Man Utd to host World Cup final? Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham expects £2bn 'Wembley of the North' to hold showpiece event

In March 2024, United revealed that blueprints have been drawn up for a new futuristic 100,00-seater stadium, with INEOS chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe aiming to see it become the ‘Wembley of the North’. It has been suggested that the exciting venture, which reportedly comes with a £2 billion ($2.7bn) price tag, could be completed by 2030. '

It is expected that Old Trafford will be demolished so that more land can be acquired to construct the new venue. However, the club will require further assistance from local and national government in order to deliver on their ultimate target, with there being no way that they can finance the project alone. They have been working closely with Trafford Council, as the new stadium will offer benefits to the local community far beyond the matchday experience.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, who is part of the stadium taskforce, remains hopeful that the dream project will be completed in the next five years and will be fully prepared to host the final of the 2035 Women's Cup. "If we really get it moving, I think there's a fairly high likelihood that we will be hosting the women's FIFA World Cup in 2035," Burnham told podcast The Added Time. "Imagine a final at that new Old Trafford. It would be quite something to aim for, wouldn't it?"

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While the club and the mayor remain ambitious to build the new home for United, at the moment, the design has been paused as they would need additional land around the stadium. A Red Devils spokesperson told The Mirror last month: "While Manchester United owns a significant portion of land around Old Trafford, it is not all in a single, continuous block. To accommodate the scale of the proposed new stadium – including a canopy – and to avoid disruption to the existing stadium during construction, we are working to secure additional land. We've been engaged in constructive discussions with neighbouring landholders and are optimistic about reaching mutually agreeable terms in the coming months. 

"Early design work has been intentionally paused until we have greater clarity on land assembly and fan requirements. As with other aspects of the project, we encourage fans to treat speculative media reports with caution. We remain excited by the vision set out by Foster + Partners for a new stadium at the heart of a wider regeneration of the Old Trafford area. “We always said this was a conceptual design, with more detailed architectural work to follow. While we remain keen to advance as quickly as possible, the timetable is subject to progress on land assembly and financing, which depends on key stakeholders working together."

The Red Devils have had a mixed experience in the 2025-26 campaign so far. After spending heavily in the summer transfer window to strengthen their attack, Amorim's side got off to a nightmare start and were struggling in the bottom half of the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup second-round loss against fourth-tier Grimsby Town leading to questions over the manager's position.

However, Amorim's men picked form last month, registering three wins on the trot in the league against Sunderland, Liverpool and Brighton. They then played out 2-2 draws with both Nottingham Forest and Tottenham, which has left the club seventh in the league heading into the November international break. They next face Everton on November 24.