On Tuesday evening, the Croatian national football team will face off against Armenia in a crucial qualifying match for the 2024 European Championship. The game will take place at Maksimir, a stadium that is in dire need of renovation. For years, plans have been discussed to reconstruct the stadium and even build a new one entirely. It seems that the City of Zagreb, the state, and the Zagreb Archdiocese have finally reached an agreement. According to Sportski novosti, a contract for the necessary land for the construction of the stadium in Maksimir will be signed in December. In exchange, the archdiocese will receive new land in the city to construct new churches.
In addition to Maksimir, another stadium that requires renovation is Kranjčevićeva street, which currently houses HNL matches between Lokomotiva and Rudeš. After renovations scheduled to begin in spring 2024, the stadium is expected to have between 10,000 and 12,000 seats. During this time, Dinamo will call Kranjčevićeva its temporary home while construction takes place on its new stadium in Maksimir. However, with only three million euros allocated for renovations in Kranjčevićeva’s budget for 2024, it may not be enough for such a large project.
Bouigues Construction Company, known for building Stade de France and Franjo Tuđman Airport in Zagreb, has been named as one of the potential investors for the new stadium project in Maksimir. However, other options are also being considered by potential investors.