Brisbane Stadium design hits major milestone
Brisbane Stadium locks in its site, field and layout as Victoria Park planning moves towards early works in 2026.
What’s happening?
The new Brisbane Stadium has reached an early design milestone, with three major decisions now confirmed.
The venue will be built in Victoria Park near Gilchrist Avenue. Its field size will match the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The playing surface will also run east to west.
The concept design is still being developed. New renders give a first look at the stadium during AFL and cricket events.
The venue will host the opening and closing ceremonies and athletics at the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It will then become Brisbane’s main stadium.
Why it matters?
These decisions shape how the venue will function during the Games and in the years after them.
Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority (GIICA) says the site near Gilchrist Avenue will maximise access to public transport and sit within a naturally occurring amphitheatre. It also says this location will ease congestion in the park’s north-east zone, where spectator entry points come together.
The east-west field layout followed analysis of sun position, winds and long-term stadium needs for AFL and cricket. GIICA says it also removes the need for a second media centre under combined AFL and cricket use.
The field size was chosen after comparisons with major oval venues across Australia. GIICA says the MCG-sized field is backed by AFL, Cricket Australia, concert promoters and Brisbane 2032.
Local Impact
For Brisbane residents, the project is being shaped as a venue for daily city life, not only major events.
The design team says the stadium should feel comfortable in Queensland’s climate, stay connected to transport and remain welcoming throughout the year.
It is also being designed to sit within the parkland setting, rather than dominate it.
By the numbers
The design statement describes the project as a 63,000-seat stadium, giving Brisbane a major new venue for sport and entertainment.
Designers compared four major oval stadiums across Australia before settling on the field size and shape: the Gabba, Optus Stadium, the MCG and Marvel Stadium.
The stadium sits within 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 concept design continues to build on the winning Queensland response shared in January. That approach 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 work 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 keep being refined over the coming months.
Early site preparations are due to begin on 1 June 2026. Early works are expected later in 2026, before construction starts in 2027.