Former Champions League winners announce first ever renovation of 50,033-seater stadium as roof is completely replaced
EUROPEAN giants Porto have announced plans for changes to their iconic Estádio do Dragão.
The stadium first opened in 2003 at a cost of £107million (€125m) and remains an architectural landmark among global sports venues.
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Porto have announced they will be undertaking major stadium works on the Estádio do Dragão
Credit: Reuters
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A whole new roof is included in the plans
Credit: Getty
However,
TLC
.
A club statement explained the stadium infrastructure had suffered from natural wear and tear, while the advancement of technology in the 22 years since its opening also played a part in the decision.
The main areas of improvement would focus on the infrastructure, technology and services of the venue.
It said: "One of the most beautiful stadiums in the world of football must have spaces and equipment at the level required, the blue and white members and fans will be able to enjoy more and better experiences from
next
season.
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"Following the commercial partnership established with Ithaka - which involves revenue and operating costs associated with ticketing, corporate hospitality, naming rights and other sponsorship contracts associated with the stadium, the Museum, visits and the organisation of non-sporting events, as well as other opportunities for generating revenue, present or
future
, related to Dragão - FC Porto has defined three axes of intervention: infrastructure, technology and services."
The plan is to carry out the works during pre-season of the 2025/26 and 2026/27 campaigns in order to minimise the impact on the sporting season.
Long term, this update will make the ground ready to host the World Cup when the famous tournament visits Portugal in 2030.
Works have already been ongoing for a few weeks, with club boxes being modernised along with the fan common areas like the toilets and bars.
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Next
summer
will see the club tackle the creation of new hospitality areas in an effort to "completely transform the hospitality and VIP services" on offer at the 50,033-capacity stadium.
A new central kitchen, autonomous bars, a new lighting system and a complete renovation of the roof are on the agenda for infrastructure works.
Liverpool owners plot takeover of LaLiga club after they part-destroy iconic stadium ahead of stunning rebuild
The coming changes will also see the stadium modernised with all ticketing transactions to be done without having to go to a physical store, while FC Porto will also be launching its own platform alongside this.
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All tickets, ranging from season ticket renewals and sales back to the club, will also be able to be carried out digitally.
This will be implemented as early as next month.
Porto are the second most successful club in Portuguese football with 30 league titles, only behind
Their last title arrived in 2022, before
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Porto are also two-time Champions of
Europe
, having won the Champions League in 1987 and 2004 - the latter of which sparked the career of a certain Jose Mourinho into life.
They missed out on Champions League football last season, and only made it to the Europa League league knockout phase as they ended the season without major silverware for the first time since 2021.
However, they did still win the Portuguese Supertaça, or Super Cup, after coming from 3-0 down to beat Sporting Lisbon.
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