Manchester United’s proposed new stadium could be delayed until 2035

Manchester United’s planned 100,000-capacity stadium may not be completed until 2035, according to official planning documents, raising further questions over the schedule for the club’s £2bn project.

The venue is included in the second phase of Trafford Council’s Trafford Wharfside Strategic Masterplan Consultation Draft. That phase covers the period from 2031 to 2035, while the first phase, running from 2025 to 2030, makes no reference to the stadium.

Under that timetable, United supporters could have to wait until the later part of the 2031-35 period to attend a match at the proposed new ground.

The project’s expected completion date has already shifted since Sir Jim Ratcliffe confirmed in March 2025 that Manchester United would build a new stadium rather than redevelop Old Trafford. At the time, he indicated the work could be completed within five years.

Ratcliffe said he would rather spend five years delivering the project than 10, adding that he might not still be around in a decade.

Later reports suggested the stadium might be ready by 2030. Collette Roche, Manchester United’s chief executive for New Stadium Development, subsequently said during the summer that it could potentially open around 2032.

The latest planning document points to a further extension of that proposed timetable.