The next wave of sports travel destinations is already under construction. Two projects on two continents — a 70,000-seat football stadium outside Milan and a purpose-built Formula One circuit in Rwanda — signal where sports-mad travelers will be heading in the late 2020s and 2030s. One anchors a European footballing institution in a new home; the other brings grand prix racing back to Africa for the first time in decades. Here is what each destination offers, and how they compare.
Milan: A New Home for Football Excellence
AC Milan, one of Italy's most storied clubs, is preparing to leave its historic San Siro home — a stadium shared with Inter since 1926 — for a new venue in San Donato Milanese, a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Milan. According to the design record for the project, the planned stadium will hold 70,000 spectators, with construction projected to run from 2025 to 2028 at an estimated cost of around €1 billion. The design is credited to MANICA Architecture.
For travelers, the significance is straightforward: a modern, purpose-built football cathedral a short distance from one of Europe's most visited cities. The project has also drawn heavyweight commercial backing. Insurer Generali secured naming rights, and its chairman, Andrea Sironi, and group CEO, Philippe Donnet, framed the venue in ambitious terms: "The Generali Stadium will become a new symbol of Milan." They added that the company wants "to express our confidence in the city's continued progress" and "contribute to a lasting legacy for future generations."
That language matters for destination-watchers. A naming-rights commitment of that scale, tied to what the executives called the two Italian clubs' "significant international following," signals a venue designed to draw visitors well beyond matchday regulars — the kind of anchor attraction that turns a city into a recurring stop on the sports travel map.
Rwanda: Africa's Grand Prix and Year-Round Entertainment Hub
The second destination is bolder in scope. Formula One has signed a ten-year agreement to race in Rwanda from the early 2030s, marking the sport's return to Africa for the first time since the 1993 African Grand Prix. The African Grand Prix will be staged on a new purpose-built circuit in Bugesera, roughly 40 kilometres south of the capital Kigali and adjacent to the new Kigali International Airport, with the country's tourism board, Visit Rwanda, as presenting sponsor.
Crucially for travelers, this is not just a racetrack. The venue is intended to serve as a year-round destination capable of hosting international motorsport, major events, conferences and entertainment, forming part of a wider sports, tourism, infrastructure and commercial development project led by the Rwanda Development Board. That multi-purpose ambition is what separates a one-weekend race from a genuine tourism hub.
Formula One's president and chief executive, Stefano Domenicali, called the deal "a landmark moment for Formula One," noting that with Rwanda joining the calendar, "our sport will race in every inhabited continent, bringing the World Championship closer than ever to fans around the globe." The deal has not been without controversy — the Democratic Republic of Congo previously called on F1 to avoid what it termed a "blood-stained association" with Rwanda — but the agreement stands as signed.
