Featured image credit: Municipality of Florence
Mayor of Florence Dario Nardella has confirmed that Serie A football club Fiorentina will continue playing at the Stadio Artemio Franchi next season while the stadium undergoes redevelopment work, although it will be operating at a reduced capacity.
The Franchi, which has a current capacity of around 43,000, is set to be fitted with a roof and new grandstands that will bring fans closer to the pitch. Under the plans, the new capacity of the stadium will be at least 40,000.
Nardella has previously said that Fiorentina would require a temporary home for two seasons while the redevelopment work is carried out. The Mayor has now revealed that the club will be able to spend the 2024-25 campaign at the Franchi following discussions with Arup, the engineering and design consultancy leading the revamp.
The Franchi will operate at a maximum capacity of 22,000, which Nardella noted is “well beyond” the current number of Fiorentina season ticket holders. The stadium will be able to remain open after the Municipality of Florence, which owns the venue, reworked the construction timetable.
Starting from June 1, work will be carried out in the Fiesole, Maratona and Tribuna stands. The project is still slated to be finished by the summer of 2026 and cost €150m (£128m/$163m).
Nardella added that the Municipality has plans for Fiorentina to play at a temporary 18,000-capacity facility in Padovani during the 2025-26 season before returning to the new-look Franchi in 2026-27.
Florence recently awarded the contract for the Franchi redevelopment to a consortium made up of the COBAR and SAC Società Appalti Costruzioni companies. The contract is worth just over €90m.
Share this