New 18,500-Capacity Stadium Unveiled for Venezia, Design by Populous

VENICE, Italy--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 24, 2025--

Plans for a new city stadium – to be used for football, Serie A rugby and other events such as concerts – have been unveiled and presented to the Municipality of Venice.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250422302550/en/

Maffeis Engineering and Populous, the world-leading sports architecture and design practice firm in the field of sports and entertainment, have been commissioned for the design and engineering work by the consortium of companies composed of Costruzioni Bordignon, Fincantieri Infrastrutture and Ranzato Impianti, which was awarded the contract for the project in March 2024.

The new Serie A stadium will have 18,500 seats. It will be part of a major sports masterplan built in Tessera in the new Bosco dello Sport, a multifunctional, 116-hectare hub in the northern part of the city, designed to integrate sport, social life, education and wellbeing.

The stadium’s design is inspired by the surrounding landscape, with curved lines that follow the wider masterplan, interacting with the nearby arena and sports center. The perimeter line also follows the overall organic layout: its clean structure is ideally placed within the Sports Forest like a pavilion in a garden.

The façade features a composition of vertical elements that rise upward in a regular pattern, creating a visible backdrop to the upper section of the seating bowl. This makes the stadium structure light and airy, allowing a view above the top of the stadium bowl.

The crescent-shaped podium gently embraces the stadium’s itself, becoming a strategic part of the structure, designed to house parking areas and other services.

The seating bowl develops in a semi-continuous section on the south, east, and north sides. Populous’ specialized designers have shaped it to offer optimal sightlines during matches. Its compact and monumental configuration ensures maximum fan experience while enhancing atmosphere.

VIP hospitality is based in the West Stand, offering premium and unique experiences. Dedicated spaces have been designed for the home fans, including a covered gallery surrounding the bowl 360 degrees, offering selected services and a breathtaking view of the surrounding landscape.

Overall, a diverse range of dining options and social spaces will make the experience even more enjoyable for all spectators. The stadium has been designed in accordance with the highest standards of inclusive design, allowing everyone to use and enjoy the venue.

The new Venice stadium will be able to transform to host Serie A rugby matches and live events such as concerts, making the facility even more vibrant and attractive for the local community.

Soil Engineering, Seingim, and Gae Engineering are also collaborating on the stadium project.

From Luigi Brugnaro, Mayor of the Municipality of Venice:
"I am truly proud and excited to present this project, a symbol of rebirth and an example of a city that wants to achieve. The time has come for us to have one of the most modern and cutting-edge stadiums in the world.

This will be an important project not only for our metropolitan area, but for the whole country. It will host football and rugby matches, as well as cultural events and concerts, and together with the new Arena, it will lead to the creation of jobs.

With the whole area of the Bosco dello Sport, Venice will finally have a new epicentre of sport, social life, inclusion and sustainability. I thank all those who, over the years, have worked to make this dream come true."

From Massimo Maffeis, CEO Maffeis Engineering:
“For us this stadium represents Venetians for Veneto. while we are used to working on international projects, there is an added emotion and motivation to work on a project that feels more ‘ours’ than many others. We are proud to be part of this project and of this team.”

From Silvia Prandelli, Senior Principal and General Manager of Populous Italia:
“The new Venice Stadium will give the city the sports infrastructure it deserves, with a unique design geared to enhancing the fan experience. Populous Italia is proud to contribute to the Bosco dello Sport project as well, a place where quality entertainment and sports activities at all levels will have a transformative and regenerative impact on the area. Together with its strategic location, this project will be a catalyst for the region, capable of attracting numerous national and international visitors.”

Venice, 22 April 2025. New Stadium unveiled for Venezia, designed by Populous.

Venice, 22 April 2025. New Stadium unveiled for Venezia, designed by Populous.

Venice, 22 April 2025. New Stadium unveiled for Venezia, designed by Populous.

Venice, 22 April 2025. New Stadium unveiled for Venezia, designed by Populous.

GUANARE, Venezuela (AP) — Freedom came too late for Edilson Torres.

The former police officer was set to be buried Tuesday in his humble, rural hometown following his death in a Venezuelan prison, where he was held incommunicado since his November detention on what his family said were politically motivated accusations. Hours ahead of the ceremony, his children, neighbors, police officers, friends and dozens others gathered to pay their respects.

Torres, 51, died of a heart attack on Saturday, just as his family awaited the government's promised release of prisoners following the U.S. capture of then-President Nicolás Maduro. His death comes as scores of families like his — who once hesitated to approach advocacy groups — are now coming forward to register their loved ones as “political prisoners.”

Alfredo Romero, director of the organization Foro Penal, a non-governmental organization that tracks and advocates for Venezuelan prisoners, said the group has received a “flood of messages” since last week from families.

“They didn’t report it out of fear, and now they’re doing it because, in a way, they feel that there is this possibility that their families will be freed,” Romero said. “They see it as hope, but more importantly, as an opportunity.”

The head of Venezuela’s national assembly said last week that a “significant number" of Venezuelan and foreigners imprisoned in the country would be released as a gesture to “seek peace.”

Romero explained that of the roughly 300 families who reached out, about 100 cases so far have been confirmed as politically motivated. Most of those reported over the past few days, he said, once worked for Venezuela's military.

As of Tuesday morning, Foro Penal had confirmed the release of 55 prisoners. While Venezuela's government reported a higher figure of 116, it did not identify them, making it impossible to determine whether those freed were behind bars for political or other reasons.

“My little brother, my little brother,” Emelyn Torres said between sobs after his casket, cloaked in Venezuela's flag, arrived at her home for the wake. A few feet away, their grandmother nearly fainted as dozens of people crammed into the living room to pay their respects.

Hours earlier, as a minivan transported the body of her brother 267 miles (430 kilometers) from the capital, Caracas, to Guanare, Torres learned that other men linked to the WhatsApp group that led to her brother's arrest had just been released from prison. She wailed. He did not live long enough to walk free.

Among those who have been released are: human rights attorney Rocío San Miguel, who immediately relocated to Spain; Biagio Pilieri, an opposition leader who was part of Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado’s 2024 presidential campaign; and Enrique Márquez, a former electoral authority and presidential candidate.

Italian businessman Marco Burlò, who was released from prison Monday, told reporters outside an international airport in Rome Tuesday that he was kept isolated throughout his detention, which he characterized as a “pure and real kidnapping.”

“I can’t say that I was physically abused, but without being able to talk to our children, without the right to defense, without being able to speak to the lawyer, completely isolated, here they thought that I might have died," he said.

Janetsky reported from Mexico City.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Flor Zambrano, whose son, Rene Chourio, she says is detained at Zone 7 of the Bolivarian National Police for political reasons, embraces relatives of other detainees outside the facility in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A photo of Edilson Torres, a Venezuelan police officer who died in prison a month after being arrested on accusations of treason, and his family adorns his coffin during his wake at his home in Guanare, Venezuela, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Relatives of Edilson Torres, a Venezuelan police officer who died in prison a month after being arrested on accusations of treason, sit by his coffin during his wake in Guanare, Venezuela, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Emelyn Torres leans over the casket of her brother, Edilson Torres, a Venezuelan police officer who died in prison a month after being detained on accusations of treason, during his wake at his home in Guanare, Venezuela, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Emelyn Torres and Maria Cristina Fernandez, the sister and grandmother of Edilson Torres, a Venezuelan police officer who died in prison after being detained on accusations of treason, embrace during his wake at his home in Guanare, Venezuela, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)