Nou Mestalla – construction description

When was the decision made to build a new stadium for Valencia CF?

In the 2005/2006 season, Valencia CF officials decided to build a new stadium for the club to replace the current Estadio Mestalla. A keen promoter of the creation of the new facility was the club's president at the time, Juan Bautista Soler. The decision to build a new stadium was preceded by the team' outstanding results at the turn of the century, including two Spanish championships (in 2002 and 2004), reaching the final of the Champions League twice (2000, 2001) and winning the UEFA Cup and European Super Cup in 2004.

The design of the new facility was prepared by studios Fenwick Iribarren and Arup. The concept was officially presented to the public on November 10, 2006. The new stadium would have three-tier, covered stands for 73,200 spectators and have an interesting form with a striking façade. It would be the third-largest stadium in Spain (after Camp Nou and Estadio Santiago Bernabéu), also ranking among the top in Europe.

When did the construction of the new Valencia stadium begin?

A former factory site was chosen as the location, in the Benicalap area, about 4 km north-west of the club's current stadium. The construction cost was estimated at €344 million and was to be covered entirely by the club (the funds were to come from loans and the planned sale of the Estadio Mestalla for development purposes). Construction of the stadium began on August 1, 2007 and the new arena was due to open in the 2009/10 season, with the consortium of Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas and Grupo Bertolín as the main contractor.

What problems occurred during the construction of the Nou Mestalla?

On May 26, 2008, an unfortunate accident occurred on the construction site. Four workers were killed as a result of a scaffolding collapse. At noon on May 28, their memory was honoured with five minutes of silence throughout the Valencia Autonomous Community.

After construction began, Valencia CF ran into considerable money problems. On top of this, the financial crisis began, making it impossible to sell the property at the previously assumed prices. As a result, the club was forced to halt construction of the new stadium in February 2009. By this time, the reinforced concrete structure of the stands had already been built.

What measures have been taken to resume construction of the Nou Mestalla?

The club has not abandoned its efforts to complete the stadium. In December 2011, a partnership with Banquia was announced to guarantee funding to complete the work. However, Banquia's problems meant that the agreement was cancelled in September 2012 and work did not resume.

In 2013, a new, slimmed-down concept for the new stadium was presented, which would reduce the costs of completing the construction. The facade was simplified, the roof was reduced in size and the capacity dropped to 61,500 spectators. In 2014, Singaporean businessman Peter Lim became the club's new owner and announced that the new stadium would be completed by 2019, in time for Valencia CF's centenary. However, work did not resume, even after an even more skimmed vision of the new facility was presented in 2017.

In 2019, a partnership was established with the ADU Mediterráneo cooperative to ensure that the required revenue was generated from the sale of the land on which the Estadio Mestalla stood. However, due to the failure to provide adequate guarantees in time, this cooperation was abandoned.

What are the latest arrangements for the completion of the Valencia stadium?

In 2021, the LaLiga authorities signed an agreement with the CVC Capital Partners fund to provide additional financing for the clubs. This created another opportunity for Valencia CF to complete the construction that had been suspended since 2009. Another architectural concept was presented in June 2022. Work is due to resume in October 2022, with an expected completion date of summer 2025. The stadium will not initially use the full potential of the stands, offering 49,000 spectator seats. This number will be able to be increased to 70,000 later, if required.