The City Council has issued a permit for the redevelopment of La Cartuja into a five-star football stadium. The Urban Planning Board has also granted the necessary license, so construction will begin soon. The redevelopment will be carried out in two phases. What exactly will change?

Closer to the game

La Cartuja athletics stadium, built in 1999 as an Olympic stadium for Seville's bid to host the 2004 Olympic Games, did not ultimately host the event, but it became the venue for the World Athletics Championships in its inaugural year. The project included the possibility of later converting the facility into a football stadium.

The adaptation mainly involves lowering the level of the current athletics track to increase seating capacity without compromising visibility and bringing the stands closer to the pitch. The new La Cartuja project, which has already received approval from the authorities, includes the removal of the athletics track and the lowering of the pitch by nearly four meters to create a new football pitch meeting UEFA standards. The modernization also involves demolishing the Norte and Sur stands, which will be rebuilt closer to the pitch.

In the Este and Oeste stands, eight rows will be dismantled. The platform that currently raises these stands will also be removed to improve visibility. New rows will be added below to bring spectators closer to the pitch. Approximately 12,000 new seats will be created in total.

© Junta de Andalucía

Meeting the highest standards

The increased capacity of the stadium will require the expansion of service points and bars. In the Norte and Sur stands, the space on level -1, currently occupied by storage areas, will be converted into restrooms to meet UEFA requirements. New bars will also be installed in this area. In the Preferencia and Fondo areas, new restrooms will be located under the stands, where some restrooms for VIP areas already exist. These will be renovated to accommodate the new lower tier capacity.

The expansion will increase the number of seats by 12,442, raising the stadium's capacity from the current 58,932 to 71,374 seats, allowing it to achieve five-star status according to UEFA classification. The cost of the first phase is €9.5 million.

Designers are also working on improvements to the roof, facade, and parking areas. Enhancing accessibility and mobility is crucial for this investment. In recent years, La Cartuja has positioned itself as one of the most important venues in Spanish football. This modernization will place it among the top sports and multifunctional facilities, offering state-of-the-art services and infrastructure that meet the standards required by both FIFA and UEFA.

© Cruz y Ortiz Arquitectos

Andalusian authorities grow impatient

According to Canal Sur, work on La Cartuja was scheduled to begin on July 1, following the last planned musical event. However, at the time of writing, there is no information confirming the start of the modernization. The work plan anticipates that the stadium will be ready by February 2025. Possible delays could affect Real Betis, who are expected to move to Cartuja during the renovation of their facility.

The Andalusian government does not hide its desire to have two venues in the region for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. To achieve this, significant infrastructure reforms are needed, which have not yet begun. Andalusian President Juanma Moreno admitted in an interview with Canal Sur at the end of June that the entire process is progressing slower than he would like, due to ongoing issues within the Royal Spanish Football Federation. This concerns the La Cartuja stadium and the Estadio La Rosaleda in Malaga.

The president called for the need for coordination between regional and national administrations in selecting Malaga and Seville as World Cup host cities. We need to secure funding, we need to plan everything. The year 2030 seems far off, but we are halfway through 2024, and time flies quickly, while stadium renovations are very expensive and slow.

© Junta de Andalucía