The Government of Croatia and the City of Zagreb have presented a proposal for a new football stadium that would serve as the home of HNL club GNK Dinamo Zagreb and the Croatian national team.
The stadium will be built on the site of the historic Stadion Maksimir and it is hoped the venue will be inaugurated by the end of 2028 or the beginning of 2029.
The first phase of the project will involve the renovation of Stadion Kranjčevićeva, where Dinamo would play during the construction of the new-look Stadion Maksimir. This stadium would open by the end of 2026.
The Government of Croatia and the City of Zagreb have presented the plans for the new Stadion Maksimir in partnership with Dinamo and the Croatian Football Association (HNS). The proposal still needs to be formally adopted at a session of the government and the Zagreb City Assembly.
The proposal states that the national government and the city would be 50-50 co-owners of the stadium. Initial calculations estimate the investment in the stadium to be around €175m (£145m/$183m). Over €40m will be invested into the Stadion Kranjčevićeva redevelopment project, with work set to begin within a month.
The current Stadion Maksimir has a capacity of around 26,000 and the capacity of the new venue will be around 35,000.
Croatia Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said: “When you look at the identities of large cities around the world and Europe, the stadium often appears as a topic. Well, as children we learned geography through football picture albums, and all the cities we had never heard of before were there. That is why it is very important to me that this entire project and competition be a powerful architectural message from experts about what football is for Zagreb, for Dinamo and for Croatia.”
Tomislav Tomașević, Mayor of Zagreb, added: “By the end of 2026, the investment in the stadium in Kranjčevićeva should be realised, by the end of 2028 or the beginning of 2029, the stadium in Maksimir should be completed, which is, of course, an extremely optimistic estimate.
“So, Zagreb will have two stadiums that meet UEFA standards, and they will also be the pride of the city. We will, of course, be able to organise other sports events there as well as numerous concerts. Many international world performers do not come to Zagreb precisely because we do not have a stadium that can meet the capacities and standards.”
The City of Zagreb presented plans for a complete redevelopment of the Stadion Kranjčevićeva back in December. The stadium currently houses Dinamo’s rival, NK Lokomotiva, and its capacity will more than double from 5,350 seats to 11,163.
All stands in the new Stadion Kranjčevićeva will be covered, with a heated hybrid pitch included. Its sustainability credentials will be aided by the inclusion of a solar power plant on the roof and vertical gardens, while the project will also include the delivery of a 6,300-square-metre public plaza in front of the stadium.
Stadion Maksimir was first opened in 1912 and, as well as being Dinamo’s home since 1948, has hosted many of the Croatian national team’s games. It has undergone extensive renovations on a number of occasions over the decades but was badly damaged by an earthquake in March 2020.
