Report: Man Utd Want New Old Trafford to Host World Cup Final | OneFootball

Manchester United have ambitions to host games during the 2035 Women’s World Cup, potentially even including the final.

United announced plans to build a brand new state of the art Old Trafford, with the intention of creating what Sir Jim Ratcliffe described as a ‘Wembley of the North’, in March 2025.

The new venue, which will be constructed next to the current stadium so that the club can continue to use its home during the build project, is expected to seat 100,000 people. That figure would make it the biggest such venue in the country, surpassing Wembley Stadium’s 90,000-capacity.

United have big ideas for the new Old Trafford, the centre of a vision for wider urban regeneration. Supporting that, this week, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham announced a ‘10-year growth plan’ for the whole Manchester region. It sees Lord Sebastian Coe, previously leader of the Old Trafford Regeneration Taskforce and a key figure in London’s 2012 Olympics bid, continue to play a major role. His ultimate aim will be to “deliver transformational change” for the Old Trafford area.

“We warmly welcome the inclusion of the Old Trafford Regeneration project at the heart of the Greater Manchester Strategy,” was the message from United chief executive Omar Berrada.

Lord Coe himself commented: “Working with Trafford Council and the Mayor, there’s huge potential to bring new homes and jobs to the area around the Manchester United stadium.

“Looking ahead, I see a chance to bring the FIFA Women’s World Cup to a new Old Trafford Stadium in 2035. The home nations are the sole bidder, which presents a rare opportunity to bid to host the global football family.”

By the time the Women’s World Cup visits UK shores for the first time—a joint venture for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland—United expect the new Old Trafford to be complete.

BBC Sport reports that club wants the stadium, which Ratcliffe predicted could be built within six years, to host the final of the tournament. The Football Association is currently working on a formal bid to present to FIFA that would outline the ‘vision’ for hosting the World Cup.

Many would automatically expect Wembley to the stage for the final, given its role as England’s national stadium and physical home of the FA. But this is where Ratcliffe, who was born into a working class family from Oldham, particularly wants Manchester and the north to rival London.

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