Etihad Stadium

The Etihad Stadium began life as an athletics venue. Built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games, it opened on 25 July 2002, with Prince Charles conducting the ceremony and Queen Elizabeth II in attendance. Manchester City did not play there until the following year — the arena was converted from athletics to football, and the first match on the reconfigured pitch was staged on 10 August 2003. Arup designed the stadium; Laing Construction built it.

The name changed once the shape of the ground had already changed. Known as the City of Manchester Stadium until July 2011, it took its current title after Etihad Airways signed on as sponsor; older supporters still call it Eastlands, after the district it sits in. Capacity has climbed in stages since the Commonwealth Games left it at roughly 38,000: to 48,000 once the football conversion was finished, then to 55,100 when a third tier went up on the South Stand in 2015. A further phase is under way now — the North Stand rebuild, known as the Pep Guardiola Stand, running to around £300 million and due for completion by the end of 2026, after which capacity is meant to pass 60,000.

The playing surface is a hybrid pitch, Desso GrassMaster, and the ground sits on Ashton New Road, part of the Etihad Campus. Beyond City's own fixtures, it has hosted the 2008 UEFA Cup final, Women's Euro 2005 matches, pool games at the 2015 Rugby World Cup, and England friendlies — and outside football it fills for concerts, with Taylor Swift and Coldplay among the acts to have played there.