The Segunda Division club in mid-May presented plans to give their home venue, Estadio La Romareda, a new life. The concept has been developed by Spanish design studio IDOM and involves significantly expanding the auditorium and enabling Zaragoza to bid to host the World Cup in 2030.

La Romareda will be modernised

Located in Zaragoza, Spain, La Romareda was opened in 1957. The venue has undergone a number of upgrades over the years, but has still retained much of its original form. A large-scale redevelopment of the arena was planned for Euro 2004, but Portugal eventually won the right to host the tournament. There were later attempts to completely modernise the arena, but nothing came of these plans. In addition, the possibility of building a completely new stadium on a different site was considered, but nothing materialised either.

On May 12, however, there was a breakthrough. The Blanquillos authorities, in collaboration with the renowned architectural firm IDOM, showed renderings of the stadium to be built on the site of its predecessor, and the project took on its working name - Nueva Romareda. The date is no coincidence, as that day was the deadline set by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) for the submission of the required documentation for venues aspiring to be part of the country's bid to host the 2030 World Cup.

© IDOM

In addition to this, Zaragoza City Council, which owns La Romareda, is currently holding a public tender for the long-term lease of the stadium, due to end in September. The club, wishing to join the battle for its home venue, has had to submit a proposal for the redevelopment of the arena.

What will Nueva Romareda be like?

According to the concept drawn up by IDOM, the stands of the stadium will have a capacity of 42,000 spectators. The arena is to have a typical football layout and the auditorium will be divided into two levels with additional narrow tiers along the pitch. Behind the stands there will be functional areas and the whole will be given a unified, coherent form.

The architects were inspired by the cool northerly winds that blow in the area, known as the cierzo, and gave the rectangular shape of the arena some dynamism through the use of subtle convexities and concaves. The structure will be topped by a lightweight roof, which will cover not only all the seats in the auditorium, but also the viewing terrace encircling the stands. The dominant colours in the stadium are to be Real's club colours, blue and white.

The arena will be equipped to host top-level football competitions. In addition to these, other events, not only sporting ones, are also to be held there. It should be noted that the plans presented by the club and IDIOM are preliminary for the time being and are subject to change in the final design.

© IDOM

According to initial estimates, the project is expected to cost around €140 million to complete. The construction is to be financed solely with private funds. The work is expected to take place between 2024 and 2028 and will be carried out in stages so that Blanquillos can play their matches in the stadium at all times.