Allianz Stadium: What could Twickenham rugby arena look like after facelift?
We’ve all been there, kettled into Twickenham station after a day out at Allianz Stadium watching England Rugby take on top international opposition.
The 82,000-seat national stadium is the biggest purpose-built rugby arena in the world and sits behind only Wembley Stadium’s 90,000 in terms of UK capacity.
But Allianz Stadium and its surrounding area is about to undergo a wide-reaching redevelopment. The capacity will remain the same under the master plan, but premium offerings will rise and there will be changes to transport and access.
Populous, WSP, Turner & Townsend and Arup will all work together on the site, with Twickenham Experience Limited managing director Nils Braude explaining to City AM how the £650m facelift will look after work begins in 2027.
Allianz Stadium to expand?
“At this stage, the redevelopment is unlikely to reduce the venue’s capacity, nor will it increase capacity,” he says. “There is no current anticipation that the reprofiling of the premium offering will reduce the seats available to general fans.
“The evolution of both the premium and concourse experiences needs to meet the demands of a fan base seeking a better event experience and value for money.
“England Rugby hospitality can already accommodate more premium guests than most European venues. The experiences on offer at the venue are on par with renowned venues. However, many newer venues have evolved to offer a wider range of “super premium” options. Allianz Stadium’s master plan aims to elevate venue hospitality to a new level.”
Braude adds that value for money is key, and that the recent development of the stadium’s east stand added 4,000 additional premium seats to the venue.
Corporate elites?
Fans often despise the idea that Twickenham has such a large portion of its 82,000 seats sectioned off for the corporate “elite”. Ticket prices for normal seats are astronomical, often above £350 for a family of four.
City AM experienced England’s three 2025 men’s Six Nations games – against France, Scotland and Italy – across three of Allianz Stadium’s offerings.
Against France an outdoor private bar played host with seats in the lower tier of the bowl. Union 15 bar, run by Freemans Event Partners, appears to be the sort of permanent structure Allianz Stadium could use more of. While the firm also runs the outlets surrounding the main bowl.
For the Calcutta Cup the incredible East Wing by Tommy Banks was the stage (from £1,449pp) with seats at the back of the second tier. And against Italy a private suite showed the best of the intimacy a box offers.
But stadium build and design isn’t based entirely on the assumed fan experience, Fabrice Roudet of intelligent power management firm Eaton tells City AM.
Energy is power
The sustainability director highlights the significant energy consumption of stadiums, suggesting premium offerings can sometimes see that figure spike.
Premium, padded seats with phone chargers and better lighting, alongside a hosting space designed for intimate comfort, will always use more energy than the standard lighting for the masses. And that ability to keep the lights on could be the difference between winning business and losing it.
“If you look at Uefa, they have a list of criteria to be eligible to host certain games and carbon footprint is becoming a criteria,” he adds.
“So stadium managers are, as a result, monitoring their footprint. If you have an old stadium your infrastructure is weak. As a result a lot of energy is coming from generators which is a disadvantage compared to a brand new stadium that would be equipped with the kind of systems that lower your footprint, or even in the case of increased size of batteries [rather than generators], they can claim that they can run the game on battery supplied by stored solar power.”
Populous, leading the master plan, have stadiums such as Wembley, the Emirates and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as part of the CV. And it is clear the RFU want to replicate the best parts of each of those arenas to ensure the home of English rugby can compete long into the future.
Solutions at Allianz Stadium
Changes to transport, too, might help rugby’s governing body in their fight against the local council to host more events at the stadium.
“The England Men’s team accounts for 85 per cent of the revenues that comes into the RFU, it is important we maximise revenues from these games to support continued investment in professional and community rugby across England,” Braude insists.
“Hospitality has a key role in driving revenues however, we want and need to attract a wide and diverse range of fans and offer broad price points across our men’s and women’s games, these vary according to the opposition teams we are facing and include lower prices for children’s tickets.”
From experience there is room for every fan, with demand clearly still present to watch England at Allianz Stadium.
The lower tier seats put you at the heart of the action, but can set you back over £140, while the private restaurant was the personification of opulence. The boxes, while intimate, often feel detached – but they serve a purpose.
And while it is unlikely fans will see ticket reductions anytime soon the experience of watching England should improve, in principle at least. The RFU should increase the number of tickets available to grassroots clubs to offset the increase in premium offerings, or offer those at a lower price to keep the core of the country’s paying public engaged.