Como's historic Champions League debut arrives on Thursday, and manager Cesc Fabregas will lead his side out at their traditional home ground, Stadio Sinigaglia — the result of a remarkable 90-day construction effort that transformed the venue into a UEFA-compliant arena just in time.

The northern Italian club secured a top-four finish in Serie A last season, finishing ahead of AC Milan and Juventus, but their stadium fell short of UEFA's stringent requirements for Champions League football. Without a swift renovation, Como would have been forced to play their four home fixtures a full 200km away, at Sassuolo's ground.

A near-miraculous rebuild

Work carried out over the summer included the construction of an entirely new stand, upgraded floodlights, improved media facilities, enhanced security systems, and better amenities for supporters. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, the Curva Ovest was essentially rebuilt from the ground up, representing the centrepiece of the renovation project.

The pitch itself was also overhauled — widened by two metres and re-turfed with a new-generation hybrid grass. That specific upgrade came at the personal request of Fabregas, who wanted a surface that would better support his team's possession-based style of play.

As a result of the work, Sinigaglia has achieved UEFA Category 4 status, making it eligible to host elite European competition.

Como's statement

The club acknowledged the scale of the effort in an official statement: