Manchester United officially appoint Foster + Partners to design £2bn Old Trafford replacement

Manchester United have officially appointed Foster + Partners as the architects for their planned £2 billion stadium, moving the long-discussed project into its design phase and clearing one of the most significant procedural hurdles to date.

The appointment was confirmed at a recent fans’ forum, with sources telling the Daily Mail that “the focus now shifts to the design phase of the new stadium in partnership with Foster + Partners.” Lord Norman Foster, the firm’s founder, is a close friend of United minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and has been involved in discussions throughout the planning process.

The decision had not been without controversy. The club had previously faced questions over why an open tender was not held for the contract — a process typically expected in line with fiduciary duties to shareholders. Those concerns were amplified when Foster + Partners unveiled an early tent-style concept design that drew a mixed public response.

The proposed stadium is expected to hold 100,000 supporters, a capacity that has led to it being informally dubbed the “Wembley of the North.” If realised, it would rank among the largest club football grounds in the world.

Ratcliffe explained the rationale behind choosing a new build over a refurbishment of Old Trafford in comments made in March 2025. “We spent a lot of time looking at the pros and cons of refurbishing the existing stadium,” he said. “The history of Manchester United is so important. But, ultimately, we’ve got a ground at Old Trafford today which is a bit piecemeal. Stands built at different times don’t fit together very well. The roof leaks. It hasn’t got the finest infrastructure.”

Ratcliffe added that cost modelling had undermined the case for renovation. “I think what would have happened if we tried to refurbish the stadium, we would have discovered that it actually would probably have been 70 per cent of the cost of building a new stadium. And in 25 years’ time, we’d be talking about building a new stadium because it wouldn’t be perfect.”

He outlined an ambition to build something more than a matchday venue, describing plans for a museum, shops, and a fan zone with large screens for away fixtures. With the architect now formally in place, United’s attention turns to translating those ambitions into a concrete design.