Man United want new £2bn stadium to host major tournament final instead of Wembley

Manchester United have taken another step towards hosting the 2035 Women’s World Cup final.

The Red Devils reportedly want their new 100,000-capacity stadium to be chosen as the venue for the showpiece clash.

PA

It comes ahead of the FA’s list of bid stadiums being submitted to FIFA this week.

Despite the United Kingdom being the sole bidder to host the tournament, a bid must still be approved.

A total of 15 stadiums are expected to be required for the tournament, although more will be included in the bid book.

The Women’s World Cup will expand to 48 teams from the 2031 edition onwards.

According to The Guardian, United’s redeveloped Old Trafford will be included in the FA’s submission.

It comes despite the ground only consisting of an artist’s impression since the £2billion project was unveiled in March.

United are keen for the expanded Old Trafford to be host the final ahead of Wembley Stadium.

The FA are said to see those hopes as premature with the Home of Football deemed to have a stronger claim.

However, the final decision on which venues will host specific matches will be made by FIFA.

United are still waiting to secure government funding for their stadium project.

AFP

Along with a new 100,000-seater ground, the club plan to regenerate the area surrounding Old Trafford.

Those plans are currently being held up, though, due to a standoff with the haulage company Freightliner.

The two parties have been unable to agree over the value of land adjacent to Old Trafford which the club wants to buy.

United’s hopes of being chosen as a host venue for the Women’s World Cup in 10 years time comes after missing out on Euro 2028.

The tournament will be held in England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland.

However, Old Trafford was overlooked based on the ground’s outdated facilities and potential redevelopment work in the future.

Getty

Instead, Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium was selected as one of nine host venues for the tournament.

The Etihad’s capacity is set to be expanded to 61,470 by 2028 after planned renovation work.