English FA excited by the prospect of adding a flagship new stadium to the tournament pool
Manchester United have confirmed they want their proposed new stadium to be ready in time to host matches at the 2035 Women’s World Cup, should the tournament be staged in the UK and Ireland.
The English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh football associations formally submitted a joint bid to Fifa on Friday. With no rival bids expected, they will likely be the hosts.
United revealed in March that they plan to move away from Old Trafford after more than a century, and to replace it with a new 100,000-seat stadium as part of a major redevelopment of the surrounding area.
The English FA are reportedly excited by the prospect of adding a flagship new stadium to the tournament pool. England FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said the plans were promising and that elite new venues should form part of any future World Cup hosted in the country.
“If they are built, we’d obviously want them included in the tournament,” Bullingham said. “So it would be right, if you look ten years down the road, to have the best stadia the country has included.”
If completed as planned, United’s stadium would become the largest in the UK, larger than Wembley Stadium. Club executives say the ambition goes beyond football, with the project framed as a long-term investment in the city.
Collette Roche, United’s chief operating officer, said the club’s aim was to create a venue capable of staging the world’s biggest matches.
“Our ambition is to build a new 100,000-seater stadium fit to host the biggest international football games,” she said.
“This will be part of a wider regeneration of the area around Old Trafford, with far-reaching benefits for the local community, Greater Manchester and the surrounding region.”
