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| Dynamo vs Spartak at the Dynamo Stadium in Moscow |
The most popular spectator's sport in Moscow is football, although numerous other sports are also extremely popular, including ice hockey, gymnastics, basketball, figure skating and others: in many of these disciplines Russian athletes have acquired world fame and recognition, deservedly so. When it comes to football, Moscow has five strong teams that play in the Russian premier league (called Vysshaya Liga), of which FC Spartak Moscow has been most successful, having won 9 out of 16 Russian championships. The team's nickname is "the red and whites" although they are often also referred to as "The Meat" due to the fact that for a long time Spartak was under the patronage of Collective Production Farms that dealt with meat products. Spartak's main rival team is the CSKA Moscow currently, although matches played against Zenit St. Petersburg or the Lokomotiv Moscow clubs are also popular and attract thousands of football fans. Among Spartak's former main rivals was Dynamo Kyiv in the USSR, which they no longer meet in the championships unless they qualify for the UEFA tournaments, and Dynamo Moscow, which has faded in recent years due to Dynamo's poor results.
Other popular spectator's sport is ice hockey, with HC CSKA Moscow being the strongest and most successful team: CSKA Moscow have won more Soviet championships and European cups than any other ice hockey team in history. The CSKA used to be affiliated wit the Soviet Army (also known as the Red Army) and is therefore still often referred to as the "Red Army Team". Moscow's other major ice hockey team is the HC Spartak Moscow which has not been as successful as CSKA Moscow, but has still achieved some significant success, having won the Soviet Championship four times, and the Spengler Cup five times. HC Spartak Moscow home arena is the Sokolniki Areana, located in the Sokolniki District. Other popular locations for watching sports include Dynamo Stadium, the home ground of FC Dynamo Moscow, and the splendid Luzhniki Stadium which is owned by FC Torpedo Moscow and mainly used for football matches of Torpedo Moscow as well as FC Spartak Moscow which don't yet have their own stadium. Luzhniki Stadium is the largest sports stadium in Russia and can seat 78,360 people. It was the chief venue of the 1980 Summer Olympics, and has hosted the 1999 UEFA World Cup Final and the 2008 Champions League Final.
