Arsenal Are Plotting A Huge Emirates Stadium Expansion

If the Emirates Stadium expansion goes ahead, where would the home of Arsenal FC sit in terms of the United Kingdom’s biggest sporting venues?

The Gunners moved into their current home at the start of the 2006/07 season. Paving the way for a new era after a hugely successful tenure at Highbury.

Costing approximately £390 million to build, the Emirates has played host to some magical moments over the last 18 years. However, Gunners supporters are yet to see a Premier League title lifted in N7.

Under the stewardship of legendary manager Arsene Wenger, the north Londoners often had to work on tighter transfer budgets than their rivals. Owing to the fact that the Emirates cost a huge sum.

With that in mind, it’s a drop in the ocean compared to what rivals Tottenham Hotspur paid for their upgraded version of White Hart Lane. The 62,850-seater stadium cost approximately £1.2bn.

Furthermore, Manchester United’s plans of a new stadium is set to cost them a staggering £2bn. Football of course, has moved on rapidly in terms of a financial sense.

However, if Arsenal are able to up the ante and get the green light for the Emirates Stadium expansion, how would it compare to other UK sporting venues?

The Biggest Premier League Stadiums

Unsurprisingly, the most successful side in Premier League history boast the largest stadium. Manchester United has a confirmed seating capacity of 74,879.

The runner-up spot falls to Tottenham. The Lilywhites sporting arena can seat 62,850 spectators and also has over 100 luxury boxes.

Confirming their podium spot is West Ham. The east Londoners moved into their London Stadium venue in 2016 which has an exact capacity of 62,500. Although, the Hammers don’t actually own the ground.

Arne Slot’s Liverpool claim a top-four spot with a recently expanded Anfield able to host 60,725 fans on any given matchday in Merseyside.

In fifth is Arsenal. The Gunners were once number two on the list but can still provide adequate seating for a mammoth 60,704 fans.

2024/25 Biggest Premier League Stadiums

Team	Stadium	Year Opened	Capacity
Manchester United	Old Trafford	1910	74,879
Tottenham	Tottenham Hotspur Stadium	2019	62,850
West Ham	London Stadium	2012/2016	62,500
Liverpool	Anfield	1884	60,725
Arsenal	Emirates Stadium	2006	60,704
Man City	Etihad Stadium	2003	53,400
Newcastle	St James’ Park	1880	52,338
Aston Villa	Villa Park	1897	42,682
Chelsea	Stamford Bridge	1877	40,853
Everton	Goodison Park	1892	39,571
Southampton	St Mary’s	2001	32,384
Leicester	King Power Stadium	2002	32,273
Wolves	Molineux	1889	32,050
Brighton	Amex Stadium	2011	31,800
Nottingham Forest	City Ground	1898	30,445
Ipswich	Portman Road	1884	30,250
Crystal Palace	Selhurst Park	1924	26,047
Fulham	Craven Cottage	1896	25,700
Brentford	Gtech Community	2020	17,250
Bournemouth	Vitality Stadium	1910	11,329

Biggest UK Sporting Venues

Here’s for the fun and interesting part. Where would the potential Emirates Stadium expansion put the venue on par with other UK stadia?

First and foremost, Arsenal would be intending to increase their current home from 60,704 seats to 80,000. Naturally, that would be the largest ever Premier League stadium.

In terms of the whole United Kingdom, it still wouldn’t be the largest on offer. That honour would fall to Wembley – the home of the England football team which boasts a capacity of 90,000.

Twickenham Stadium – the home of the England rugby team takes the runner-up spot. The venue can comfortably seat 82,000 spectators.

Taking third spot is Manchester United’s Old Trafford with fourth place going to the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.

Rounding off the top five is Murrayfield. The stadium – which is located in Edinburgh – is the home of Scottish rugby. It has a capacity of 67,144.

How The Emirates Stadium Expansion Would Compare

Team	Stadium	Year Opened	Capacity
England National Football Side	Wembley	(1923) 2007	90,000
England National Rugby Side	Twickenham	1909	82,000
*Arsenal	Emirates Stadium	2006	80,000
Manchester United	Old Trafford	1910	74,879
Wales National Rugby Side	Principality Stadium	1999	73,931
Scotland National Rugby Side	Murrayfield	1925	67,144
Tottenham	Tottenham Hotspur Stadium	2019	62,850
West Ham	London Stadium	2012/2016	62,500
Liverpool	Anfield	1884	60,725
Celtic	Celtic Park	1892	60,411