The competition between architectural projects was won by Kisho Kurokawa's "The Spaceship". The design of the stadium is a modified and enlarged version of Toyota Stadium in Toyota City, Japan, which was also designed by Kurokawa. The stadium was built on the location where the former Kirov Stadium used to stand before it was demolished. In January 2009 The St. Petersburg Times reported that the project was now to be funded by the city government of St Petersburg, with Gazprom switching to build a separate skyscraper project. The City Hall had to step in after Gazprom declined to invest any further money into the stadium's construction. On 25 July 2016 the general contractor, Inzhtransstroy-Spb, issued a statement that the city authorities have failed to pay 1 billion rubles worth of construction work and stopped the work. The next day the contract was terminated. On 1 August there were reports of wind damage to parts of the metal sheathing, and a flood. In the end of August 2016, the new general contractor, Metrostroy, resumed construction works on the site. The first official match held at the stadium was the Russian Premier League game between FC Zenit Saint Petersburg and FC Ural on 22 April 2017. Branislav Ivanović scored the first goal in the stadium's history. On 17 June 2017, the first game of 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup was held on the stadium with the Group A match between the host Russia and New Zealand. On 2 July 2017, the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup Final was held at the stadium between Chile and Germany, becoming the most attended match of the tournament and also setting the record attendance for the stadium.
On 19 September 2014, it was announced by UEFA that the stadium will host four UEFA Euro 2020 finals fixtures, three group games and a quarterfinal match.
Audio descriptive commentary for fans who are blind or visually impaired.
Seating options include non-standard seats for plus-size spectators. The stadium stands include special observation area for people with disabilities, which offers space for wheelchairs and accompanying persons.
Conditions for spectators with disabilities
Saint Petersburg Arena offers 560 seats for people with disabilities, 266 of them are for wheelchair users. Moreover, the stadium design includes special lobbies, elevators and ramps to ensure accessibility to spectators with limited mobility.
Safety and security
The stadium has been fully prepared for the FIFA World Cup games in accordance with the FIFA requirements for capacity and security. The stadium is equipped with a video surveillance and identification system that makes it possible to detect any troublemakers and fans who are not allowed to enter. The arena is also equipped with a security alarm system, a fire alarm system and a robotic fire-extinguishing system.
