It's been several years now since Wolverhampton Wanderers announced a plan to expand their Molineux stadium. Back in 2019, the club revealed that they were looking into the possibility of increasing the capacity at their home to the 50,000 mark.
The club's promotion to the Premier League in 2018 was said to be the catalyst for these plans, but six years after they were first announced, the club are no further along with their renovation. Why? Here is everything you need to know.
Covid pandemic sees Molineux Stadium expansion shelved
The plans released in 2019 stated that the Steve Bull Stand would be the first stand to be expanded. The plan was for extensive corporate facilities and an initial increase in the capacity of Molineux to around 36,000.
The second phase of the development was going to see the Jack Hayward (South Bank) Stand being replaced at one end with a much larger single-tiered stand of around 10,000 as well as the corners of the stadium being filled in with seats.
However, when Covid struck in 2020, these plans were plunged into doubt. The empty stands throughout the pandemic affected cash flow and forced the Wolves owners to reassess their priorities.
Ultimately, instead of the planned rebuild, they opted to splash the cash on the playing squad in order to remain competitive in the Premier League.
Molineux stadium capacity
The original expansion plans were ambitious in that they wanted to increase the stadium's capacity to the 50,000 mark. That would represent a significant increase on the current capacity of 31,500.
If the plans do ever come back to life, then at 50,000, the stadium would become the largest football stadium in the Midlands and one of the biggest in the Premier League. At present, Villa Park is the largest stadium in the Midlands, with a capacity of 42,573, but that will soon move to past the 50,000 mark due to renovation work on the North Stand.
The threat of relegation looms large
Whether Wolves would be able to sell out a stadium of that size regularly is another question altogether. Throughout the 2024/25 season, they averaged 30,635 fans at Molineux, which is 97% of their overall capacity. This suggests they do have the fan power to justify a move, but would that be the case if they suffered relegation?
Wolves have flirted with the drop zone for a couple of seasons now, and if it wasn't for the mid-season appointment of Vitor Pereira, then they could be facing a season in the Championship. If they ever do go back down, then things could get awkward in terms of trying to fill a 50,000-seater stadium.
During their last stint outside of the top flight between 2012 and 2018, Wolves were only averaging around 21,000 fans per game at Molineux. This is around 66% of the overall capacity at Molineux and would be less than half in a 50-000-seater stadium.
During the summer of 2025, Wolves sold their best two players from the previous campaign – Rayan Ait-Nouri and Matheus Cunha. Replacing those two will be a near-impossible task, particularly as the owners have tightened the purse strings since the pandemic. At this point, relegation is far more likely than a Molineux expansion.
What has the owner said about the plans
It is quite telling that we have heard nothing from the Wolves hierarchy about these plans for four years now. The latest update, in 2021, came from the club Chairman, Jeff Shi. He told supporters:
“When the moment is right – I mean financially when the moment is right – then we will take the risks like the pandemic into consideration. If we think it is right to do it, we will do it.
“It is not to make a profit. If it can break even, then it can work, but now by current calculations, it’s harder to break even. And also if we have a year like 2020, it will be disastrous. So we have to be careful.
“Also, if you have any money spare, I think the first priority is the first team, the starting XI, and even the academy is ahead of the new stadium. Different owners have different views.”
What this statement confirmed to fans was that any building work on the stadium is third in the pecking order behind investment in the playing squad and development of the academy. Matters off the pitch have therefore taken a back seat.
Wolves fans may also question whether the club are doing enough in priority one and two, with investment in the playing squad decreasing significantly in recent years.
Cost could be a prohibitive factor
It's thought that the stadium renovations would cost around £30 million, but the investment would at least preserve the club's history and place in Wolverhampton City Centre as opposed to building a new, out-of-town ground.
However, the modern era of Premier League football is governed by profit and sustainability rules – nobody wants to see their club run as a business, but it is virtually a necessity nowadays.
Officials and board members at Wolves will be looking at the financial strain Everton's new stadium has placed on the club and was a huge factor in the Toffees' various points deductions.
That is not to say that cost and finances will prohibit the Molineux from ever being expanded, but it is a good sign, albeit a frustrating one, for fans of the club that Wolves appear to be handling the situation responsibly.
How an expanded Molineux could look
The artist's impression above is shown courtesy of the Wolverhampton Wanderers FC website from 2019.