Arsenal ‘explore plans to expand 60,000-seater Emirates Stadium’ in bid to catch-up with rivals’ match-day income

Arsenal are exploring options to renovate the Emirates Stadium in a bid to cash-in on high demand for tickets that will help them move level with matchday revenue at rival clubs, according to reports.

The Gunners have called the 60,000-seater stadium home ever since leaving their iconic Highbury ground in 2006, but have seen other clubs expand above that capacity since then.

Manchester United can still claim to have England’s biggest club stadium with Old Trafford able to seat 74,310 supporters at matches, while Tottenham‘s new state-of-the-art facility holds 62,850 fans.

Arsenal are now considering expanding the Emirates as they attempt to generate greater revenue from matchday attendances with Spurs earning roughly £6million from every home game, as reported by The Times.

Expansions at West Ham and Liverpool have further plummeted the Emirates to fifth-place in the Premier League‘s capacity standings and a renovation would be needed to jump back above both clubs.

The Gunners have called the 60,000-seater stadium home since leaving Highbury in 2006

A stadium overhaul currently isn’t planned and would be a costly and potentially lengthy operation that could temporarily reduce the Emirates total attendance while work is being completed.

However, Arsenal’s owner, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, has significant experience in stadium construction after building the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and could now use that experience to draw up plans for the Emirates.

The Gunners last made changes to the ground in 2018 when they added an extra 780 seats, but attempts to add thousands of extra seats will require a unique innovation given the lack of room to work with.

Arsenal earned £102.6m from home games in 2022-23, while rivals Man United topped that with a whopping £136.4m during the same period.

In contrast to Arsenal, United are actively drawing up Old Trafford redevelopment plans with the club wanting to build a new ground that would be capable of holding 100,000 supporters.

Tottenham’s state-of-the-art facility now boasts the biggest matchday capacity in London

Manchester United are currently considering plans to knock down the iconic Old Trafford ground

The club’s Ineos-backed sporting department led by British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe are considering demolishing Old Trafford in favour of constructing a new world class facility.

It is projected that such a grand development could cost the club in excess of £2billion, while a renovation of the existing ground would represent a more cost-effective measure.