Bologna, August 1, 2026 – Bolognafiere and Bologna Fc together for a new multipurpose sports facility. Today a letter of intent was presented to Mayor Matteo Lepore. The identified area is owned by Bologna Fiere, between the railway line and the Bologna highway. It is a good area in terms of mobility: next to the highway toll booth, with parking lots with thousands of parking spaces, a dedicated railway stop, already used in the past to serve major events, and one of the termini of the future tram (Michelino Fiera Nord). The two entities wrote to Lepore, a text aimed at starting the process for the construction of a new stadium in Fiera. “The initiative arises from the desire of the two entities to make available skills, resources and design capabilities to provide Bologna with a new modern, accessible infrastructure fully integrated into the urban system,” Bfc and Bologna Fiere write in a statement. Together they will define the project and verify the technical, urban planning, infrastructural and economic-financial conditions necessary for its realization.
The identified area has strategic characteristics due to its location, proximity to major mobility infrastructures and its inclusion in a city quadrant undergoing important transformation and development processes. The facility will be built on an area owned by Bologna Fiere between the railway line and the highway: it will be a multipurpose structure for football, concerts and events.
And while the Unipol Hall is being built in Fiera to also host sporting events, such as the home matches of Virtus and the Davis Cup in November, it is natural to wonder if the new, multifunctional fair district could in the future – why not – also host the stadium that will be built.
Calzolari: “We offer our experience”
“BolognaFiere offers a strategic area and its experience in the construction and management of large infrastructures designed to host the public and events for this project,” declares Gianpiero Calzolari, president of BolognaFiere.
“The collaboration with Bologna FC arises from a shared vision: to contribute to the growth of the city through an investment capable of combining sports, shows and trade fair-congress activities, urban development, sustainability and international attractiveness. The letter of intent represents a first concrete step to explore the feasibility of a strategic and long-term project.”
Fenucci: “A first feasibility analysis of a new infrastructure”
“Together with BolognaFiere we have presented,” adds Claudio Fenucci, CEO of Bologna FC 1909, “a first feasibility analysis of a new multifunctional infrastructure capable of providing Bologna FC with a modern stadium in line with the best standards in the sector. The collaboration with Bologna Fiere will allow us to design a facility that will also be able to host concerts and events, making the city even more a hub of attraction for all exhibition and entertainment activities. The operation will also be open to other investors who will share with us this vision for the development of the city.”
Municipality and Bologna football write to Minister Abodi to nominate the project for Euro 2032
“The Municipality and Bologna Football announce that Bologna Football Club 1909 S.p.A has started in recent months the preparation of a specific project to build a new multifunctional stadium, with a capacity of over 30,000 spectators, included within the urbanized municipal territory, capable of being executed observing the requirements set during Italy’s bid to host the 2032 European Championship, within the deadlines set by UEFA.” This is how the Municipality’s note begins. This is the main passage of the letter, signed by Lepore and president Joey Saputo, sent yesterday evening to Minister for Sport Andrea Abodi requesting to include the new facility among the Euro2032 stadiums to be held between Italy and Turkey. Furthermore, it asks to “facilitate any potential development, possibly also involving the Extraordinary Commissioner.”
Lepore: “Proposal from Fiera and Bologna football is interesting”
Mayor Lepore intervenes: “Interesting proposal. The next step will be in September, when Bologna F.C. and Fiera will decide on the final economic and financial sustainability of the project. This is a private initiative planned on Fiera areas, all analyses have been carried out by the Municipality and that area turns out to be the best for an intervention of this kind.”
If it materializes, “the project would complete our vision for a city quadrant dedicated to technology, events and knowledge – explains Lepore –, providing the fair platform with another international-level multifunctional infrastructure that would complement the Sports Palace soon to be completed.”
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