(foto: Twitter)
China’s abandoned €1.5 billion Guangzhou stadium project has been revived, redesigned to 73,000 seats and relaunched under state-backed ownership after Evergrande’s collapse.
A stadium once intended to surpass Camp Nou and Wembley is set to return to life after years of uncertainty in Guangzhou.
Construction of the so-called “Flower City” stadium began six years ago as part of a €1.5 billion project backed by the Evergrande Group. Designed to hold more than 100,000 spectators, the arena was meant to become one of the largest football stadiums in the world.
From ambition to collapse
The futuristic venue, planned in the shape of a lotus flower capable of changing colour, featured a three-tier structure and was scheduled for completion in 2022.
However, mounting debts at Evergrande — reportedly exceeding €250 million in relation to the project — forced construction to halt. The Chinese government intervened, seized control of the site and left it abandoned, with cranes and scaffolding standing idle.
The financial turmoil contributed to the collapse of Guangzhou FC, once a dominant force in Chinese football. The club won eight league titles in nine seasons and was previously coached by high-profile managers such as Marcello Lippi, Fabio Cannavaro and Luiz Felipe Scolari.
Scaled down but back on track
Now, state-owned Guangzhou City Construction Investment Group has taken over the project and resumed building work.
The revised plan significantly reduces the scale and cost. The stadium capacity has been cut to 73,000 seats, and the complex lotus-inspired architectural concept has been abandoned in favour of a more conventional design.
While the original estimate stood at around €1.5 billion, the updated construction budget is reported to be approximately €300 million.
According to local media, the new target is to complete the stadium by the end of the year, marking a dramatic turnaround for a project that once symbolised the excesses of China’s football boom.
The revival reflects broader efforts to stabilise large infrastructure investments after the financial crisis that reshaped Chinese real estate and sports sectors in recent years.