Arsenal drew up plans to increase the capacity of the Emirates Stadium to 80,000, but the development would've required Mikel Arteta's side to play at a temporary home
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 06: Mikel Arteta, Manager / Head Coach of Arsenal celebrates during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Arsenal FC and Chelsea FC at Emirates Stadium on September 06, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)c
Mikel Arteta has got his way(Image: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
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Arsenal have decided not to expand the Emirates Stadium after Mikel Arteta urged the club to U-turn on their plans. Gunners chiefs wanted to increase the ground's capacity to 80,000, once again making it the largest Premier League stadium in London.
Tottenham's new ground, which opened in 2019, is currently the largest and boasts a capacity of 62,850. The stadium also hosts other events including NFL matches and concerts.
Arsenal are understood to have spent two years exploring ways to upgrade the 60,704-capacity Emirates. But the Times report that the club have been put off by costs and logistical challenges - while Arteta's opinion has also weighed heavy.
The Gunners boss doesn't want to put his team's success at risk by playing their home games elsewhere. Arteta's attention to detail when it comes to the Emirates was shown in 2025 when he requested that the pull-out tunnel cover was removed in order to further expose opposition players to the atmosphere.
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When asked about Arsenal's plans to redevelop the Emirates last year, Arteta said: "Obviously, us as a club, we always the ambition to generate the best atmosphere in the world at the Emirates. We have the best supporters in the world and now we have to facilitate everything.
"The team has to give the right feelings to our supporters every time we play in front of them. We need to develop, as well, the stadium in the manner that we want and we need to ignite that will that we have to play every single ball with us, because it makes such a difference.
"We want to play and win the things that we want to win, that's a non-negotiable, you need to have a stadium that is able to create those moments, for sure."
Arsenal have now decided on a 'continued evolution' of the Emirates as opposed to a 'huge-scale masterplan'. The club also plan to introduce safe standing, following the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City.
LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 21: General view inside the stadium before the Premier League 2026/27 match between Arsenal FC and Coventry City at Emirates Stadium on August 21, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
The Emirates Stadium has a capacity of 60,704(Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
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In a supporters' meeting, Arsenal told fans: "We shared a commitment to the continued evolution of Emirates Stadium, rather than a huge-scale masterplan, building on improvement we have made to date in partnership with our catering partner, Legends, the introduction of safe standing (this season in the Clock End, and next season in the North Bank), improving hospitality and retail experiences, and upgrading visitor experiences."
Meanwhile, the Arsenal Supporters' Trust (AST) confirmed that it'd been been assured by the club that ordinary seating wouldn't be reduced in place of more corporate tickets. The Emirates has roughly 150 executive boxes.
"No capacity changes at the Emirates," AST said in a statement. "The focus will be facilities behind the scenes. Expect more hospitality offering. Once again we secured a commitment from the club that they have no current plans to move or reduce any general admission places. But all supporters must be vigilant to this and repeat the importance of custodianship."