Manchester United has announced plans to build a new “iconic” stadium with a capacity of 100,000 seats, set to be the largest in the United Kingdom.
The new stadium, estimated to cost £2 billion, will be located close to Old Trafford.
The club confirmed that once the new stadium is ready, Old Trafford, which has been Manchester United’s home since 1910, will be demolished. However, the team will continue to play at Old Trafford during the construction period, which is expected to take about five years.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the club’s co-owner, expressed his ambition for the project, stating, “Today marks the start of an incredibly exciting journey to the delivery of what will be the world’s greatest stadium. Our current stadium has served us brilliantly for the past 115 years but it has fallen behind the arenas in world sport. I think we may well finish up with the most iconic football stadium in the world.”
The stadium will be designed by Foster and Partners, known for their work on Wembley Stadium and the Lusail Stadium used for the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar. The design will feature an umbrella-like structure and a public plaza twice the size of Trafalgar Square. Three towering masts, called “the trident,” will stand 200 meters high and will be visible from 25 miles away.
Omar Berrada, Manchester United’s chief executive, assured that the club is exploring ways to fund the project despite being £1 billion in debt. “This is a very attractive investment opportunity, and we are quite confident we’ll find a way to finance the stadium,” he said.
The project is part of a broader plan to regenerate the Old Trafford area. It aims to create 92,000 new jobs, build 17,000 homes, and attract an additional 1.8 million visitors each year. According to the club, the project could add £7.3 billion annually to the UK economy.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has given government support for the development. Sir Jim Ratcliffe also noted that the construction timeline depends on how quickly the government proceeds with the regeneration programme. “I think they want to get going quite quickly,” he added.
To speed up the building process, the stadium will be constructed using prefabricated materials, shipped in 160 parts along the Manchester Ship Canal.
Old Trafford, currently the largest club stadium in England with a capacity of 74,140, has faced criticism in recent years due to its aging structure, including roof leaks in the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand. The last significant upgrade to the stadium was in 2006.
Manchester United consulted fans, local residents, and experts from other large-scale stadium projects, such as the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and Real Madrid’s Bernabeu Stadium, before deciding to build a new ground rather than renovate Old Trafford.
With this bold step, Manchester United aims not only to create a state-of-the-art stadium but also to transform the Old Trafford area into a thriving, sustainable district.
