Where Aston Villa's bold 50k stadium capacity plans will see club rank among Premier League and European elite

Aston Villa are a club with lofty ambitions for the future and in the latest step of their levelling up campaign they have launched plans to refurbish and expand seat capacity in the iconic North Stand to bring in more supporters and make the atmosphere even more vociferous on match days.

An official club statement explained: “As the latest instalment of the North Ground regeneration plans, the North Stand expansion emphasises Villa's commitment to levelling up the fan experience whilst becoming a world-class sports and entertainment venue. The redevelopment will increase the number of seats available in the North Stand to over 12,000. Combined with ongoing upgrades to Villa Park’s other three stands, total capacity at Villa Park will increase to over 50,000.”

The stadium renovation takes place with the upcoming European Championships in 2028 in mind as the owners of Aston Villa aim to display one of the West Midlands most iconic stadiums to the eyes of football fans from around the world.

Nassef Sawiris, Executive Chairman of Aston Villa FC, said: “Since Wes and I became owners of this storied Club in 2018 and Atairos joined us as partners in 2024, we have shared a clear ambition: to restore Aston Villa to its rightful position competing at the highest levels of English and European football, and to transform the Club into a global brand and European powerhouse.”

With that in mind, we take a look at how Villa Park will compare to some of the biggest stadiums both in the Premier League and around Europe once the renovation is complete.

Where will Aston Villa’s stadium rank for capacity in the Premier League?

As it stands, Aston Villa have the eighth biggest stadium in the Premier League behind Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham, Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City and Newcastle United. Villa Park is the 10th biggest in English football, with Sunderland’s Stadium of Light with 48,707 and Wembley Stadium with 90,000 also having more seats.

This development, however, will see the Villans take another step up the leaderboard, with their new 50,000 seater stadium holding more than Sunderland from 2027. Here is a list of the top 10 biggest stadiums in English football and where Villa will sit after the changes:

• Wembley - 90,000
• Old Trafford - 74,879
• Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - 62,850
• London Stadium - 62,500
• Anfield - 61,276
• Emirates - 60,074
• Etihad Stadium - 55,097
• St James’ Park - 52,258
• Villa Park - 50,000*
• Stadium of Light - 48,707

How will Villa Park compare to Europe’s elite?

As it stands, Aston Villa’s stadium is the 86th biggest in European sport, although their projected expansion is estimated to take them up to 58th in the list.

It’s worth nothing that some stadiums such as Murrayfield in Edinburgh and Twickenham Stadium among others are used for sports other than football which would move Villa Park up to the 54th biggest in Europe based on the projected expansion.

With the proposed redevelopment of the North Stand, the Club’s gross contribution to the local economy will reach £120 million while it’s also estimated the expansion will support 1,700 local jobs while attracting 1.1 million guests per year.

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