Benfica Unveils Bold New Vision and Masterplan for Estádio da Luz and Surrounding Precinct with World-Class Fan and Community Facilities

LISBON, Portugal--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 22, 2025--

S.L. Benfica has unveiled a transformative new masterplan for Estádio da Luz, positioning the stadium as a premier international sports and entertainment destination – aligning it with the most exciting developments of its kind around the world – while enhancing the fan experience and strengthening its connection with both supporters and the local community.

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Populous has led all aspects of the masterplan design in collaboration with the renowned Lisbon-based architecture firm Saraiva + Associados. Populous also served as the original designer of the stadium, which opened in 2004.

A World-Class District for Sports, Culture and Entertainment

The project will modernise the stadium’s facilities and introduce new venues, amenities and public spaces to the surrounding precinct, creating a valuable civic asset for the people of Benfica and supporting the club’s long-term financial sustainability.

The masterplan includes:

Enhanced Fan Experience at the Core

Benfiquistas – as the club’s supporters are known – will enjoy a new pre- and post-match gathering space in the form of a 100m x 40m fan plaza in front of the stadium’s main façade, inspired by Lisbon’s famed civic squares such as Praça do Rossio.

With capacity for over 10,000 fans, the plaza will feature a DJ deck and event space, and will be surrounded by food and beverage outlets, retail and terraced restaurants – establishing it as a year-round destination for the city.

Supporters will also benefit from a range of enhancements across the campus, including hospitality terraces, large-format sky-screen installations, and improved connectivity bridges to enhance movement and accessibility.

The statue of Eusébio – a beloved icon of the club – will be carefully relocated to stand at the main entrance to the plaza, prominently positioned against the backdrop of the stadium’s façade to greet fans as they arrive.

Modernisation of the Estádio da Luz

The project will also refresh and reinvigorate the stadium itself. A new façade – fluid and dynamic in its architecture – redefines the stadium’s form through a contemporary lens, tempering light and heat to provide shade for the concourses and enhance fan comfort, while preserving the building’s iconic curved roof trusses.

The facade features integrated LED lighting that weaves a dynamic digital layer across the entire structure, illuminating the architecture on matchdays. It transforms the stadium into both a beacon for supporters and an immersive backdrop for the fan plaza. This programmable LED “skin” also allows the stadium to adapt effortlessly to a wide range of events, from football matches to concerts.

Michael Forward, Associate Principal at Populous and Lead Designer for the project, explains: “The stadium façade articulates a contemporary architectural language rooted in Lisbon’s evolving urban narrative. A restrained palette of neutral tones fosters a seamless dialogue with the surrounding masterplan, while vertical louvres lend both rhythm and porosity to the envelope. The overall effect pays homage to Benfica’s heritage while creating a striking visual effect looking confidently to the future.”

Additionally, a new fourth level will be added to the stadium, outside the seating bowl, providing 6,800 sqm of mixed-use space that includes the potential for club offices, an increased-capacity premium hospitality offering and commercial facilities. This extension is part of a wider strategy to activate the stadium beyond matchdays and embed it more deeply in Lisbon’s urban life.

Sustainability and Legacy

The project champions sustainable design principles, integrating photovoltaic panels on the arena roof, ‘green’ roofs, rainwater harvesting and landscape strategies that support ecological resilience. The development is designed not only to enhance the matchday experience but to provide long-term social and environmental benefits to the Lisbon community.

Quotes:

Rui Costa, President of S.L. Benfica, said: “This is an ambitious and strategic project, focused on our members, fans, and the continued growth of the club, which we intend to begin implementing immediately. Our aim is to enhance the stadium and wider masterplan facilities to support all sports and further strengthen Benfica’s position, both in Portugal and around the world, as the country’s leading sporting institution – with completion in time for the major international competitions that Portugal will host. It is a project in the true Benfica spirit – one that enhances the competitive environment, deepens the club experience, and welcomes all those who want to experience what it means to be part of the Chama Imensa, the greatest in Portugal. It is a commitment to make us stronger, more valuable, and an even greater leader.”

Tom Jones, Senior Principal and Project Architect, said: “This masterplan is an example of how venue-anchored mixed-use developments can reinvigorate a whole district, and sets a new benchmark for how stadiums can serve as cultural and community beacons. Estádio da Luz will not just be a home for Benfica’s proud history, but a catalyst for its vibrant future.”

