PHOTO: Russia World Cup Stadium Forced to Build Stands Outside of Arena

The Ekaterinburg Arena has undergone quite a drastic change in order to reach the 35,000 capacity rule ahead of the Russian World Cup next summer.

The Ekaterinburg Arena has undergone quite a drastic change in order to reach the 35,000 capacity rule ahead of the Russian World Cup next summer.

The World Cup is fast approaching. With teams starting to seal their qualification for international football's biggest competition, the final touches are being set in place over in the host country Russia - which apparently means extending stands so that they go outside the stadium. Yes, outside.

In a rather bizarre turn of events, the Ekaterinburg Arena has had to undergo a bit of adjusting in order to fit into the rule of the minimum stadium capacity of 35,000 - by placing a temporary stand on each of the goal ends.

The drastic change will see the initial 27,000 seat capacity reach an incredible 45,000 for the duration of the tournament. It's amazing what a difference a couple of stands can make - let's just hope it doesn't rain.

The stadium - which is usually home to Russian Premier League side FC Ural - will host four matches in the summer's World Cup before being downsized once again. Which begs the question: what happens when the stands are moved? Will they just leave a huge gap behind the goals? If so, you can't help but feel for the ball boys.

Nevertheless, it wouldn't be too bad to be up in those stands for a match or two. Sure, it'll be slightly breezy, you're prone to rain, it's doubtful you'll hear much and see even less - not to mention the possibility of Russian ultras coming from literally anywhere.