A rendering of the planned new 100,000-seat stadium for Manchester United. Foster + Partners Manchester United says the “old” in Old Trafford has become too much. Now the club has a solution. And it’s a grand plan. The club has announced a proposal to build a $2.6 billion 100,000-seat stadium in the Old Trafford area, replacing the current 115-year-old venue with a new stadium punctuated by three towers and an umbrella covering a public plaza. “Today marks the start of an incredibly exciting journey to the delivery of what will be the world’s greatest football stadium,” says Sir Jim Ratcliffe, co-owner of Manchester United, “at the center of a regenerated Old Trafford.” Ratcliffe says the current stadium has served the club “brilliantly” for 115 years but has fallen behind the best stadiums in the world. “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,” he says, “only footsteps from our historic home.” The view inside the planned 100,000-seat Manchester United stadium. Foster + Partners Old Trafford will likely be demolished after construction of the new venue. The new stadium comes with a stadium district, including a public plaza twice the size of Trafalgar Square, a walkable area that serves as a mixed-use miniature city. MORE FOR YOU One Of TV’s Best Mystery Shows Returns With A 100% Perfect Critic Score Elon Musk Says He’s Running His Companies ‘With Great Difficulty’ As Tesla Shares Plummet Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max Design: New Leak Hints At Major Upgrade “This has to be one of the most exciting projects in the world today,” says Lord Norman Foster, founder and executive chairman of architecture firm Foster + Partners, “with incredible regional and national significance. It all starts with the fans’ experience, bringing them closer than ever to the pitch and acoustically cultivating a huge roar.” A "vast umbrella" covers a mixed-use miniature city development that surrounds the planned new ... [+] stadium for Manchester United. Foster + Partners Foster, one of the world’s foremost architects, who has designed everything from the London Millenium Bridge to New York’s Hearst Tower and Wembley Stadium to the Millau Viaduct, says the project starts with the fans and the intensity of the crowd, bringing them close to the pitch and bringing in 100,000 of them under an umbrella. Instead of creating a fortress surrounded by a sea of cars, Foster says he wanted an open design that is still enclosed and features the “vast umbrella” to house the public plaza. “It’s welcoming, it’s open,” he says. “it’s at the very heart of a new neighborhood. And then it’s part of the city of Manchester, the fastest-growing city in the United Kingdom, a city, again, like no other.” With a design inspired by the crest of Manchester United, Foster uses the trident as inspiration to create three masts punctuating the umbrella-adorned stadium. The tallest reaches over 650 feet high and can be seen from 25 miles away. At 100,000 seats, the Manchester United project would surpass Wembley Stadium (90,000) as the largest-capacity stadium in the United Kingdom. A view of the planned Manchester United stadium. Foster + Partners Foster says that by prefabricating the stadium into 160 components, it can be built in five years. The club did not disclose details on the expected timing or funding source for the venue. Manchester United formed a task force on the best way to approach the club’s aging stadium. The group believes moving forward on a new stadium is the way to go. Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, says he believes the regeneration of the Old Trafford industrial area could be bigger and better than the London Olympics of 2012 “if we get this right.” “To me,” he says, “that means a stadium that is true to the traditions of the club, affordable to all, with nobody priced out, and a stadium that sets new standards in the game globally. I believe this vision can be realized, and if so, the benefits for Greater Manchester, the northwest and the country will be huge.” MORE: Manchester United Earns Ecolab Science Certified Seal For Old Trafford Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Editorial StandardsForbes Accolades