September 7, 2026
Venezia FC Reveals New Images of Populous-Designed Bosco Dello Sport Stadium
The new 18,500-capacity venue will provide an iconic new home for Venezia FC and forms a key part of the Bosco dello Sport, a 116-hectare multifunctional sports hub in Tessera, north of Venice. Conceived as a destination bringing together sport, community, education and wellbeing, the wider development represents one of the most significant new pieces of sports infrastructure in Italy.
Populous has completed the design of the stadium, working alongside Maffeis Engineering and Bordignon Costruzioni for the Comune di Venezia. Our team is now also supporting Venezia FC in the development of its premium suites and enhanced seating experiences.
At the heart of the design is a compact 18,500-seat bowl, with a continuous arrangement of seating around the south, east and north sides of the pitch. Shaped by Populous’ specialist seating bowl designers to optimise sightlines, proximity and atmosphere, the configuration brings supporters close to the action and is designed to create an intense matchday environment.
The west stand provides a different experience, dedicated to premium hospitality and Skyboxes. Populous is working with the Club to design a new range of experiences that combine outstanding views of the pitch with elevated levels of comfort, service and hospitality.
A covered concourse will encircle the entire stadium bowl, providing amenities and social spaces for supporters and visitors alongside panoramic views towards the surrounding landscape. The venue has also been designed to advanced inclusive-design standards, providing accessibility and comfort for all visitors in all stands.
“Set within the landscape of the Bosco dello Sport, this will be a stadium that is unmistakably Venetian, but also forward-looking — a new destination for football, sport and entertainment that can become a source of pride for the Club, its supporters and the wider city.”
Declan Sharkey, Senior Principal and Global Director at Populous, said:
“Venezia FC is an iconic football club, rooted in one of the world’s most distinctive cities, and our ambition has been to create a stadium that captures that character while giving the Club a world-class home for the future and one of a kind in the Italian market. The design puts the supporter experience at its heart, from the intimacy and atmosphere of the seating bowl to the premium hospitality spaces and the dynamic digital façade. Set within the landscape of the Bosco dello Sport, this will be a stadium that is unmistakably Venetian, but also forward-looking — a new destination for football, sport and entertainment that can become a source of pride for the Club, its supporters and the wider city.”
The stadium design takes cues from Venice and the surrounding landscape. Curved forms respond to the wider Bosco dello Sport masterplan and establish a visual relationship with the neighbouring arena and sports centre. Vertical elements across the façade reinterpret the rhythm of Venice’s historic palaces, giving the stadium a distinctive identity while creating a sense of lightness and transparency. Building on this architectural language, a unique interactive digital façade incorporating LED fins will allow the stadium exterior to be fully programmed. Light, colour and digital content can transform its appearance, creating a dynamic canvas that can respond to Venezia FC matchdays, live events and other occasions. The result will be a building capable of changing character while retaining an architectural language rooted in its Venetian context.
The new stadium has been conceived as more than a football ground. Its flexible and innovative design will allow it to accommodate Venezia FC matches alongside international football, rugby, concerts, festivals, cultural events and other major live entertainment throughout the year. This flexibility is central to the ambition for Bosco dello Sport: to create a new destination for Venice in which elite sport sits alongside community activity, education, entertainment and wellbeing. For Venezia FC, the stadium will provide a new home designed around its supporters and long-term ambitions, combining an atmospheric football bowl with premium experiences and a digitally enabled identity that can evolve with the club.
The stadium is currently under construction, following the groundbreaking ceremony in October 2025, and is on track to open in 2027.
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