While Riga thinks, Vilnius is building a National Stadium for 19,000 seats

"Everything is going smoothly — according to plan. The reinforced concrete structures of the stadium are almost complete. The roofing has begun," said Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas to reporters on Monday. He added that no new changes to the project are planned for now.

He also confirmed that, despite the rising prices of construction materials, the cost of the project will not increase. "No, there will be no increase in expenses," said Benkunskas.

"Everything was already determined in 2024," he explained. "We sincerely hope that there will be no more catastrophes. We see what is happening in the world, we see the situation with the war in Iran. In any case, our contract stipulates that the conducted and approved indexing was one-time. The entire complex will be built for more than 150 million euros," added Benkunskas.

The fact that the cost of building the stadium will not increase was also confirmed by the owner of the construction company Hanner, Arvydas Avulis.

The complete completion of the National Stadium complex is scheduled for the end of 2027. Avulis suggested that the opening could take place on November 15, 2027, when the first football match will be held at the new stadium.

The multifunctional sports complex, covering an area of 22.3 hectares, will include eight facilities — a sports arena, a National Stadium for 19,000 seats, and a Sports Museum, three training football fields, an athletics stadium, and a cultural and educational center with a library and kindergarten.

It is worth noting that the need for a new football stadium in Riga has been discussed for a long time, but the project has yet to be implemented. Currently, the largest specialized football stadium in Riga remains "Skonto" (6,747 seats), while the private "LNK Sporta parks" (1,674 seats) was built in 2022.