What’s happening?
Design work on the new Brisbane Stadium is moving ahead, with three major decisions now locked in.
The stadium will be built in Victoria Park, in a central position near Gilchrist Avenue. The field will be shaped to match the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and the playing surface will run east to west.
The early concept design will continue to be refined over the coming months. New renders also show how the venue could look during AFL and cricket events.
The stadium will host the opening and closing ceremonies and athletics at the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. After that, it will become Brisbane’s main stadium.
Why it matters?
These early design decisions will shape how the venue works during the Games and long after them.
The Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority (GIICA) says the Victoria Park location will connect with existing transport infrastructure and fit into a naturally occurring amphitheatre. It also says the position will reduce congestion in the park’s critical north-east zone, where spectator entry points converge.
The east-west field orientation was chosen after workshops with AFL and cricket stakeholders, along with analysis of sun position, winds and long-term operating needs. GIICA says this layout will work better on event days and remove the need for a second media centre under combined AFL and cricket use.
The field size was also chosen with future use in mind. GIICA says the MCG-sized field is supported by AFL, Cricket Australia, concert promoters and Brisbane 2032.
Local Impact
The project is being shaped as more than a Games venue.
The design team says the stadium should feel open, shaded and welcoming beyond major events. It is also being planned to sit within the landscape, rather than stand apart from it.
That means the venue is being pitched as part of everyday Brisbane life, with public transport access, non-event use and wider park connections built into the design.
By the numbers
- The design statement describes the venue as a 63,000-seat stadium, making it one of Brisbane’s biggest public venues for sport and events.
- Designers compared four major oval stadiums across Australia, the Gabba, Optus Stadium, the MCG and Marvel Stadium, before settling on the field size and shape.
- The stadium is part of the $7.1 billion Games Venues Infrastructure Program, with early site preparations due from 1 June 2026, early works later in 2026, and construction in 2027.
Zoom in
The early concept design continues to build on the winning Queensland response first shared in January. That design places the stadium into Victoria Park’s topography with a verandah inspiration, floating roof form and bridge connectivity.
The Design Statement says, “The concept is simple and deliberate: a Stadium in the Landscape.”
It continues, “Rather than placing a 63,000-seat object on top of Victoria Park, the stadium will nestle into the parklands and allow the landform and vegetation to do the work.”
The statement also says, “The stadium bowl sits in a valley between two ridges … Spectators pass through nature and parkland rather than climb toward a monument. The park flows over and around the venue, softening its edge and binding it to the park and forest slopes. It is less a building in a park, but instead a park that flows around and through a stadium.”
It adds, “The design privileges shade, breeze, movement, and everyday access. It is active on event days, but generous and open on all other days. In legacy mode, the Stadium is not an isolated venue but a catalyst for a healthier, more connected city, embedding biodiversity, cultural continuity, and community life at the centre of Brisbane’s Olympic story.”
Zoom out
GIICA CEO Simon Crooks said the design process was showing “a truly Queensland take on the traditional stadium emerge, bringing the outside in and celebrating our lifestyle and natural environment.”
He said, “It is an exciting time for the team here at GIICA, and all of Queensland, as we work through the rigorous design process to bring the stadium vision to life, and later this year start early works and in 2027 construction.”
COX Architecture Director and Chair Richard Coulson said, “It is great to see the vision the design team has shared in January is now being tested and developed with stakeholder input.”
He added, “It retains the ambition of a venue that responds to place with the inclusion of technology that people will expect in a world-class venue.”
He also said, “The evolving arrangement of the Stadium in the park will be a key part of unlocking the connectivity of the park with the wider precinct and the city.”
Hassell Managing Principal Lucy O’Driscoll said, “We recognise this as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to lead the design of Brisbane Stadium, a venue that will showcase Queensland to the world while truly serving the local community every day.”
She added, “Every element of our design responds to Queensland’s unique climate and lifestyle, ensuring the stadium can accommodate not only global events, but also becomes an enduring part of the state’s daily life and legacy for generations to come.”
What to look for next?
The concept design will continue to be refined over the coming months, with a focus on making the stadium feel unmistakably Brisbane.
Early site preparations are due to begin on 1 June 2026. Early works are expected later in 2026, before construction starts in 2027.
The new Brisbane Stadium will be delivered by the Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority as part of the jointly funded Games Venues Infrastructure Program.