Jorge Betancor, Principal at Populous, who leads the firm’s operations in Portugal, said: “The Estádio da Luz is one of Portugal’s and Europe’s most iconic stadiums. This project will modernise its facilities and create new amenities within the precinct for both spectators on matchdays and the public year-round – aligning it with developments such as Wembley Stadium and Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium. It will set a new benchmark in Portugal and at an exciting juncture in the country’s sporting development as it builds towards World Cup 2030.”

About Populous

Populous is a global architecture and design practice specialising in the design of sports and entertainment venues. The firm’s portfolio includes Benfica's Estádio da Luz, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Wembley Stadium in the UK, along with stadium-anchored masterplans such as Casablanca Stadium in Morocco - set to become the largest football stadium in the world – and Kai Tak Sports Park in Hong Kong. Over the last 40 years, the practice has designed more than 3,500 projects worth over $60 billion across emerging and established markets. Populous’ comprehensive services include architecture, interior design, event planning and overlay, brand activation, wayfinding, urban design, food & beverage strategy, landscape architecture and sustainable design consulting. Populous has over 1,500 staff and 31 offices on four continents, with regional centres in London, Kansas City and Brisbane.

Benfica - New Fan Plaza as part of the masterplan for the Estádio da Luz Stadium, designed by Populous.

Benfica - Statue of Eusébio relocated to the front of the new fan plaza, as part of the new masterplan for the Estádio da Luz Stadium, designed by Populous.

Benfica - Walkways and community pitch as part of the new masterplan for the Estádio da Luz Stadium, designed by Populous.

Benfica - New masterplan for the Estádio da Luz Stadium, designed by Populous: Daytime Aerial image.

Benfica - New masterplan for the Estádio da Luz Stadium, designed by Populous: Night-time aerial image.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty on Friday called on members of the public to send any video or other evidence in the fatal shooting of Renee Good directly to her office, challenging the Trump administration's decision to leave the investigation solely to the FBI.

Moriarty said that although her office has collaborated effectively with the FBI in past cases, she is concerned by the Trump administration's decision to bar state and local agencies from playing any role in the investigation into Wednesday's killing of Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis.

She also said that despite the Trump administration’s insistence that the officer who shot Good has complete legal immunity, that isn’t the case.

“We do have jurisdiction to make this decision with what happened in this case,” she said at a news conference. “It does not matter that it was a federal law enforcement agent.”

Moriarty said her office would post a link for the public to submit footage of the shooting, even though she acknowledged that she wasn't sure what legal outcome submissions might produce.

The prosecutor's announcement came on a third day of Minneapolis protests over Good's killing and a day after federal immigration officers shot and wounded two people in Portland, Oregon.

Good's wife, Becca Good, released a statement to Minnesota Public Radio on Friday saying, “kindness radiated out of her.”

"On Wednesday, January 7th, we stopped to support our neighbors. We had whistles. They had guns," Becca Good said.

“I am now left to raise our son and to continue teaching him, as Renee believed, that there are people building a better world for him,” she wrote. “That the people who did this had fear and anger in their hearts, and we need to show them a better way.”

The reaction to the Good's shooting was immediate in the city where police killed George Floyd in 2020, with hundreds of protesters converging on the shooting scene and the school district canceling classes for the rest of the week as a precaution.

On Thursday night, hundreds marched in freezing rain down one of Minneapolis’ major thoroughfares, chanting “ICE out now!” and holding signs saying, “Killer ice off our streets." And on Friday, protesters were out again demonstrating outside of a federal facility that is serving as a hub for the immigration crackdown that began Tuesday in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Authorities erected barricades outside the facility Friday.

City workers, meanwhile, removed makeshift barricades made of old Christmas trees and other debris that had been blocking the streets near the scene of Good's shooting. Officials said they would leave up a shrine to the 37-year-old mother of three.

The Portland shootings happened outside a hospital Thursday afternoon. Federal immigration officers shot and wounded a man and woman, identified by the Department of Homeland Security as Venezuela nationals Luis David Nico Moncada and Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras, who were inside a vehicle, and their conditions weren't immediately known. The FBI and the Oregon Department of Justice were investigating.

