Arsenal have abandoned a major expansion of the Emirates Stadium, choosing to spend on hospitality, retail and matchday facilities rather than raise capacity toward 80,000.
Arsenal Football Club have scrapped plans for a major expansion of the Emirates Stadium, ending roughly two years of internal work on raising the stadium’s capacity.
The club will instead invest in hospitality, retail and visitor facilities at the current 60,704-capacity venue. Arsenal had examined increasing capacity to 80,000. One report put the cost of a full redevelopment at about £500m.
Club commits to ‘continued evolution’
Arsenal set out the decision at a members’ meeting, where it revealed it instead plans to focus on retail growth and focus on developing partnerships.
Co-chairman Josh Kroenke and CEO Richard Garlick presented the club’s vision at the meeting, with the subsequent statement describing a commitment to continued evolution “rather than a huge-scale masterplan.”
Manager Mikel Arteta reportedly played a major role in the decision, The Times reported. A large-scale redevelopment could have forced Arsenal to relocate home matches temporarily, with Wembley considered as an option, and Arteta did not want to disrupt the team by moving games elsewhere.
Spurs stadium now larger and higher-earning
The Emirates opened in 2006 at a cost of £390m after Arsenal moved from Highbury, and was then the largest Premier League ground in London.
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which opened in 2019 with a capacity near 62,850, has since surpassed it in size, facilities and earning potential. The Spurs ground hosts NFL fixtures and concerts.
By capacity, the Emirates ranks seventh among English stadiums, behind Wembley (90,000), Manchester United‘s Old Trafford (74,158), Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (62,850), West Ham United‘s London Stadium (62,500), Manchester City‘s Etihad Stadium (61,470) and Liverpool‘s Anfield (61,276).
The Arsenal Supporters’ Trust also noted there would be “no capacity changes at the Emirates” and that the focus would be on “facilities behind the scenes.” The trust welcomed the club’s retention of concession ticket categories in its earlier response to the 2026/27 ticketing arrangements.
Arsenal have not set out a cost figure or timeline for the hospitality and retail work. The club said investment in the stadium would continue.
