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Fenerbahce has completed plans for a €50 million ($58.2 million) expansion of Chobani Stadium in Istanbul's Kadikoy district that will increase the venue's capacity to 64,000 in the stadium's first major redevelopment since 2006, the club announced on Wednesday.
According to the statement, the project is expected to generate an additional €25 million in annual revenue after the modernization work is completed.
The club's president and board members met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Presidential Dolmabahce Office on Sept. 5 to discuss the plan, and the club said the project will begin once the required permits are secured.
The expansion will involve substantial changes to the stadium's existing structure, with construction scheduled to begin with foundation work before steel components are ordered and installed after the reinforced-concrete work is completed.
A central part of the project will see the stadium roof raised by about 6 meters using special jacks, after which new stands will be built behind the goals along with 52 additional private boxes. The two main stands running along the sides of the pitch, known as the Maraton and Fenerium stands, will also be expanded as part of the work, taking overall capacity to 64,000.
Fenerbahce board member Nihat Ozbagi said the construction program is expected to last 12 months, with the club planning to keep playing home matches at the stadium while the work is underway. He added that the team could play a few matches at another stadium while the roof is being raised.
"With the support of our sponsors, we will once again carry out the project ourselves without placing a burden on our club's existing budget," Ozbagi added.
Chobani Stadium, or, with its full name before the sponsorship deal, Sukru Saracoglu Sports Complex Fenerbahce Stadium, is the home ground of the Yellow-Navy club and has been used as a football venue since 1908.
The stadium has undergone several renovations over the decades, with its latest major redevelopment taking place between 1999 and 2006, when the old stands were gradually demolished and rebuilt while Fenerbahce continued to play at the venue.
The final phase was completed in 2006, giving the stadium the structure it largely retains today and transforming it from an older open-terrace ground into a modern, fully covered football stadium.
However, nearly two decades after that redevelopment, the stadium has been seen as in need of further expansion and modernization, particularly as Fenerbahce's rivals Galatasaray and Besiktas have moved ahead with major stadium projects of their own.
The stadium currently has a capacity of 47,911, putting it behind Galatasaray's 53,387-capacity RAMS Park.
Since 2025, the stadium has carried the Chobani Stadium name under a 5+5-year naming-rights deal worth €10 million per season with the U.S.-based strained yogurt brand, following the end of Turkish food manufacturer Ulker's longtime sponsorship.
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