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Manchester United boasted the highest aggregate attendance across all European clubs for domestic league football in the 2023/24 season.
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Despite finishing eighth in the Premier League and recording a negative goal difference, United’s loyal supporters filled Old Trafford week after week.
UEFA report ranks United highest in Europe
A UEFA report set to be published on Thursday will reveal that Manchester United recorded a total home league attendance of 1,397,148, the highest of any European team.
Borussia Dortmund, who had the highest average home attendance in league matches at 81,305 per game, played two fewer league matches than English teams, which contributed to United’s lead in total home attendance.
All competitions attendance: United ranked third
In terms of total attendance across all competitions, Dortmund ranked first with 1,951,745, having reached the Champions League final.
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AC Milan followed with 1,860,964, while Manchester United came third with 1,834,291.
United’s early exit from the Champions League, where they finished bottom of their group and failed to qualify for the knockout stages or the Europa League, limited their total attendance in all competitions.
Plans for a new 100,000-capacity stadium
The timing of UEFA’s report coincides with Manchester United’s plans to submit proposals for a new 100,000-capacity stadium by the end of the year.
Old Trafford consistently sells out on matchdays, and the club is considering expanding its capacity to accommodate more fans.
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The proposed 100,000-seater stadium would make Old Trafford the second-largest club ground in Europe.
Comparisons with other top European clubs
Real Madrid recently refurbished their 85,000-capacity Santiago Bernabéu stadium, while Barcelona is in the process of expanding the Camp Nou to a capacity of 105,000.
Manchester United aims to follow suit with their stadium plans.
Ratcliffe’s proposal for Old Trafford rebuild
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who became co-owner of the club in February, has advocated for a rebuild of Old Trafford.
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A task force of 14 members, established in March, quickly agreed with Ratcliffe’s recommendation that constructing a new stadium on the same site is the most logical option to regenerate both Old Trafford and the surrounding area.
Projected costs and timeline
If the stakeholders align with Ratcliffe’s vision, work on the new stadium could begin as early as summer 2025.
Early projections estimate that the cost of the new stadium will be around £2 billion, with a three-year timeline for completion.
By comparison, Tottenham Hotspur left White Hart Lane in 2016, spent nearly three seasons at Wembley, and moved to their new 61,000-capacity venue in early 2019.
Manchester United’s decision to expand Old Trafford demonstrates the growing demand for increased capacity, with fans eager to attend matches at one of the most iconic stadiums in football.
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