Milan and Inter unveil plans for Generali Stadium to replace San Siro

The design

AC Milan and Inter unveiled the plans at the Castello Sforzesco in Milan on Thursday, 29 October. The new arena will be an oval bowl on a raised podium, reaching 60 metres at its highest point, with a planned capacity of 71,500 spectators. Its frame is built from 80 diamond shapes, and the ends behind the goals rise highest, where the hard-core fans normally sit. The roof will carry 27,000 square metres of solar panels, which the plans say will make the stadium energy independent. On match days the podium will be accessible only with a ticket, and it will hold food outlets and shops, with parking underneath.

Architects and fans

Forster + Partners and Manica, whose previous projects include Wembley Stadium in London and Lusail Stadium in Qatar, presented the designs together with the clubs. David Manica described the difficulty of the brief in the following words.

“It is always a challenge to design a building that replaces a beloved project”

Norman Foster framed the design around the fans who stand behind the goals.

“How do you take the legend of San Siro and how do you build on that?”

The clubs say the stands are meant to create a more immersive atmosphere and reduce the sound that escapes the stadium. Before the briefing, Inter supporters unfurled a banner in the castle courtyard and chanted against the demolition of San Siro. An Inter ultras group had earlier issued a harsh statement opposing the demolition of the Meazza.

Money and ownership

Generali will hold the naming rights from the first day, and AP describes the company as Italy's largest insurance firm. The New York Times, citing sources who spoke anonymously, put the deal at €650 million (£543.3m; $725m) over 20 years. Il Sole 24 Ore, citing people close to the dossier, reported the same €650 million over 25 years, an average of about 26 million a year, so the sources differ on the length of the contract. RedBird Capital Partners has owned Milan since August 2022, while Oaktree Capital Management took the lead at Inter in May 2024. Gerry Cardinale, the founder and managing partner of RedBird, has pushed the stadium project since he bought Milan, and Paolo Scaroni has overseen its progress since 2019. Corporate seating rises from about 4,000 today to 11,500 in the new stadium.

Current San Siro (approx.)4,000

Generali Stadium plan11,500

Current San Siro (approx.)

4000 seats

Generali Stadium plan

11500 seats

Data from the article text

Timeline and what comes next

The clubs aim to begin construction in 2028 and to host AC Milan and Inter home matches from the 2031/32 season. Il Fatto Quotidiano reports that the first forecast had pointed to late 2031 for completion, and that the current San Siro will be demolished only after the new stadium is finished. The New York Times reports the stadium is expected to open in time for the 2032 European Championship, which Italy will co-host with Turkey, provided UEFA recognises the venues as compliant. Under UEFA rules naming rights are not permitted in the Champions League and other European cups, so the name would change during those matches.