Inside the plans to expand La Bombonera to 80,000 fans

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La Número 12

·10 de marzo de 2026

Inside the plans to expand La Bombonera to 80,000 fans

Boca presented a document detailing the project to expand La Bombonera and increase its capacity to 80,000 spectators. Below, we share it as it was presented:

The expansion of La Bombonera is not a recent idea nor an isolated announcement.

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It is the result of more than two years of technical, legal, and structural work.

Since the beginning of the management, more than 60 projects have been executed and are underway within the stadium and its surroundings, many of which are part of the comprehensive plan leading to the final expansion.

La Bombonera is not being relocated.

A new stadium is not being built.

It is being expanded while respecting its identity.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Bombonera expansion project is structured around six main axes:

1. Completed and ongoing works

More than 60 interventions carried out in the stadium and its surroundings to prepare the necessary infrastructure for the expansion.

2. Situation of neighboring homes and legal framework

Analysis of the urban environment and the regulatory framework that conditions the project's development.

3. Bombonera expansion project

Description of the projected interventions to expand the stadium's capacity while respecting its identity and current regulations.

4. Towers over the railway sector and fourth tier

First executive stage of the project, currently under technical evaluation by railway organizations.

5. Structural study of the stadium

Technical analysis carried out by specialist engineers that validates the structural capacity for the expansion.

6. Technical documentation of the project

Complete development of plans, reports, and studies necessary for the project's execution.

1. COMPLETED AND ONGOING WORKS

Before developing the expansion project, the Club initiated a process of recovery, organization, and modernization of the stadium.

For more than two years, over 60 projects have been executed and are underway within La Bombonera and its operational areas.

Many of these interventions are not visible from the stands but are fundamental to preparing the stadium's infrastructure for its growth.

Work has been done on:

electrical installations
internal circulation
accesses
logistics
services for members
operational areasThese works constitute the structural and operational base on which the stadium's expansion is projected. At the same time, they allow for advancing infrastructure work that the expansion project requires, saving future construction time and minimizing the period during which the club would have to forgo its home ground.

INFRASTRUCTURE AND LIGHTING

For years, the stadium grew with added installations without planning: visible cables, exposed pipes, old electrical systems.

For more than two years, comprehensive organization has been underway:

New underground wiring.
New panels and generators.
Elimination of exposed cables.
Technical chambers for maintenance and future expansions. Additionally, more than 3,000 LED fixtures were installed in:
Stadium.
Parking areas.
Perimeter.
Casa Amarilla. Today, the surroundings are more illuminated, safer, and prepared to grow.

MAIN ENTRANCE – DOORS 1 TO 5 (BRANDSEN 805)

The entire front of the club is being remodeled from Door 1 to Door 5.

At Door 3 (main), a new structure of over 200 m² is being built to expand the entrance hall.

Includes:

New security reception.
Modern turnstiles for match days.
33-meter glass facade.
33-meter long LED screen, active 24 hours.
New lighting.
New sidewalk.
Completely organized and underground wiring. The club's institutional image is completely transformed.

CENTRAL HALL – INSTITUTIONAL ENTRANCE (over 400 m²)

Comprehensive renovation of the internal entrance space:

Modernization of elevators.
New lighting.
New flooring.
Improved finishes.
Incorporation of shields and international cups. It is the entrance to the club and now reflects its dimension.

MEMBER DEPARTMENT AND SERVICE CENTER (over 300 m²)

Complete transformation of the service area:

New glass offices.
Digital appointment system.
More service boxes.
New bathrooms.
Call center under construction.
Upcoming construction of cash desks to streamline procedures. Management is modernized, and the daily member experience is improved.

RENOVATION OF HALLWAYS AND STAIRS

Comprehensive renovation of:

Walls.
Lighting.
Floors.
Signage.
Signposting. Circulation and safety are improved at all accesses.

FOOD COURT – MIDDLE STAND (1,800 m²)

Total renovation of the area:

New openings.
New lighting.
Renovation of eight food stalls.
Enhancement of the exhibition area for the 18 international titles. The member experience is improved in one of the most used areas.

