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Is Manchester United’s new £2 billion stadium design a copy of Morocco’s 115,000-capacity Hassan II Stadium, currently under construction in preparation for the 2030 World Cup? On Tuesday, the English football club unveiled plans to build a new 100,000-seat stadium in a promotional video shared on X.
The «new theater for dreams to come alive», as Manchester United has phrased it, is designed to resemble an «umbrella» with three giant towers inspired by the Red Devils' trident, according to the Daily Mail.
This is your future.
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) March 11, 2025
Your home.
Your United.#MUFC pic.twitter.com/cK7yVnOm1X
The facility, expected to be built in five years, will feature a three-story museum and canal-side restaurants as part of a fan village aimed at «preserving the essence of Old Trafford… while transforming the fan experience just footsteps from our existing home».
However, the design of Manchester United’s new stadium has sparked speculation online. Many fans have pointed out the resemblance between the design of United’s facility and Morocco’s Hassan II Stadium, currently under construction near Casablanca. «What Morocco did yesterday, Manchester does today», joked a comment on the video shared by Manchester United, which starts with the phrase, «What Manchester does today, the world does tomorrow».
This speculation intensified after Manchester United’s former Director of Communications, Charlie Brooks, posted a timely message on X sharing that work is still ongoing for the Stade Hassan Stadium in Morocco. In his post, he hinted that the stadium has «red seats» and is «covered by a giant tented structure», intriguingly similar to the design shared by Manchester United.
Brooks, who previously worked for Manchester United, now represents Populous — the architecture company co-designing Morocco’s state-of-the-art stadium in Casablanca.
It’s worth noting that back in 2022, Populous was tasked with drawing up a master plan for Manchester United’s new stadium before Norman Foster, an English architect and designer, took over the project.
For the record, architecture studio Oualalou + Choi, based in Morocco, and Populous, a global firm specializing in sports facilities, won the bid to design the 115,000-seat Grand Stade de Casablanca in Morocco in 2024.
Oualalou + Choi and Populous were selected by Morocco's National Agency for Public Facilities (ANEP) following an international design competition that saw bids from prestigious firms like Herzog & De Meuron, Zaha Hadid Architects, and Foster + Partners.
Their design draws inspiration from the traditional Moroccan gathering known as a «moussem» (festival), which is reflected in the stadium's structure, featuring a dramatic, tented roof.
