Bournemouth in the Champions League! Cherries plot new stadium as part of European 'dream' - with Andoni Iraola leading push

The Cherries can only fit 11,500 fans inside the Vitality Stadium, trailing far behind Brentford's 17,250-capacity home, and with no others in the Premier League smaller than 24,500. But American owner Bill Foley has revealed intentions to build a new stadium on the existing site that will raise the capacity to at least 19,000 and potentially up to 23,000. That alone should see Bournemouth's revenues shoot up as they aim to shed their status as Premier League minnows and underdogs.

It all forms part of a wider strategy for 80-year-old American billionaire Foley. He is no stranger to building sports teams up, with his Vegas Golden Knights going from new franchise startups to NHL champions in the space of jut six years. His Black Knight Sports & Entertainment group took over Bournmeouth in December 2022, while he also owns or holds stakes in Auckland FC, Lorient and Hibernian, with the intention that Bournemouth will be the flagship side in a multi-club model. Andoni Iraola's Cherries are the blueprint in terms of philosophy and style, on the cusp of qualifying for European football for the first time in their history - they are seventh in the Premier League, but only one point behind Manchester City in the last Champions League berth.

Speaking to Men in Blazers, Foley said: "We have a waiting list of 15,000 or 16,000 people that want tickets, so we're not going to have trouble filling the stadium.

"We're a little ahead of schedule. I thought we'd be in Europe next year [2026]. We may have a chance this year if we can keep on going and keep on playing well. If we just get lucky on injuries and get these guys healthy the second half of the season, we should be very successful, and if we're successful we will play in Europe. The Champions League? That's my dream."

The Vitality Stadium doesn't actually meet UEFA requirements in its current form, so no European football could be played there anyway, unless upgrades to its infrastructure are carried it out to tick UEFA Category 4 criteria. Its size would not be the issue.

The stadium rebuild looks like it is going to happen anyway, but achieving on the pitch is the central pillar of Bournemouth's focus. That means maintaining their current form through to the end of the season and seeing how far it takes them. But given how important Iraola is to the whole model, perhaps securing his long-term future will become a matter to address sooner rather than later to keep the Spaniard out of the clutches of bigger sides, having been linked with Barcelona and Manchester United in 2024. His current deal runs until the end of next season, meaning it has already entered the final 18 months.