It was completed in July 2013, and hosts football matches, especially FC Rubin Kazan's home games in the Russian Premier League.

[6] The stadium hosted the 2013 Summer Universiade opening and closing ceremonies,[7] and 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.

[8][9] On August 17, 2014, the first football match of the Russian Championship was hosted in the Ak Bars Arena.

[11] In the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the stadium hosted six matches, including the ones where three past champions (Germany, Argentina, and Brazil) were eliminated from the tournament.

[12] UEFA announced in March 2020 that the stadium would host the 2023 UEFA Super Cup;[13][14] however, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the venue was later moved to the Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus, Greece.