Karalis Arena
The Karalis Arena, also referred to as Stadio Elmas, is the planned new home of Cagliari Calcio. The project is currently in an advanced planning stage.
Cagliari Calcio has been looking to build a new stadium for the last five years as its present stadium Stadio Sant’Elia, once hosting several matches at the 1990 World Cup, hardly meets safety requirements and does not offer sufficient modern facilities for the current age.
Initial plans looked at a stadium with a capacity of around 25,000, but after Italy expressed its interest in hosting the Euro 2016 tournament these plans were revised upwards to a larger capacity so that the city could qualify as a playing venue. However, after the tournament was awarded to France, plans were again adjusted, and the club has now settled on a stadium with 23,200 seats and an estimated cost of €45 million.
Definite plans and renders were presented in the summer of 2011, and a site has been selected close to Cagliari’s Elmas Airport in the north of the city. However, the club has recently encountered opposition to the plans by the local aviation authority, and has found itself in a series of legal battles that will decide the stadium’s progress.
