Moscow, Nov 20 (IANS): The Russian government Wednesday announced a $612 million dollar tender to upgrade the venue for the 2018 World Cup final.
The tender, worth some 20 billion rubles, has been put on the government's procurement website zakupki.gov.ru, reports Xinhua.
The winner of the bid should finish reconstruction of Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium in three-and-a-half years, ahead of the global football event.
The legendary Luzhniki stadium, built in 1956, hosted the 1980 Summer Olympics, the 2008 Champions League final and this year's IAAF World Championships in August.
It will also be used for the football Confederations Cup in 2017, the opening match, a semi-final and the final of the 2018 World Cup.
In the original plan, the stadium had a holding capacity of 90,000 spectators. The refurbished venue will add 2,000 VIP seats, 2,000 places for media and 160 commentator positions.