The City Ground has seen some memorable performances from Nottingham Forest this season, with the famous old stadium now set to open its doors to international competition.
Forest’s 7-0 win against Brighton on Saturday certainly sent the City Ground punters home happy, with a number of standout performances on display in front of the Forest faithful.
Joe Cole was in awe of Murillo for his impeccable performance at the back, whilst Stuart Pearce thought Anthony Elanga was excellent against Brighton awarding him man of the match even with Chris Wood scoring a hattrick.
Before the Brighton demolition, Forest’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool was one of the most high-profile nights at the City Ground for a generation, with the world’s eyes glued to the clash between two Premier League title rivals.
Arne Slot praised Matz Sels’ display against Liverpool in what was an all-action performance from the Forest squad, but it won’t just be Nuno Espirito Santo’s side that hosts at the City Ground this year, with Thomas Tuchel set to bring his England side to Nottingham.
City Ground to host England match after 84-year absence
Forest fans have called for Elliot Anderson to receive an England call-up for his excellent displays since signing from Newcastle, with Morgan Gibbs-White and Callum Hudson-Odoi also waiting in the wings for a call from Tuchel.
The perfect opportunity could’ve just arisen as, according to The Athletic, the England national team are to play an end-of-season friendly at the City Ground.
The report said: “Thomas Tuchel’s schedule as the new England men’s head coach will involve the national team playing at the City Ground, home of Nottingham Forest, for the first time in more than 80 years.
“The Football Association has invited Senegal to be the opposition for an end-of-season friendly that will give Tuchel another opportunity to learn more about the players he has inherited from Gareth Southgate.
“If everything is finalised, the game will be staged on June 10, three days after England have played an away fixture against Andorra as part of their World Cup qualifying programme.”
Whilst undoubtedly exciting news, Forest fans may be slightly confused at the timing as the planned expansion of the City Ground would’ve been expected to pick up pace at the end of the Premier League season.
The report also details how this England game will impact the expansion plans, with a new proposed date revealed.
Nottingham Forest City Ground expansion on hold until 2026
Any concerns about the status of the stadium expansion were eased within the report, with a clear outline as to how the England game will impact the work revealed.
The report said: “Significant work is planned to take the capacity to around 40,000, including demolishing and replacing the oldest of the four stands.
“Although there has been no official announcement, the redevelopment has been pencilled in for the summer of 2026, leaving the FA free to plan for the game this summer.”
Evangelos Marinakis is showing undeniable ambition for his club with the stadium plans pushing ahead alongside Forest’s aims to qualify for European football this season.
Hosting the national team will give the Forest owner a chance to showcase the club’s remarkable progress on the pitch in a true celebration before the expansion plans kick in, hopefully seeing a few members of the Forest squad on display as well.
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