ARSENAL have scrapped plans for a major expansion of the Emirates Stadium, after two years of internal planning.

Gunners fans had been hopeful that the club would increase the size from the current 60,704 capacity to 80,000 after a working group was set up by chief executive Richard Garlick in 2024.
Reports suggested the club may temporarily move their games to Wembley Stadium if the works went ahead.

But the club confirmed this week that they will instead focus on “incremental” changes as part of a “continued evolution” of the stadium.

In a statement, Arsenal said: “We updated members on the continued evolution of Emirates Stadium, our plans for retail growth and transformation and our continued focus on partnerships. We also discussed steps we will take to deepen our connection with supporters even further, wherever they are in the world. We are currently recruiting a Chief Marketing Officer to drive this.

“We shared a commitment to continued evolution of Emirates Stadium, rather than a huge-scale masterplan, building on improvements we’ve made to date in partnership with our catering partner, Legends, the introduction of safe standing (this season in the Clock End, and next season in the North Bank), improving hospitality and retail experiences, and upgrading visitor experiences.”

The Guardian reported that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta personally advised against the expansion, suggesting that a temporary move away would cause disruption to the club’s routine.