Arsenal are considering a temporary move to Wembley Stadium while they expand the capacity of their Emirates Stadium home. The Gunners are looking into ways to increase their stadium’s capacity from its current 60,700 to over 70,000, which would make it the largest football ground in London.
It is believed that Arsenal could alter the gradient of the stands and modify the seating plan to accommodate more fans, while maintaining the outer bowl’s appearance largely unchanged. However, this could necessitate relocating their home games to Wembley, as reported by The Telegraph.
This is a step that was previously taken by their North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur when they demolished White Hart Lane to construct their new stadium on the same site. Next season will mark two decades since Arsenal moved from Highbury to their modern stadium just a few streets away.
At the time of its completion, it was the largest club stadium in London and the second largest in the Premier League. However, the Emirates has since been surpassed by West Ham’s London Stadium with a capacity of 62,850 and Spurs’ new stadium at 62,500. Liverpool’s renovated Anfield also now has a larger capacity than the Emirates, at 61,276.
The proposed £500million expansion of the Emirates is expected to generate tens of millions in additional annual revenue, and the increased capacity could help to meet some of the demand from the season ticket waiting list, which currently exceeds 100,000. Plans have accelerated this year, but they are intricate.
It’s probable that the work would involve augmenting nearly every part of the stadium rather than just one stand and cost hundreds of millions to complete.
Arsenal are also constrained by a 17-acre site in a predominantly residential community. The Victoria and Piccadilly Tube lines, as well as several nearby stations and the Great Northern train line, run adjacent to the ground. However, it’s reported that discussions with architects have been optimistic about the potential to enlarge the stadium within its current footprint.
