After the report was delivered in January 1990, Middlesbrough needed an all-seater stadium by August 1994 but were unable to expand Ayresome Park outwards owing to its location in a residential area, and expanding the stadium upwards would have limited the club to a capacity of around 20,000 seats – the club wanted a considerably larger capacity.

In 1998 – when Middlesbrough were promoted back to the Premier League at the first attempt – the capacity was increased by 5,000 by filling in the north and south-west corners at a cost of £5 million.

In 2005, the old Ayresome Park gates, which had been famously locked when the club went into liquidation in 1986, were erected outside the Riverside Stadium as a reminder of the past.

[11] In July 2008, planning permission was granted by Middlesbrough Council to construct a wind turbine at the site of the stadium, standing 125 metres high and capable of generating three megawatts of electricity.

Football stars including Ryan Giggs, Craig Bellamy, Thiago Silva, Neymar, Lucas Moura and Hulk all featured in the match in which Brazil outclassed Great Britain, winning 2–0.

Renovations included the installation of a large press box at the back of the East Stand, the construction of two permanent television studios at the back of the south-east corner, with associated access and TV compound on the stadium's exterior, an internal reorganisation of the West Stand reception, tunnel and changing room area, new floodlights and refurbished concourse areas including the addition of new kiosks and card and contactless payment methods.

Prior the 2016–17 season, two permanent television studios were installed at the back of the South-East Corner, on either side of the existing giant TV screen.

The match is also notable for pitting Middlesbrough's England defender Gareth Southgate against their own Slovakian striker at the time, Szilárd Németh.

[30] In April 2021, it was announced that the Riverside Stadium would host two England friendly matches, against Austria and Romania, in preparation for the Euro 2020 Championship.

[31] In February 2022, the Riverside Stadium hosted two games of the Arnold Clark Cup, an invitational women's association football tournament featuring England, Canada, Germany and Spain.

[32] The Riverside Stadium was one of the venues for the 2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup, hosting the penultimate Group D match between Tonga and the Cook Islands.

[42] On 1 June 2022, The Killers, supported by the Manic Street Preachers, played at the stadium in front of 33,000 fans as part of the UK leg of their Imploding the Mirage Tour.