Italian soccer giants AC Milan and Inter Milan have announced a deal with architectural firms Foster + Partners and Manica to design a new stadium should they receive necessary approval from the local council.
The clubs will be able to press ahead with plans if the resolution for the sale of the Great Urban Function San Siro is approved by the Milan City Council.
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This will include the initial concept design and preliminary project phases.
The proposed new venue, part of a wider urban regeneration project in the area, will have a capacity of 71,500 seats.
Manica, founded by David Manica, has designed several sports venues such as Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas and Chase Center in San Francisco, home to the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders and the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, respectively.
The firm is also responsible for the design of the new stadium for the Chicago Bears and the Miami Freedom Park, the future home of Major League Soccer club, Inter Miami.
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By GlobalDataFoster + Partners, founded by Norman Foster, hasn’t been as prominent in sports but was responsible for the masterplan for the Wembley Stadium precinct in London.
Manica and Foster + Partners have had a relationship through their founders for almost 30 years, having collaborated on the design of Wembley Stadium and the Lusail Stadium winning bid for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The Milan clubs have been seeking to build a new stadium for several years, but have often run into obstacles with the local council.
In 2021, the two clubs announced plans to share a new 60,000-seater stadium on the existing site called ‘The Cathedral’. However, several protests, appeals, and municipal objections stalled the project.
The teams, who currently share the iconic San Siro stadium, also looked into the possibility of building separate stadiums but are now pressing ahead with plans for a shared venue.
Like other clubs in Italy, Inter and AC Milan do not own the San Siro. Stadiums are seen as a key revenue generator for teams that do own their home venues, through commercial partnerships, including lucrative stadium title rights.
The San Siro has not had significant renovation work carried out since the 1990 FIFA World Cup, and all attempts by the two clubs to modernize it have collapsed.
The final blow to any renovation plans came in August 2023, when a local heritage commission labeled the venue a “cultural interest,” preventing the clubs from knocking it down and forcing them to find new venues elsewhere.
The stadium is also being used for the opening ceremony of next year’s Winter Olympics, taking place in Milan and Cortina, with the local council stating it will not be knocked down and rebuilt.
