The Nou Mestalla will be the best stadium in Spain in its category in terms of viewing quality and seating comfort

In January, the Club began the final phase of construction on the Nou Mestalla, a stadium set to become a landmark for sports, leisure, and entertainment, with completion scheduled for summer 2027.

The design of the 70,044-seat stands ensures that all fans will enjoy the match with the best possible view, meeting the current quality standards required by FIFA and UEFA.

Although stadiums are difficult to compare due to subjective factors, they can be evaluated based on the quality level of the stands. The ɸ FACTOR is a parametric analysis tool developed by FIA (Fenwick Iribarren Architects), successfully tested in their three stadiums for the 2022 World Cup.

The ɸ FACTOR I allows for a parametric analysis of the viewing quality at every point in the stadium based on various factors:

• Proximity of the stands to the pitch.
• The ‘C Value’ of each seat (the only metric established by FIFA and UEFA to determine whether a stand meets acceptable visibility standards).
• Location on the field.
• Viewing angle of the game.
• Seat orientation within its section.

This methodology enables the unification of individual values into a single, objective, and comparable parameter, assigning each stadium a numerical score between 1 and 500 (reflecting the value of the number ɸ in Ancient Greece). A score below 350 is considered insufficient.

Additionally, the ɸ FACTOR II assesses seating comfort through a parametric analysis of seven different criteria, including:

• Width of the stands.
• Type of seat.
• Distance to exits.
• Level of roof coverage, among others.