Cagliari unlock stadium race against Euro 2032 clock
Cagliari’s new €215m-plus stadium has cleared a decisive political hurdle, allowing the city to launch a tender while strengthening its bid to stage UEFA Euro 2032 matches.
Cagliari City Council has declared the club’s proposed new stadium to be in the public interest, advancing a project pursued for more than a decade and clearing the way for a competitive tender.The venue, which is expected to carry the name of club and Italy great Gigi Riva, would replace the ageing Stadio Sant’Elia and form a central part of Cagliari’s UEFA Euro 2032 hosting ambitions.Cagliari said: “This marks a fundamental step in a process that began more than ten years ago and that the club, as project promoter, has pursued with conviction, investing resources, expertise and energy while working in close and continuous cooperation with the institutions and all stakeholders involved.“The objective remains to provide Cagliari and Sardinia with a public, sustainable infrastructure capable of generating value from a sporting, social and economic perspective.”The development is valued at more than €215m, with the Sardinia regional government contributing €50m and the municipality providing another €10m.Public funding will primarily support the demolition of the Sant’Elia and remediation of the surrounding site. A €6.4m contingency reserve has also been included to manage inflation, regulatory changes and other construction risks.The remaining investment will be delivered through a concession model, with the successful operator receiving control of the stadium for 50 years.Annual payments to the municipality are set at €100,000 during the first 25 years, rising to €200,000 for the remainder of the concession, although those figures could increase during the tender.Construction is expected to take around 40 months once the delivery partner has been selected and final approvals secured.The timetable is closely linked to Italy’s preparations for Euro 2032, which it will stage jointly with Turkey.Cagliari must demonstrate that the stadium has a credible funding, procurement and construction plan as the Italian Football Federation selects its proposed host cities.The declaration of public interest enables the municipality to launch the tender process and move towards appointing the entity responsible for building and operating the venue.Cagliari currently play at the temporary Unipol Domus, making the project critical to the club’s plans for increased capacity, hospitality, sponsorship and year-round event revenue.The tender will now determine whether the political approval can be converted into a deliverable stadium project within UEFA’s Euro 2032 timetable.