Manchester City have today released the latest batch of images and concept art detailing what their new Etihad Stadium expansion is set to look like, having now submitted full planning permission.
The club announced plans for the expansion of the stadium and wider Etihad Campus back in February, with the aim of turning the complex into a fully-fledged entertainment and leisure venue.
Now, City Football Group and Abu Dhabi United investment firm have revealed the latest mock-ups for the redevelopment, which includes a grand new entrance on the front side of the stadium, designed not only to keep people in the stadium for longer before and after games but to draw non-football fans in too.
Along with a new covered fan zone packed out with leisure attractions, the proposals include several integrated all-weather facilities, as well as the extension of the North Stand by creating one larger, single upper tier above the existing lower tier, which would see the overall capacity surpass 60,000.
Credit: Manchester City
Furthermore, in line with the club’s initial designs, the updated City Square will be able to hold over 3,000 people, with a wide variety of food and drink outlets, a brand-new club shop and museum, as well as a 400-bed hotel also potentially in the pipeline.
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As explained in the club’s announcement, form “the hotel and food and drink outlets are situated on the left flank of the development with all other facilities contained within the right flank. LED screens which are approximately four stories in height will also feature at the end of each flank.”
Moreover, as teased in the previous plans, there will be modest workspaces available to start-up and medium-sized organisations looking to co-locate and collaborate with the club, not to mention CFG and Etihad partners also feature in the planning submission. It remains to be seen when work will start.
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Lastly, a sky bar with views overlooking the pitch will be introduced above the new upper tier, along with a rare stadium roof walk experience — similar to the kind introduced when Tottenham Hotspur erected their new stadium. All told, the developments are set to cost over £300 million. Flashy stuff.
The leisure and entertainment side is the biggest part of the Etihad expansion.
Commenting on the application, City’s Managing Director, Danny Wilson, said: “Over several months we have been developing concepts and designs for a best-in-class fan experience and year-round entertainment and leisure destination at the Etihad Stadium and are delighted to have now submitted a planning application to Manchester City Council.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our fans and the local community for their participation in our recent consultation, not only for completing the questionnaire but sharing their detailed comments and feedback with us, all of which has been carefully reviewed and considered.”
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“As with all Club developments, ensuring our local community benefit is a key priority and we believe these proposals will deliver long-term economic and social opportunities, building on the regeneration work delivered in East Manchester by City Football Group since 2008.”
Now looking to lead the way when it comes to stadium experiences in Europe — not to mention a key venue in the UK’s Euro 2028 bid — City will be hoping they can win their first Champions League this season to back up the pedigree they’re aiming for and it should be completed well in time for the Euros.
Scott Carson reveals important behind-the-scenes role at Manchester City
Danny Jones
Recently retired goalkeeper Scott Carson has revealed the unsung but important role he had behind the scenes during his time at Manchester City.
The 40-year-old ex-pro called time on his playing career after more than two decades and six years in sky blue, having made just two appearances for the club during a period in which they won 11 trophies.
Carson officially hung up his gloves on 23 October 2025, following his contract expiration, and since then has found himself carrying out a number of interviews, including one with Fozcast, hosted by another fellow shotstopper who spent time in Manchester, Ben Foster.
While lots of people have joked that he did very little to earn the flurry of medals so late in his career, or at the very least theorised as to what he actually did behind the scenes, he’s now been more open than ever about the largely sidelined spell.
🗣️ "When people had to be serious, they were serious"
Scott Carson reveals what it was like working under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. pic.twitter.com/HZGjVkrso0
Sitting down with Sky Sports, the Cumbrian keeper confirmed that initially it was, indeed, just a case of serving as not even as a rotation option but a back-up third choice.
Nevertheless, he’s an experienced veteran with 11 different teams on his CV, including Leeds United, Liverpool and Sheffield Wednesday – though only a handful of games for each – as well as half a century of appearances at Wigan Athletic before his longest stints at the likes of West Brom and Derby County.
While this job usually involves purely training, helping keep other players sharp, he says that after settling into the Etihad Campus a little more, he found himself performing a much more influential, albeit largely unsung, role in the background.
Getting validation from manager Pep Guardiola that the side “needed more of that”, he essentially ended up providing valuable seniority and motivation amongst the group, despite only playing a couple of times.
Bidding farewell to the Whitehaven-born cult hero, the club wrote: “During his time at City, Carson has been praised by goalkeeping coach Xabi Mancisidor and peers Ederson and Stefan Ortega Moreno for his work ethic and the effect of his positive attitude amongst the group.”
Speaking about Guardiola specifically, he hailed the Catalan coach for having overhauled modern football in this country, as well as giving him the secondary task of supporting his teammates, be it via boosting morale and ‘picking up’ those left frustrated by matchday selection.
As well as noting his widely publicised detail-oriented nature, he also made a point of recognising that Pep himself was “evolving each season”, whether or not everyone else saw it.
In short, he said he has helped improve the quality of the Premier League and, more specifically, that he helped redefine what a goalkeeper can be in the division.
You can watch the rest of the interview in full down below.
Manchester set to host five UEFA EURO 2028 matches – including England’s opening game
Emily Sergeant
Manchester has been confirmed to be the host of five matches at the upcoming UEFA EURO tournament in 2028.
This also, crucially, would include England‘s opening match, should they qualify directly.
The joint announcement by Manchester City and Manchester City Council today comes as UEFA has now released key details about the UK & Ireland 2028 competition – which, as it stands, is less than 1,000 days away.
It has been confirmed that the Etihad Stadium – which is known as The City of Manchester Stadium when not relating to Manchester City football club – will host four Group Stage matches across four different groups, offering both local and international football fans the chance to see a range of different national teams in action.
On top of this, Manchester will also be the host a Round of 16 knockout match as the tournament progresses.
UEFA EURO 2028 will kick off at the National Stadium of Wales in Cardiff on Friday 9 June 2028, culminating in the Final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 9 July 2028.
Across the UK and Ireland, nine stadiums will host matches during the upcoming tournament – with other northern stadiums including Everton Stadium in Liverpool, and St James’ Park over in Newcastle.
More than three million tickets – as sold by UEFA – are set to be available for the tournament, and more information on this will be issued in due course.
Following an independent assessment, UEFA EURO 2028 is expected to generate up to £3.6 billion in socio-economic benefits for the UK and Ireland between 2028 and 2031, with benefits including job creation, regional growth, and direct spending from international visitors.
The countdown has started in Manchester for #EURO2028!
Five matches are scheduled to be played here – including England's opener if they qualify – and more than 300,000 fans will be welcomed to the city in June 2028.
Danny Jones -
18th April 2023 
