Bologna races to close €300m stadium funding plan ahead of Euro 2032 deadline

Bologna FC are working to complete the financing structure for a proposed €300m new stadium as the club and BolognaFiere prepare to submit their project to the Italian Football Federation by September 30.The venue would be built at the BolognaFiere site near the motorway and has emerged as an alternative to the repeatedly delayed redevelopment of the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara.Bologna mayor Matteo Lepore said: “We are completing the search for investors. When we have completed the economic and financial plan, we will effectively be able to say that the operation is starting.”“We are at a good point. We are all very focused on this objective and I believe that once we have completed this process we will be able to give the city certainty that we are moving forward.”The current funding model would see Bologna owner Joey Saputo contribute around €50m, with BolognaFiere committing a similar amount.Private investors could provide further capital, while Bologna is also seeking between €25m and €30m of central government support linked to preparations for Euro 2032.The remaining requirement is expected to be financed largely through debt, with Italy’s Istituto per il Credito Sportivo e Culturale positioned as a potential financing partner.That makes the credibility of the financing package central to whether the project advances.The new venue is being designed as a multi-purpose commercial asset rather than solely a football stadium, with concerts, events, trade fair activity and potential retail space forming part of the business model.Those additional uses are particularly important to BolognaFiere, which had previously planned a new exhibition hall on the site and is seeking to retain commercial value from the land.The eventual ownership structure has not yet been determined, with Bologna general manager Claudio Fenucci acknowledging that the venue is unlikely to be wholly owned by the club.The parties must also agree how revenues, maintenance costs, event dates and access to different parts of the complex will be divided.Euro 2032 is accelerating those negotiations. Italy must eventually select five host venues, and Bologna currently lacks a completed stadium meeting the required standards.Construction could begin in 2027, with the venue targeted for completion at least a year before the tournament.The September 30 submission will therefore be an important test of whether Bologna can convert a long-running stadium ambition into a financeable project capable of supporting both the club’s commercial growth and the city’s Euro 2032 bid.