Built for the 2014 Winter Games, converted for the Confederations Cup and the World Cup, the Fisht Olympic Stadium centrepieces…
Sochi
Teams, tales and tips – a guide to the local game
The Black Sea resort of Sochi, venue for the Confederations Cup in 2017 and World Cup a year later, is adept at hosting prestigious sports events though lacks tradition as far as football is concerned. When this was part of the USSR and a favoured haunt of Stalin and high-ranking apparatchiks, no club from Sochi spent a single season in the top flight. The city arrived on the world stage with the Winter Olympics of 2014. A whole Olympic Park was created, consisting of a showpiece stadium, ice palace, half-a-dozen sundry indoor arenas and a village large enough to accommodate 3,000 people. Costs are said to have hit the $50 billion mark and beyond – an autodrome, where the Russian Grand Prix takes place, was opened later that same year.


Getting Around
Arriving in town, local transport and tips



Where to Drink
The best pubs and bars for football fans



Where to stay
The best hotels for the stadium and city centre



Teams, tales and tips – a guide to the local game
The Black Sea resort of Sochi, venue for the Confederations Cup in 2017 and World Cup a year later, is adept at hosting prestigious sports events though lacks tradition as far as football is concerned. When this was part of the USSR and a favoured haunt of Stalin and high-ranking apparatchiks, no club from Sochi spent a single season in the top flight. The city arrived on the world stage with the Winter Olympics of 2014. A whole Olympic Park was created, consisting of a showpiece stadium, ice palace, half-a-dozen sundry indoor arenas and a village large enough to accommodate 3,000 people. Costs are said to have hit the $50 billion mark and beyond – an autodrome, where the Russian Grand Prix takes place, was opened later that same year.


Getting Around
Arriving in town, local transport and tips



Where to Drink
The best pubs and bars for football fans



Where to stay
The best hotels for the stadium and city centre




