Manfredi accelerates Maradona's comments: "Euro 2032 in Naples, working with the club for an epic renewal."

Naples – Mayor Gaetano Manfredi is unwavering: the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium must become a modern temple of Neapolitan football, ready to host matches at the 2032 European Championships.

Speaking at the Teatro San Carlo during the closing ceremony of the Corriere dello Sport centenary, Manfredi reiterated the City's commitment to a shared project with SSC Napoli, including resources to be found and ambitions for Bagnoli. Meanwhile, Naples is preparing to be the European Capital of Sport in 2026, with a packed calendar of events culminating in the 2027 Copa America.

"The Maradona Stadium represents the history of the city, a piece of the hearts of fans and Neapolitans. We will do everything we can to renovate it and give a new lease of life to this historic facility, which is in need of modernization," said Mayor Gaetano Manfredi, opening his speech at the Teatro San Carlo.

The occasion was the closing ceremony of the centenary celebrations of Corriere dello Sport, an event that brought together the best of Italian sport under the lights of Europe's oldest opera house. At the heart of the discussion was the crucial deadline of the 2032 UEFA European Championship, co-hosted by Italy and Türkiye.

Naples is among the Italian candidates – alongside Milan, Rome, Bari, Florence, Turin, and Verona – to host matches in a tournament that promises to reshape the continental football landscape.

Yet, the shadows looming over Italian infrastructure don't scare Manfredi: "We have an excellent relationship with the club [SSC Napoli], we're working on a definitive project for the recovery and renovation of the stadium, including finding the resources.

We will take all the necessary steps together with the club, which also has other projects, but we will do everything we can to ensure that there is a convergence in the interests of Naples and Napoli towards a viable, workable solution that will give Neapolitans the opportunity to host the European Championships in Naples." It's no secret that relations between the city and the club have been strained for months. In July, SSC Napoli rejected the Maradona revamp plan, opting for a new 50-seat stadium in Bagnoli, an area already at the center of ambitious urban development projects.

The club, recently crowned Italian champions, has formally announced its intention to abandon the current facility, calling it obsolete by modern standards.

But the Municipality isn't giving up: just a week ago, it approved 12 guiding principles for the Maradona revitalization, focusing on sustainability, accessibility, and technological innovation, with an estimated budget of tens of millions of euros in public and private funds.

"We're looking for a convergence," Manfredi insists, suggesting a dialogue that could save the symbol of Neapolitan "Fidelitas." And Bagnoli? The former industrial area, reclaimed and regenerated, remains the wild card in the deck. "We have many options, from many federations that want to create federal centers.

We will gradually choose the best solutions and announce them shortly," the mayor continued. Among the options is a tennis center run by the Italian Tennis Federation (FIT), which had been worked on intensively in recent months. "We worked hard on it," Manfredi explained, "then there was a setback because the FIT was also evaluating other options, but we are continuing our excellent relationship with the Tennis Federation."

A project that could transform Bagnoli into a multi-sports hub, integrating Napoli's new stadium with tennis courts and federal training centers. But Naples isn't just football: it's a city pulsating with sport in every alleyway. In 2026, it will officially become the European Capital of Sport, a title that will propel it into the continental spotlight with an ambitious program.

Manfredi will receive the baton from Tallinn in a ceremony at the European Parliament in Brussels as early as December 2025.

Among the highlights: the opening match of the European Men's Volleyball Championships in Piazza Plebiscito, a stage of the Giro d'Italia, and the pre-races of the 2027 America's Cup, with test matches as early as 2026. The Neapolis Marathon – now in its fifth edition – and the Festa dello Sport on October 19th at the PalaVesuvio in Ponticelli, with 75 nations and over 5.500 athletes, will also be featured.

A series of thematic meetings, such as the one on June 19th on "sea and sport," is already warming up.

"Sport in Naples is something special," Manfredi concluded with emotion. "It's part of people's lives, it lives in the city's history." These words echo within the walls of the San Carlo, but they will have to translate into concrete and sweat. With Euro 2032 on the horizon and Russia, despite the UEFA ban, launching unlikely counteroffers to replace Italy due to concerns about obsolete stadiums,

Napoli has little time to prove that Maradona—or his heir—can be the perfect stage. Fans, from Vomero to Fuorigrotta, are eagerly awaiting kick-off.