San Siro: Inside the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza
The Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, universally known as San Siro after the Milan neighbourhood, is the home of both AC Milan and Internazionale and the largest stadium in Italy by capacity. The current ground — third tier, four spiral towers, and a red lattice roof structure — was completed for the 1990 FIFA World Cup and seats 75,817. After nearly eight decades of co-tenancy, both clubs now plan to leave the Meazza for new grounds, a decision that has become one of the most-debated stories in Italian sport. The current site is on the map.
Origins (1925-1935)
The original San Siro was built in 1925-1926 as a club ground for AC Milan, on land donated by industrialist and Milan chairman Piero Pirelli. The first match — Milan against Inter on 19 September 1926 — was a 6-3 defeat. The original capacity was approximately 35,000. Inter moved permanently to the ground in 1947, formalising the shared-tenancy arrangement that has defined the stadium ever since.
Giuseppe Meazza
The stadium was officially renamed Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in 1980, honouring the Inter and Milan striker who scored 33 international goals for Italy and won two World Cups in the 1930s. Meazza, who played 365 matches for Inter and 37 for Milan, remains one of the few figures revered by both sets of supporters — which made the renaming politically possible. The popular name San Siro continues in everyday use.
The 1990 World Cup expansion
The transformation of San Siro into its current shape took place between 1987 and 1990 for the FIFA World Cup. The four corner spiral ramps — visible from across western Milan — were added to provide access to the new third tier, which raised capacity from 60,000 to 85,700 (later reduced to the current 75,817 by safety regulations). The red lattice roof, supported on eleven external columns, was added in the same campaign. The 1990 World Cup saw Italy play their group matches at San Siro and lose the third-place play-off here.
The Derby della Madonnina
The Derby della Madonnina between Milan and Inter takes its name from the gilded statue of the Virgin Mary on top of the Milan Duomo. Played twice a year in Serie A and recurrently in the Coppa Italia and European competitions (most famously the 2003 and 2023 Champions League semi-finals — both won by Milan and Inter respectively), the derby is one of football's most-watched fixtures. Because both clubs share the ground, neither has a true home leg in the derby; the "home" team simply designates the upper or lower stretch of the south curve as its supporters' section.
Champions League nights
San Siro has hosted four European Cup / Champions League finals (1965, 1970, 2001, 2016), and recurrent semi-final and quarter-final ties for both Milan clubs across their multiple European Cup runs. The 2003 derby semi-final, played over two legs at San Siro, is regularly cited as one of the most atmospherically charged ties in Champions League history.
Architecture and the spiral ramps
The architectural signature of San Siro since 1990 has been the four spiral access ramps at the corners — externally visible, structurally independent of the seating bowl, and designed by Giancarlo Ragazzi, Enrico Hoffer, and Leo Finzi. The ramps allow supporters to reach the third tier on foot without lifts or escalators, and have become the visual marker of the stadium from approaching streets and from the air. The eleven external roof columns — each carrying part of the lattice roof — are similarly identifying.
The demolition debate
Both Milan and Inter have, since 2019, proposed jointly to demolish San Siro and replace it with a new shared stadium on the same site or an adjacent one. The proposal has met sustained opposition from the city of Milan, preservation groups, and a significant share of the supporters of both clubs, and has been repeatedly delayed by procedural challenges and disagreements over the heritage status of the existing structure. As of 2026 the picture remains unresolved: both clubs continue to play at San Siro while preparing alternative plans, including the possibility of separate new stadiums.
From reading to planning
San Siro is open for stadium tours on most days, including the dressing rooms, the player tunnel, the press room, and the museum, which traces the history of both clubs through their European Cup runs, derby moments, and individual playing greats from Meazza to Maldini, Ronaldo, and Zlatan. The ground is reached by Milan's M5 metro line at San Siro Stadio. See the location on the map.