NEW FOOD COURT STAND L (over 1,500 m² new – Under construction)

More than 5,000 people circulated through a corridor of just 1.5 meters.

The area is expanded to a space up to 13 meters wide.

Includes:

Eight new food stalls.
Three bathroom cores.
Modern and organized circulation.
Visual opening towards the railway. A historic problem of bottlenecking and lack of sanitary and food services in the area is eliminated.

NORTH AND SOUTH STANDS

Construction of four new food stalls (two in each sector).

Modern and safe facilities for members attending the popular stands.

PARKING AND LOGISTICS

Parking 2

More than 7,800 m² of new internal roads.

Capacity expanded to over 200 parking spaces.

Parking 3

Improvements in lighting, enclosures, and paving.

Projected capacity from 600 to 900 vehicles.

A new transmission center will be built there.

Parking 86

Total recovery of 4,000 m² of abandoned space.

New garages, kitchens, and services.

Upcoming construction of an accreditation building.

PARKING 1 AND TRANSMISSION CENTER

Today, Parking 1 operates improvised for television, with cables and equipment visible.

The operation is moved to a fixed center in Parking 3 with underground connections.

This frees up Parking 1 to become a promenade and to place four vertical circulation towers there, a key piece of the expansion.

PLAYER ENTRANCE AND MIXED ZONE

Total renovation of the area:

New modern access.
Technological corridor.
Professional mixed zone (which does not exist today).
Adequate spaces for press and cameras. The club's image is professionalized before the world.

GYM FOR MEMBERS – BRANDSEN 842 (1,500 m² - Under construction)

Construction of a modern gym over an old unused warehouse.

1,500 m².
Changing rooms and bathrooms.
Access with turnstiles.
Glass facade.
State-of-the-art machinery and equipment. Designed for all Boca Juniors members to access.

Conclusion:

The expansion is already underway.

First, the base was organized, recovered, and modernized.

Work was done on infrastructure, circulation, services, and safety to prepare the stadium for growth.

2. SITUATION OF NEIGHBORING HOMES AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK

Before defining the own expansion project —which was developed over more than two years— a serious analysis was conducted on the feasibility of acquiring the homes facing the stadium.

This analysis included domain reports and the study of the current legal framework.

Current regulatory framework

Through Law No. 6,922 (File 2693-J-2024), called "Update of the Catalog of Protected Properties of the Urban Code," properties were added to the list of heritage protection of the City.

In Article 3 of this law, properties are cataloged that cannot be freely demolished or modified.

Impact on the adjoining half-blocks

In the two half-blocks often mentioned as an expansion alternative, there are:

48 lots in total.
21 lots included in the list of cataloged properties with heritage value. That is, almost half of the properties are protected by current regulations.

Besides the heritage issue

From the analysis of the domain reports, it emerges that a significant percentage of the properties present situations such as:

Mortgages or liens.
Uninitiated or unfinished successions.
Properties without titles.
Conflicts between heirs.
Occupied houses.
Different inhabitants in different houses within the same lot.

Conclusion

The stadium's expansion cannot be based on 48 individual negotiations, many of them conditioned by legal restrictions and judicial situations.

Therefore, it was decided to move forward with an own project:

Executable within the current code.
Without affecting homes.
Without depending on legislative changes.
With concrete deadlines.

3. THE EXPANSION PROJECT

After conducting various technical, legal, and structural analyses, President Juan Román Riquelme conveyed a clear premise to the Club's team of architects and engineers:

"Let's work on our own project. Within La Bombonera. Without touching houses. Without violating the code. And respecting its identity."

That was the directive.

Do not move the stadium.

Do not build a new one.

Do not forgo its essence.

Expand La Bombonera without ceasing to be La Bombonera.

From that definition, the comprehensive project was developed, which includes:

1) Expansion over Iberlucea – Final closure of the stadium

The demolition of the current boxes over Iberlucea is projected to generate the stadium's final closure.

