{"id":163030,"date":"2025-09-27T04:27:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-27T04:27:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/163030\/"},"modified":"2025-09-27T04:27:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-27T04:27:12","slug":"after-teasing-old-trafford-2-0-man-united-architect-reveals-new-1bn-plan-for-globally-iconic-stadium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/163030\/","title":{"rendered":"After teasing Old Trafford 2.0, Man United architect reveals new \u00a31bn plan for globally-iconic stadium"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Lord Norman Foster, the man chosen to design Manchester United\u2019s new stadium and a personal friend of Sir Jim Ratcliffe, has been enlisted to work on another of Europe\u2019s most famous stadiums.<\/p>\n

Foster\u2019s vision for a 100,000-seater stadium<\/a> to replace Old Trafford<\/a> and act as the \u201cWembley of the North\u201d was unveiled in March. <\/p>\n

The project is likely to cost in the region of \u00a32bn and is judderingly ambitious. Indeed, one executive of a Premier League club has described the plans to UIF as \u201cquixotic\u201d and unlikely ever to see the light of day.<\/p>\n

Yes, there are countless hurdles to clear \u2013 land ownership, public funding, access to debt and so on \u2013 but Manchester United<\/a> are one of the few clubs in the world capable of even conceiving such a design.<\/p>\n

\"ManchesterPhoto by Ash Donelon\/Manchester United via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Sir Jim Ratcliffe<\/a> is acutely aware that it would transform the club financially and spiritually. The Ineos billionaire, now a tax exile in Monaco but born seven miles away from Old Trafford, sees it as his legacy.<\/p>\n

United\u2019s most recent set of accounts<\/a>, which cover Ratcliffe\u2019s first full season as the club\u2019s single largest individual shareholder, revealed record matchday revenue of \u00a3160m, the highest in England.<\/p>\n

At a 100,000-seater stadium, they are expected to reach \u00a3250m<\/a> across the course of a comparable season, which would utterly dwarf any other domestic rival. Globally, only Real Madrid would come close.<\/p>\n

But when UIF has spoken to architects like Dan Meis, who designed Everton\u2019s Hill Dickinson Stadium, they have urged United not to see the project solely through the prism of finance<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"InfographicMatchday income & capacity<\/p>\n

Credit: Adam Williams\/United in Focus\/GRV Media<\/p>\n

The aesthetics of Foster\u2019s design \u2013 a vast canvassed structure with three spires, with the aim to make the venue the Eiffel Tower of Northern England \u2013 have also been questioned by some.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis iconic thing,\u201d said Meis, \u201cthe feeling it needs to be something memorable in the way of the towers suggested at Man United\u2026 For me, what\u2019s iconic is the experience of a true English football ground.\u201d<\/p>\n

The proof will be in the pudding, however, and perhaps the best indicator of what United\u2019s new stadium will look and feel like is in Foster\u2019s work elsewhere.<\/p>\n

And as it happens, the 90-year-old Pritzker Prize-winning designer is about to begin work on one of his biggest projects yet.<\/p>\n

Norman Foster\u2019s firm set to design Milan\u2019s new San Siro<\/p>\n

Away from stadiums, Foster & Partners, have designed landmarks such as London\u2019s Gherkin skyscraper, Berlin\u2019s Reichstag dome and Apple\u2019s headquarters, Apple Park.<\/p>\n

In sport, Foster has worked on Wembley Stadium, the revamped Camp Nou and 2022 Qatar World Cup final venue Lusail Stadium. <\/p>\n

And as well as United\u2019s new home ground, two more European giants have now announced that Foster & Partners will work on building them a new stadium.<\/p>\n

Official Statement: Collaboration with Foster + Partners and MANICA for the new Milan stadium<\/p>\n

\u2014 AC Milan (@acmilan) September 23, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n

View Tweet<\/p>\n

In a joint statement, AC Milan and Inter Milan have confirmed that Foster\u2019s firm will work alongside Manica to design a 71,500-seater stadium on the site of the iconic San Siro.<\/p>\n

meets the highest standards of innovation, comfort, and sustainability, and will also stand out as an architectural landmark.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new venue, part of an\u00a0urban regeneration project covering approximately 281,000 square meters\u00a0and focused on innovation and sustainability, will have a capacity of\u00a071,500 seats\u00a0and will offer an unparalleled atmosphere. It will feature\u00a0two large tiers\u00a0with an incline designed to ensure optimal visibility from every section. It will also meet the highest\u00a0accessibility\u00a0standards, providing dedicated experiences for all fans and offering sections with affordable pricing.\u201c<\/p>\n

Inter and AC Milan\u2019s joint statement<\/p>\n

Subject to the acquisition of a crucial plot of land near the San Siro site, the project is due to cost in excess of \u00a31bn.<\/p>\n

\"APhoto by Marco Luzzani\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

That comes after Foster spoke for the first time about the Old Trafford 2.0 masterplan<\/a> for the first time since its inception.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fan base is incredible,\u201d Foster told Sky News. \u201cIt\u2019s a galvanising project\u2026 and so many things can naturally ride on the back of that sporting, emblematic kind of team.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cManchester United is different and therefore its stadium\u2019s going to be different\u2026 and better, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n

Where will Man United\u2019s new stadium rank among the most expensive of all time?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a truism that sports stadiums and indeed most major infrastructure builds almost always come in late and over budget.<\/p>\n

United\u2019s new stadium will cost a principal \u00a32bn, the Ratcliffe regime say, though whether that includes the cost of buying the adjacent freightliner terminal crucial to the project is not clear.<\/p>\n

And when the debt United use to fund the construction matures too, the total \u00a32bn figure will increase significantly with interest.<\/p>\n

StadiumCost (adjusted for inflation)LocationOpenedSoFi Stadium$5.5bnCalifornia, USA2020New Man United Stadium$2.67bnManchester, UK?MetLife Stadium$1.99bnNew Jersey, USA2010Allegiant Stadium$1.90bnNevada, USA2020Wembley Stadium$1.85bnLondon, UK2007Yankee Stadium$1.79bnNew York, USA2009AT&T Stadium$1.79bnTexas, USA2009Mercedes-Benz Stadium$1.56bnAtlanta, USA2017Singapore National Stadium$1.41bnKallang, Singapore2014Tottenham Hotspur Stadium$1.33bnLondon, England2019Optus Stadium$1.17bnPerth, Australia2017SOURCE:\u00a0Structural Repairs<\/p>\n

Global supply chain issues have made the costs of stadium builds exponentially more expensive in recent years, while the kinds of interest rates that Tottenham, for example, used to build their stadium are simply no longer available.<\/p>\n

Previously, the Glazer<\/a> family lobbied for a central fund in both Project Big Picture and European Super League from which clubs could draw funds for infrastructure projects.<\/p>\n