Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala is refusing to give up on plans to demolish and rebuild the San Siro after the 2026 Winter Olympics ©Getty Images

Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala has claimed that plans to demolish and rebuild the San Siro after the Winter Olympics in 2026 are not dead in the water.

Proposals had been tabled to tear down the 97-year-old ground to make way for a new home for Italian football rivals AC Milan and Inter Milan.

Those plans were blocked when the Regional Commission for Cultural Heritage of Lombardy ruled that the San Siro cannot be demolished due to its cultural significance.

AC Milan and Inter Milan have shared the San Siro since 1947 but both clubs are now proposing to construct their own grounds.

A stadium in the La Maura area of the city is being pursued by AC Milan, while Inter Milan have identified a site between the towns of Assago and Rozzano for a new home.

The Regional Commission for the Cultural Heritage of Lombardy decided that the San Siro cannot be torn down as it holds
The Regional Commission for the Cultural Heritage of Lombardy decided that the San Siro cannot be torn down as it holds "cultural interest" ©Getty Images

Uncertainty hangs over the future of the 80,000-capacity San Siro, which has been chosen to host the Opening Ceremony of Milan Cortina 2026.

Sala is refusing to give up on the plans to resurrect Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.

"I think there’s still hope for the San Siro," said Sala in a report by FC Inter News.

"In my point of view, we can’t declare the San Siro file closed just yet.

"Let’s see.

"We have an open procedure and we need to understand what intentions the two clubs have.

"It is useless for me to comment because any word on such a topic would be wrong. 

"So we will see.

"In any case, as long as this procedure is open I’ll stay quiet and wait until the two clubs tell me that they’re no longer interested in San Siro."

The San Siro had been due to be demolished to make way for a new venue, called
The San Siro had been due to be demolished to make way for a new venue, called "The Cathedral", but AC Milan and Inter Milan are looking at alternative sites to ply their trade in the future ©Populous

Under initial plans for the new venue, called "The Cathedral", elements of the existing San Siro would have been left standing, including one of the pillars which makes up the stadium's iconic exterior.

The new stadium had been projected to have a capacity of approximately 60,000 fans and cost €1.2 billion (£1.1 billion/$1.2 billion) to build.

The San Siro is due to host the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympics on February 6 in 2026, with the Games due to run until February 22.