New year, new stadiums – that was the case for many clubs in Europe this year and will keep us on our toes in 2026 as well. A traditional club took the first step. Football trips and tickets for FC Everton have, since summer, been leading to the new Hill Dickinson Stadium, where "The Toffees" celebrated a debut victory against Brighton & Hove Albion (2:0). Also read our Premier League Offside column. Further stadium construction projects will be added or pushed forward in 2026.
There is finally good news from La Liga in Spain. In June 2025, FC Valencia was able to secure financing for the completion of the €322 million Nou Mestalla.
New Stadiums: This is how things continue in Valencia
Fans in Spain’s third-largest city will likely still be able to enjoy the charm of the old Mestalla, with its characteristic steep stands, until 2027/2028.
Only then – provided there are no further construction halts or administrative difficulties – will the Nou Mestalla with its 70,000 seats be completed. 2026 will definitely remain exciting in this regard.
On January 10, 2025, FC Valencia announced the end of the 15-year construction freeze at the Nou Mestalla. Photo: Imago / Europa Press
“Around €240 million are estimated for the redevelopment of the club’s own stadium,” calculated the Kicker Sports Magazine (issue of January 13, 2025), “and there is still hope to become a World Cup 2030 venue. Whether the club will then still or again play in the top division remains to be seen.”
The Spanish company Fenwick Iribarren Architects, specialists in new stadiums – including the construction of Atlético Madrid’s Estadio Metropolitano, the complete renovation of Real Madrid’s Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar – is, according to Valencia CF’s website, “bringing a vision to life.”
This vision had, for more than a decade and a half, seemed like just that – a vision. “The Nou Mestalla is the most significant non-sporting project in FC Valencia’s more than 100-year history,” said the club, “with 70,000 seats it will be a modern stadium for the highest FIFA and UEFA matches and an innovative meeting place for fans – even on non-match days.”
FC Valencia plans to sell 6,500 hospitality tickets at the Nou Mestalla, along with a 6,000-square-meter plaza on Avenida de las Cortes Valencianas in Benicalap featuring various fan zones.
Mestalla: The legendary 4:1
Valencia has played at the Mestalla since 1923 and already hosted the first of eight Copa del Rey finals there in 1926.
A golden moment for FC Valencia at the stadium, named after one of the Rio Turia canals flowing through the city, was the 4:1 victory in the Champions League semifinal first leg against FC Barcelona on May 2, 2000 – which I personally covered editorially at the time. Miguel Angulo (2) and superstar Gaizka Mendieta dismantled “Barça” with their goals, though the crowning moment in the final in Paris against Real Madrid (0:3) eluded Valencia.
In Scotland, Dundee FC and Dundee United play in Dens Park and Tannadice Park, respectively, located in close proximity. With only 200 meters and a two-minute walk between them, it’s the derby with the shortest distance in Europe. This will end by 2026 at the latest, as Dundee FC will then leave Dens Park, where they have played since 1899, and move into the new Camperdown Stadium, with capacity for 12,500 spectators and a rainwater recycling system. As of October 2025, there were still issues regarding traffic management around the new stadium – in particular, where fan buses would park on matchdays. The local police authority rejected nearby Liff Street as a bus parking area. The final decision on these logistical questions is still pending in Dundee.
The Olimpico in Rome will soon no longer be the home of AS Roma. Photo: Shutterstock
An era ends in Rome too
In Italy, an era will end by 2027 at the latest. Then, AS Roma will leave the Stadio Olimpico by the Tiber – venue of several Champions League finals, the 1990 World Cup final, and the legendary 2001 Roma championship against Parma.
This arena has been shared with city and archrival Lazio Rome since 1953, and their derbies (Derby della Capitale) are a part of Italian football history. In Rome’s 21st district of Pietralata, the new AS Roma stadium will be built, with a capacity of 55,000 spectators.
Approved in 2022 by AS owner Dan Friedkin, the roughly €1 billion stadium project is set to begin in 2025/2026 and open in 2028.
November 10, 2025, was meant to be a historic day in Milan, when the contracts for the sale of the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium to Inter and AC Milan were to be signed. The sale entails the demolition of the stadium, inaugurated in 1926, where so many great matches were played (event-breaks.com reported).
The days of the legendary San Siro stadium in its current form are numbered. Photo: Shutterstock.
Milan Stadium Plans: When will Inter and AC Milan move?
By 2031 at the latest, AC Milan and Inter Milan will be housed in a new stadium on the same site. It will hold 71,500 fans and is projected to cost €1.2 billion. The architectural firms responsible are Foster & Partners and Manica.
Crystal Palace experienced a fairytale year in 2025: for the first time, the club from South London won a major title – the FA Cup (1:0 against Manchester City at Wembley). In August, “The Eagles” also defeated Liverpool in the traditional Community Shield match between Cup winner and League champion.
Crystal Palace – Into the 21st century with the new stand
The team behind Crystal Palace are relying not only on Austrian success coach Oliver Glasner but are also investing in the club’s infrastructure. The main stand at Selhurst Park Stadium is being rebuilt for more than £200 million. By summer 2027, a three-tier glass-fronted stand with 13,200 seats will be completed, housing both a fan shop and the club museum.
Crystal Palace Chairman Steve Parish: “It has long been our ambition to modernize Selhurst Park and make it fit for the 21st century.”
Der Autor: Carsten Germann berichtet seit 2002 aus erster Hand über den englischen Fußball, u. a. für DIE WELT, BILD am SONNTAG und seit April 2021 auch als leitender Redakteur beim Portal Fussballdaten.de. Zudem gab er mit den Büchern Football’s home (2007) und Absolute Dynamite! (2010) zwei Sammelbände mit seinen Fußball-Reiseerlebnissen aus Großbritannien heraus. Für DIE FUSSBALLREISE schreibt er regelmäßig über den Insel-Kick.