English Premier League club Manchester City has revealed the seating configuration for the expanded North Stand at Etihad Stadium, with the project set to increase the venue’s capacity from 53,400 to more than 60,000.
The stand, which will open during the 2025-26 season, will feature a range of seating options, including a large rail-seating area, family areas, ringfenced tickets for young supporters, and new redeveloped concourse areas.
The announcement of the stand configuration follows lengthy consultations with fans to understand how to create “best-in-class” experiences. The addition of rail seating was viewed as a priority by the club and the fans.
A minimum of 3,000 rail seats will be introduced as part of the expansion, with the option of increasing this ahead of opening should there be further demand. Rail seating is already in operation at the opposite end of Etihad Stadium.
City has also announced that a “significant” number of tickets in the new North Stand will be reserved specifically for fans aged 21 or under. A range of facilities to cater for more young fans will be introduced in Level One of the North Stand, including breakout spaces, religious rooms and alcohol-free areas.
Premium seating options in the stand will include a 500-seat food hall and a premium bar with space for around 300 fans. At the rear of the stand, a new sky bar will open, offering seats overlooking the pitch. More information about these areas will be released over the course of the 2024-25 season.
The North Stand is currently the only remaining Etihad Stadium stand with two tiers, following the addition of 6,000 extra seats and a third tier to the South Stand ahead of the 2015-16 season.
The expansion of the North Stand is part of City’s wider development of an entertainment destination at the Etihad Campus. Once complete, the destination will also feature a stadium roof walk experience and a new City Square fan zone with capacity for 3,000 people, as well as food and drink outlets, a club shop, a museum, commercial office space and a 400-bed hotel.
City announced in April that the initial steel framework was in place for the new North Stand. The club received the final green light for the project in October 2023 after the first CGI renderings, drawn up by Populous, were released earlier in the year when the application was submitted.
Earlier this week, City’s arch rival Manchester United offered a first glimpse of what a rebuilt Old Trafford could look like, with the club weighing up the possibility of building a new 100,000-capacity stadium.
