Find out all you need to know about the Etihad Stadium renovation and what the fans think of the plans.
Manchester City's stadium is currently being expanded, with the current Premier League champions looking to improve their off-field portfolio and emulate their on-field success.
The Etihad Stadium
The City of Manchester Stadium, now commonly referred to as the Etihad Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is Manchester City's home ground. The club relocated to this stadium from its previous venue, Maine Road, in 2003. The stadium has a capacity of 53,400 seats.
Before Manchester City established their presence in the stadium, it was utilized for the 2002 Commonwealth Games, featuring an athletics track around the perimeter. This track has since been removed, allowing for an expanded pitch area.
Since Manchester City’s move, the stadium has undergone several renovations. The first occurred in 2010, enhancing both the football pitch and hospitality spaces. Following a surge in season ticket sales, which exceeded 36,000 from 2011 to 2014, the club opted to increase the stadium's capacity, initiating work during the 2014-15 season.
A third tier was added to the South Stand, along with three additional rows of pitch-side seating, raising the capacity to its current level, which was finalized by April 2014.
At that time, plans were in place for a similar expansion of the North Stand, including a third tier, which received approval.
Etihad Stadium expansion plans
Despite those initial plans being approved back in 2014, the North Stand expansion project was only finalised in 2024, and work has been ongoing ever since. The plan includes building a ‘entertainment destination' including a new hotel and a covered fan park that will be able to hold around 6,000 people.
At the heart of the project are plans to add 7,900 extra seats to the North Stand, which will take the overall capacity at the Etihad Stadium to over 60,000. Once again, the Etihad will be marginally bigger than Anfield with an overall capacity of 61,747.
Once complete, the Etihad will be the fourth-largest club stadium in England, behind Old Trafford, the London Stadium, and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Etihad Stadium expansion update
The latest photo update came in September 2025, as the North Stand edges closer to completion. The plan is still to open up the new upper tier of the North Stand at some point during the 2025/26 season, and that could come sooner rather than later based on the new images released.
The old roof on top of the North Stand has now been removed, and a new one is in place. A total of 7,900 new seats are being installed, and around half of those are now fixed in place. Additionally, a new jumbo screen has been installed in the south-east corner of the ground.
Fans can now also see how the new hotel will connect to the back of the North Stand, which has drawn complaints from football fans in the United Kingdom, due to how soulless it appears.
🚨 𝗡𝗘𝗪: The latest images of #ManCity’s Etihad Stadium North Stand expansion. 🏟️🏙️
📸 via @ss_skies pic.twitter.com/1KjlMxfC3L
— City HQ (@City_HQs) September 7, 2025
Fan reaction to Etihad Stadium renovation plans
While the Etihad Stadium renovation plans were announced in 2022, the feedback from Manchester City fans has been mainly positive. Most of them see it as the positive step the club needs to take to maintain its dominance in the football world while attracting more fans with its on-field success.
Fabulous news for local school kids who will pick up the extra Etihad tickets for free .. & looking forward to the #MCFC museum, with the 1976 league cup feature ?
— Lord Swift (@Swift4Neil) December 12, 2022
We are moving forward ⏩⏩⏩.
— livingstone2018 (@plivingstone203) December 12, 2022
However, it has allowed some fans to make fun of Manchester City and the long-running joke that they can never fill their current capacity.
Only so many free tickets you can give away
— ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@scallwagery) December 13, 2022