. The "Caucasus" team was represented by Ramzan Kadyrov, Arsen Kanokov, Nikita Isaev, Rinat Dasayev and was managed by Alexander Khloponin, while the "World" team included famous ex-footballers such as Enzo Francescoli, Luís Figo, Franco Baresi, Fabien Barthez and Iván Zamorano and was managed by Diego Maradona. Caucasus won 5–2.^[4]

The first official match at Akhmat-Arena took place on 20 May 2011 between Russian Premier League teams Terek Grozny and FC Anzhi Makhachkala. The hosts won the match 1–0.^[5]