Manchester United and the FA reportedly plan to stage the 2035 Women's World Cup final at the new £2 billion Old Trafford stadium instead of Wembley. While the club is keeping its cards close to its chest, senior figures across football believe United fully intend to wrestle the biggest match in women’s football away from Wembley.
A bold plan to steal the showpiece from Wembley
reports that although United have declined to comment, their internal strategy has become increasingly clear, as they want the world’s premier women’s fixture to headline the opening chapter of a regenerated Old Trafford. The ambitions of both club and city have been given fresh momentum after the first tranche of funding, when £26 million was confirmed for new homes in the Old Trafford Regeneration Area. This initial investment forms part of Greater Manchester’s wider “Growth Plan”, an enormous strategy unveiled by Mayor Andy Burnham to catapult the region into the global spotlight by 2050. Burnham’s vision includes 15,000 homes and a stadium capable of seating 100,000 spectators, part of a sweeping, decades-long transformation of south-west Manchester. He described the plan as a defining moment for Greater Manchester, a declaration that the region intends to rival any major world city in ambition, infrastructure and sporting prestige.
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United’s proposed stadium project remains dependent on the acquisition of a critical piece of land, a rail terminal behind the Stretford End currently owned by Freightliner. Negotiations are ongoing and are crucial because securing that plot would give United the footprint needed to build a new super-stadium rather than settle for refurbishing the current Old Trafford. While a renovation of the historic venue has not been dismissed entirely, the club’s preferred option is unequivocal. They want a complete rebuild, one that would take approximately five years to complete and deliver a modern arena fit for global events. And behind closed doors, officials have already mapped out the grandest of goals as they want to ensure the 2035 Women’s World Cup final is staged not in London, but in Manchester.
United believe a new Old Trafford would outshine Wembley
Senior United figures believe their proposed venue would surpass Wembley on capacity, technology, comfort and atmosphere. Their argument is simple as they believe if the world’s biggest women’s football match is coming to the UK, then it should be held in the country’s newest, largest and most advanced football stadium. Crucially, they are aware that pushing for the final could unsettle the FA, which traditionally positions Wembley at the heart of England’s major events. Even so, United are prepared to make their case to both the FA and FIFA, insisting that major finals should not be restricted to London and that the North deserves its own world-class showcase.
Responding to Burnham’s announcement, United’s Chief Operating Officer, Collette Roche, did not hide the club’s enthusiasm for the regeneration initiative.
He said: "We want to build the world’s best football stadium as a new home for Manchester United and a venue fit for the biggest international events, including the 2035 FIFA Women’s World Cup, surrounded by a vibrant business, leisure and residential district served by excellent transport links. We are determined to play our part, together with other stakeholders, in making this vision a reality, and unlocking the huge benefits it can deliver for the surrounding community and wider region.
"So our ask of the government is that they support, not the stadium build, but support the infrastructure and the regeneration of the area. And when we've looked at it really closely, it actually ticks so many boxes for the government around their growth strategy. So it's very easy for us to use this as a catalyst to help deliver the government plans.”
GOALA once-in-a-generation opportunity for Manchester
What sits before Manchester, economists say, is nothing short of monumental. Oxford Economics, commissioned to analyse the project’s long-term impact, estimates that the redevelopment could inject a staggering £7.3 billion into the UK economy annually while creating 92,000 jobs across construction, tourism, hospitality and related industries. The same study forecasts the creation of 17,000 new homes and more than 1.8 million additional visitors every year. These figures underscore the wide-reaching benefits that could be realised for the local area, the region, and the broader national economy.