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson and the city council called on ICE to end all operations in the city until a full investigation is completed. Hundreds protested Thursday night at a local ICE building. Early Friday, Portland police reported that officers had arrested several protesters after asking the to get out of a street to allow traffic to flow.

Just as it did following Good's shooting, DHS defended the actions of the officers in Portland, saying it occurred after a Venezuelan man with alleged gang ties and who was involved in a recent shooting tried to “weaponize” his vehicle to hit the officers. It wasn't immediately clear if the shootings were captured on video, as Good's was.

The Minneapolis shooting happened on the second day of the immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities, which Homeland Security said is the biggest immigration enforcement operation ever. More than 2,000 officers are taking part and Noem said they have made more than 1,500 arrests.

The government is also shifting immigration officers to Minneapolis from sweeps in Louisiana, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. This represents a pivot, as the Louisiana crackdown that began in December had been expected to last into February.

Good's death — at least the fifth tied to immigration sweeps since Trump took office — has resonated far beyond Minneapolis, as protests happening in other places, including Texas, California, Detroit and Missouri.

In Washington, D.C., on Thursday, a woman held a sign that said, “Stop Trump’s Gestapo,” as hundreds of people marched to the White House. Protesters in Pflugerville, Texas, north of Austin, banged on the walls of an ICE facility. And a man in Los Angeles burned an American flag in front of federal detention center.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, President Donald Trump and others in his administration have repeatedly characterized the Minneapolis shooting as an act of self-defense and cast Good as a villain, suggesting she used her vehicle as a weapon to attack the officer who shot her.

But state and local officials and protesters rejected that characterization, with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey saying videos show the self-defense argument is “garbage.”

Several bystanders captured footage of Good's killing, which happened in a neighborhood south of downtown.

The recordings show an officer approaching an SUV stopped across the middle of the road, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle. The Honda Pilot begins to pull forward and a different ICE officer standing in front of it pulls his weapon and immediately fires at least two shots at close range, jumping back as the vehicle moves toward him.

It is not clear from the videos if the vehicle makes contact with the officer, and there is no indication of whether the woman had interactions with agents earlier. After the shooting, the SUV speeds into two cars parked on a curb before crashing to a stop.

The federal agent who fatally shot Good is an Iraq War veteran who has served for nearly two decades in the Border Patrol and ICE, according to records obtained by AP.

Noem has not publicly named him, but a Homeland Security spokesperson said her description of his injuries last summer refers to an incident in Bloomington, Minnesota, in which court documents identify him as Jonathan Ross.

Ross got his arm stuck in the window of a vehicle whose driver was fleeing arrest on an immigration violation. Ross was dragged and fired his Taser. A jury found the driver guilty of assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon.

Attempts to reach Ross, 43, at phone numbers and email addresses associated with him were not successful.

Associated Press reporters Steve Karnowski and Mark Vancleave in Minneapolis; Ed White in Detroit; Valerie Gonzalez in Brownsville, Texas; Graham Lee Brewer in Norman, Oklahoma; Michael Biesecker in Washington; Jim Mustian and Safiyah Riddle in New York; Ryan Foley in Iowa City, Iowa; and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.

Protesters confront law enforcement outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(AP Photo/Adam Bettcher)

Protesters' shadows are cast on the street near law enforcement outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Bettcher)

Protesters confront law enforcement outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(AP Photo/Adam Bettcher)

An American flag burns outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Two protesters are lit by a police light as they walk outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Protesters are arrested by federal agents outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Bettcher)

Protesters sit on a barrier that is being assembled outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building as protesters gather in Minneapolis, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Bettcher)

Protesters stand off against law enforcement outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Ore., Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Demonstrators protest outside the White House in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent who fatally shot Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Protesters chant and march during a rally for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer the day before, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Protesters gather during a rally for Renee Good, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Minneapolis, after she was fatally shot by an ICE officer the day before. (AP Photo/Adam Bettcher)

Protesters confront federal agents outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minn. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)

People gather around a makeshift memorial honoring the victim of a fatal shooting involving federal law enforcement agents, near the site of the shooting, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)

U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino arrives as protesters gather outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minn. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)

A protester pours water in their eye after confronting law enforcement outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minn. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)

People gather around a makeshift memorial honoring the victim of a fatal shooting involving federal law enforcement agents, near the site of the shooting, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)