The stadium is shaped like a bowl. It has two levels all the way around. There is a third level along the two side stands and one of the stands behind the goal. As of the start of the 2010/2011 season, it is the third largest stadium in the FA Premier League and the ninth largest in the United Kingdom, with 55,097 seats. The highest attendance for a football game at the stadium was on 6 February 2016 when 54,693 fans watched Manchester City play Leicester City. On 14 May 2008, it hosted the UEFA Cup Final.
Manchester City F.C. signed an agreement with Manchester City Council in March 2010 to allow redevelopment of land around the stadium. This may include adding more seats to make 60,000 in the stadium. Work on land around the stadium started in September 2010. The club is also talking with Manchester City Council to make a new lease on the stadium for the future.
Plans to build a stadium in east Manchester were made around 1990 as part of the city's bid to host the 2000 Summer Olympics. Manchester City Council paid for a design for an 80,000 seat stadium on a brownfield site known as "Eastlands". However, in October 1993, the games were awarded to Sydney, Australia. Manchester then made a successful bid to host the 2002 Commonwealth Games. They used the stadium plans from the Olympic bid. In 1996, the planned stadium competed with Wembley Stadium to gain funding to become the national stadium. The money was used to redevelop Wembley instead.
City of Manchester Stadium's foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister, Tony Blair, in December 1999. Construction began in January 2000. The stadium was designed by Arup and built by John Laing. The stadium cost about £110 million. £77 million of that was paid by Sport England and the rest was paid by the Manchester City Council. For the Commonwealth Games, the stadium had one lower level along three sides of the athletics track. There was a second level on the two sides. It had an open-air temporary stand at one end. The first public event at the stadium was the opening ceremony of the 2002 Commonwealth Games on 25 July 2002. Among the celebrities present at the ceremony was Queen Elizabeth II. During the ten days of competition, the stadium hosted all athletics events and the rugby sevens. Four Commonwealth records were set at the stadium, including the women's triple jump and the women's 5000 m.
After the Commonwealth Games, the stadium was changed so it could be used as a football stadium. Athletics events had been very successful at the Commonwealth Games. Athletics figures such as Jonathan Edwards and Sebastian Coe therefore criticised the decision to change the stadium into a football stadium. Redevelopment was called necessary to give the stadium a future. Sections of the track were removed and placed at other athletics stadiums. The ground level was lowered to make way for another level of seating. The temporary stand was taken apart. It was replaced with a permanent structure of similar design to the existing one at the southern end. This work took a year and added 12,000 seats. Manchester City F.C. moved to the new ground for the 2003–04 season. The change cost over £30 million. It was paid for by the football club.
The first public football match at the stadium was a friendly between Manchester City and Barcelona on 10 August 2003. Manchester City won the game 2–1. The first goal at the stadium was scored by Nicolas Anelka. The first competitive match followed four days later. It was a UEFA Cup game between Manchester City and Welsh Premier League side TNS. City won 5–0. Manchester City started the Premier League season with an away match. They beat Charlton 3–0. Their first home league match in their new stadium was not until 23 August. They drew 1-1 with Portsmouth. David Sommeil scored City's goal. Portsmouth's was scored by Yakubu Aiyegbeni. Their first Premier League win did not come until 14 September. Nicolas Anelka scored a hat-trick to help City beat Aston Villa 4–1. The record football attendance at the stadium is 47,348. It was set at a Premier League game against Chelsea on 5 December 2009.
The stadium has also hosted several other sporting events. It became the 50th stadium to host an England international football match when the English and Japanese national teams played on 1 June 2004. On 30 October of that year, it played host to a rugby league match between Great Britain and Australia in the Tri-Nations series. In June 2005, the stadium hosted England's opening game in the UEFA Women's Championship. It set an attendance record for the competition. It is rated as an elite stadium by UEFA. It hosted the 2008 UEFA Cup Final between Rangers and Zenit St Petersburg.
The stadium has a number of unofficial nicknames. "Eastlands" was used before the stadium was officially named. It is still commonly used. "City of Manchester Stadium" is sometimes abbreviated to "COMS" when written. "The Blue Camp", a pun on Barcelona's Nou Camp, has been used rarely. After the club was taken over by the Emirati Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008, some fans called the stadium "Middle Eastlands" as a joke. The stadium has generally received positive feedback from fans. It came in second behind Old Trafford in a 2005 poll to find the United Kingdom's favourite football ground. As Manchester City Council owns the stadium, it is also called the "Council House" by fans of City's rivals, Manchester United.
The stadium is owned by Manchester City Council. It is leased by the football club. The 2008 takeover made the football club the richest in the world. This led to rumors that the club could think about buying the stadium from the city.
The inside of the City of Manchester Stadium is a full oval bowl. It has three levels of seating at the sides and two levels at each end. While the seating is a full bowl, each side of the stadium has its own name. This is like other football grounds. At first, all sides of the stadium were named by compass direction ("North Stand" and "South Stand" for the ends, "East Stand" and "West Stand" for the sides). In February 2004, after a vote by fans, the West Stand was renamed the "Colin Bell Stand." It was named in honour of the former player. The vote was almost stopped, as it was taken over by rival fans. They hoped the stand would be nicknamed "The Bell End" (even though the stand is to the side, not at an end). However, fans of the club made it clear they wanted the name to stay. The South Stand was officially named the "Key 103 Stand" for sponsorship reasons from 2003 to 2006. Fans mostly ignored this name for it. Part of the North Stand is called the "Family Stand". It is reserved for supporters with children. The East Stand is unofficially known to fans as "the Kippax". It is named after the East Stand from Maine Road. Supporters of visiting teams sit in part of the South Stand. There are 68 executive boxes within the stadium. They are along the West, North and East Stands.
The stadium roof is toroidal (like a doughnut) in shape. It is suspended from steel cables attached to eight towers. These provide access to the upper level of seating via spiral ramps. The areas without seating in each corner have movable louvres. This allows for air to move through the pitch. Entry is gained by contactless smart card rather than the usual manned turnstile. This system can admit up to 1,200 people per minute around all entrances. A service tunnel running under the stadium provides access for emergency vehicles. It allows the visiting team's bus to enter the stadium directly. Inside the stadium are six themed restaurants. Two of restaurants have views of the pitch. There are also a number of conference facilities. The stadium is also licensed for marriage ceremonies.