Man Utd new stadium: Capacity, when will it open, how much will it cost, what will happen to Old Trafford?

Manchester United have confirmed plans to build the biggest stadium in the UK, following comments made by Jim Ratcliffe during his recent interview about the current state and future of the club.

Speaking to BBC Sport, the United co-owner stressed that his main focus is to return the club ‘back to greatness again’, after admitting things have ‘derailed’ in recent years. Ratcliffe teased the idea of the Red Devils having ‘the most iconic football stadium in the world’, and an official announcement from the club came shortly after.

“Today marks the start of an incredibly exciting journey to the delivery of what will be the world’s greatest football stadium, at the centre of a regenerated Old Trafford,” Ratcliffe said. “Our current stadium has served us brilliantly for the past 115 years, but it has fallen behind the best arenas in world sport.”

Here’s everything you need to know about the plans for the new Manchester United stadium.

Where will the new Man United stadium be?

United’s announcement comes following an ‘extensive consultation process’ around whether to develop Old Trafford or build a whole new stadium. This new project will mark the end of an era, as the Red Devils are set to move to a completely new home.

The new ground is expected to be built on club-owned land adjacent to Old Trafford.

“By building next to the existing site, we will be able to preserve the essence of Old Trafford, while creating a truly state-of-the-art stadium that transforms the fan experience, only footsteps from our historic home,” Ratcliffe said.

How big will the capacity of Man United’s new stadium be?

Plans are in place to build a stunning 100,000-seater to blow the rest of the UK competition out of the water and become the first of its scale in the north of England.

“The north of England has won 10 Champions League medals, London has two. But London has Wembley, Twickenham, Wimbledon and the Olympic Village. The north of England deserves a stadium where England can play football, where we can hold the Champions League final, and one befitting of Man United's stature,” continued Ratcliffe.

Architecture firm Foster and Partners will design the the new ground and it will feature and umbrella design and a new public plaza ‘twice the size of Trafalgar Square’. Three masts known as ‘the trident’ will also feature, erected at 200m high and seen from more than 24 miles away.

How much will the new Man United stadium cost?

The price of building United’s new home is expected to cost £2 billion. The ambitious new project will become the crown jewel of the government-backed regeneration of the Trafford area.

United have announced that the stadium and wider project have the potential to deliver an additional £7.3 billion per year to the UK economy, as well as 92,000 new jobs and 17,000 new homes on the larger scale.

What will happen to Old Trafford?

Once the new stadium is fully built and the club has officially moved homes, the iconic Old Trafford will be demolished.

When will the new Man United stadium be built?

Architect Lord Norman Foster has given a promising timeline for the expected build date of the new United stadium. Describing it as ‘one of the most exciting projects in the world today’, a bold five-year finish date has been provided, despite similar projects typically taking ten years.

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