AC Milan and Inter Milan have unveiled plans for a new shared home, the 71,500-seat Generali Stadium, which will replace the historic San Siro. The design was presented on Thursday in Milan, ending years of uncertainty over the future of one of European football’s most famous grounds.
The clubs revealed the project at Castello Sforzesco in Milan, with architects Norman Foster of Foster + Partners and David Manica of MANICA presenting a stadium designed to keep the atmosphere of San Siro while building a modern arena for the 2032 European Championship, which Italy will co-host with Turkiye.
What the new stadium will look like
At the heart of the design is a striking oval form, with a structural facade of elongated X-framed concrete supports inspired by Milan’s Duomo cathedral, supporting a sweeping double-curved roof. The seating bowl will be continuous across 360 degrees and arranged over two tiers, rather than the three rings of the current San Siro.
Behind each goal, steep single-tier stands inspired by San Siro’s traditional curvas will hold 11,700 supporters each, at a pitch of up to 37 degrees, bringing fans closer to the pitch. In total the stadium will hold about 71,500 spectators, including 8,088 hospitality seats and 3,698 premium experience seats, along with 394 wheelchair positions. The stadium will reach 70 metres above the pitch.
The building is planned to be all-electric and carbon-neutral in operation, targeting LEED Gold certification. Its roof will carry 27,500 square metres of photovoltaic panels, and a low-carbon precast concrete system is intended to reduce waste and construction time.
A wider regeneration project
The stadium forms part of a wider 281,000-square-metre masterplan for the San Siro district, combining public spaces, green areas, leisure and retail zones. The stadium itself will sit on a podium, with space underneath for parking, a museum and club stores.
The two clubs purchased the land including the current Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in November 2025 for around 197 million euros, after Milan’s city council approved the sale in October 2025. The clubs will continue to share the existing San Siro while the new stadium is built on an adjacent parking area; the iconic old ground will then be mostly demolished.
When it will be built, and what it will be called
Construction is expected to begin in 2028, with the first match targeted for the 2031/32 season, slightly later than an earlier timeframe that had work starting in 2027. The aim is for the new ground to host matches at Euro 2032.
The naming rights belong to Generali, Italy’s largest insurance company, which will also become an official insurance partner of both clubs. Media reports put the naming deal at a reported 26 million euros per year over 25 years; that figure is a media report, not a figure confirmed in the clubs’ announcement. In European competitions, where sponsor names are restricted, the stadium will be called Milano Stadium.
The end of San Siro — and why it took so long
San Siro, officially the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, was built in 1925 to a design by architect Ulisse Stacchini and is Italy’s largest stadium. It has hosted World Cup and European Championship matches and countless Milan derbies between the two clubs that share it.
A replacement has been discussed for more than a decade. An earlier design, the Cathedral project by Populous, was blocked in 2023 by Lombardy’s regional heritage commission, forcing the clubs to start afresh. Foster, who with Manica previously worked on the redesign of Wembley Stadium in London, said the goal was to create a new home that captures the energy of the city. Manica said the new arena would be, in his words, even more San Siro than the stadium it replaces — preserving a feeling, not just a building.
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Sources
Associated Press via Sportsnet, “San Siro’s end nears as AC Milan and Inter unveil new stadium plans”, October 2026: https://www.sportsnet.ca/serie-a/article/san-siros-end-nears-as-ac-milan-and-inter-unveil-new-stadium-plans/ — Dezeen, “Foster + Partners unveils replacement for landmark San Siro stadium”, October 29, 2026: https://www.dezeen.com/2026/10/29/foster-partners-manica-generali-stadium/ — Football Italia, “Generali Stadium presented by Inter and AC Milan, hope to begin construction in 2028”, October 29, 2026: https://football-italia.net/official-generali-stadium-present-inter-milan/
Frequently asked questions
When will Generali Stadium open? The clubs are targeting a first match in the 2031/32 season, with construction planned to begin in 2028, subject to regulatory approvals.
What happens to San Siro? The clubs will keep playing there while the new stadium is built nearby, and San Siro will then be mostly demolished.
Why is it called Generali Stadium? Generali, Italy’s largest insurance company, holds the naming rights. In European competitions it will be called Milano Stadium.
Will it host Euro 2032? The aim is for the new stadium to host matches at Euro 2032, which Italy is co-hosting with Turkiye.