In that sector, the following are built:

Two new tiers of preferential seats.
Six levels of boxes with terraces.
A total of 216 new boxes.
Active ground floor with uses towards the sidewalk and pedestrian entrances. The intervention is developed entirely within the Club's land, occupying the airspace over the sidewalk, as the building code currently allows. This point allows closing the historic "U" and completing the stadium's shape.

2) Construction of a Fourth Tier

A fourth level of stands is added, replicating the development of the current third tier.

This allows:

Incorporating new rows of seats.
Increasing capacity.
Maintaining architectural coherence with the existing design.

3) Roof Covering

A complete roof is projected over the four stands.

This will allow:

Covering all spectators.
Improving climatic comfort.
Enhancing the stadium's characteristic acoustics.

4) Towers and bridges over the railway sector (Parking 1)

Four vertical circulation towers are projected in Parking I:

Two towers with stairs and elevators.
Two towers exclusively with elevators. A total of 18 new elevators are incorporated, with a capacity for 12 people each. The towers are connected by hanging bridges over the train track, linking the ground floor with the third and fourth tiers. This system reorganizes circulation and is key to the stadium's growth, improving quantity and capacity at its accesses.

5) Door 18: Reconfiguration

The two current elevators are replaced by a new tower with six elevators of greater capacity and better features.

This new tower reaches the fourth tier and significantly improves accessibility.

6) Shifting the playing field

To generate the necessary width for the new stand over Iberlucea, the playing field is projected to shift four meters towards the railway sector.

The field's height level is not modified.

A perimeter trench is created along the entire field contour, located next to the stands, intended for security personnel during events.

7) New FIFA Access and reorganization at field level

A single central access at field level is projected, allowing:

Regulatory entry according to FIFA standards.
Eventual ambulance access.
Unified team exit. In this area, the following will be located:
The two team benches.
The referee area.
The VAR room. The benches currently located in the boxes over Iberlucea are moved in front of Stand L (Lower Stand), to the sides of the new single exit.

8) Expansion of the lower North and South stands

The slope of both popular stands is modified to:

Generate more steps.
Bring them closer to the goals.
Transform the current curved closure into a straight closure. This improves visibility and increases capacity.

Visual study (isoptic)

A complete visual study was conducted from all points of the stadium, including the new projected stands.

4. TOWERS OVER THE RAILWAY SECTOR AND FOURTH TIER

It implies that:

The project has already surpassed the preliminary stage.
An executive project has been developed.
It is signed by responsible professionals.
It meets technical railway requirements.
It is under formal review by the regulatory body. Once the corresponding validation is obtained, the Club can begin the first stage of the expansion, which includes:
Construction of the towers.
Connection through bridges over the track.
Development of the fourth tier.
Reconfiguration of the Parking 1 sector and the future lateral plaza.

CLUB MESSAGE:

"The first stage has a completed executive project, presented and approved by FERROSUR ROCA S.A., and is currently submitted to the CNRT for technical evaluation. The corresponding validation is awaited to start the work."

5. STRUCTURAL STUDY AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT

Before presenting the expansion project, the Club commissioned a specific structural study on La Bombonera.

It is not a drawing.

It is not an idea.

It is a technical work developed by specialized structural engineers, with a descriptive report and professional analysis.

Studies were conducted on:

Resistance of the existing reinforced concrete.
General condition of beams, columns, and slabs.
Foundation capacity.
Structural behavior under new loads. Real tests were conducted, concrete samples were extracted, laboratory analysis was performed, and technical verification was done in key areas of the stadium. The conclusion is clear: La Bombonera's structure can accommodate the expansion project.
We are talking about a work of many years that, thanks to its original construction quality and the studies conducted, demonstrates solidity and capacity to project into the future. This work was not improvised. It was developed over a long time before designing any project, analyzing each intervention with structural criteria and responsibility. The expansion is based on real engineering, with technical support and professional planning.

NOTE:

"The expansion has a structural study. Tests, concrete analysis, and technical verification were done. It is not a campaign drawing; it is a project with engineering."