Emirates grow - Arsenal are moving to Wembley

Arsenal are preparing for a major transformation of the Emirates Stadium — one that could temporarily relocate their home matches to Wembley.

Plans are being drawn up for an ambitious redevelopment that would lift the Emirates’ current 60,700 capacity to over 70,000 seats. If completed, it would once again make Arsenal’s home the largest football ground in London, overtaking West Ham’s London Stadium and Tottenham Hotspur’s ground in the process.

Architects have explored altering the slope of the stands and redesigning the seating layout to accommodate more supporters, though the exterior of the stadium would largely retain its familiar look. Most of the proposed improvements would take place within the bowl itself. Beyond enhancing matchday atmosphere, a larger capacity would generate tens of millions in additional yearly income and help reduce a season-ticket waiting list now exceeding 100,000 names.

The project, which has gained momentum over the past year, is logistically complex — touching nearly every section of the ground and likely requiring an investment running into the hundreds of millions. With construction potentially making the Emirates unusable for a period, Arsenal may once again call Wembley home, just as they did during their move from Highbury two decades ago.

As the club approaches the 20th anniversary of that move next August, they find themselves slipping in attendance rankings — now fifth among Premier League clubs behind Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham, and West Ham. Between 2021 and 2024, Arsenal earned an average of 105.2 million pounds in annual gate receipts, trailing Tottenham by roughly 6 million pounds and United by around 19 million pounds, according to Deloitte.

The redevelopment’s vision stretches beyond capacity: Arsenal want to create a modern, multi-purpose, digital-first venue capable of hosting global events. Unlike Tottenham and Wembley, the Emirates has yet to attract megastars like Taylor Swift or Beyonce, or host NFL fixtures — a gap the club hopes to close with its next chapter of evolution.