A consortium of investors and promoters unveiled on Wednesday the project for the "London Colosseum," a new 25,000-seat covered arena set to rise in the heart of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, the iconic site of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
The venue is designed to be multipurpose: it will host the future London franchise of NBA Europe, world boxing championships, and — what interests our newsroom — international esports tournaments.
The project comes in the wake of NBA Europe, the new continental league jointly launched by the NBA and FIBA, scheduled to tip off in the fall of 2027 with 10 to 12 permanent franchises. The NBA plans to inject more than $3 billion to support the launch, with the entry ticket per franchise estimated at around $500 million.
With a capacity of 25,000 seats, the London Colosseum would rank among the largest indoor venues in Europe capable of hosting major finals (League of Legends, CS, Valorant, Dota 2, FGC). London, already accustomed to major esports events, would gain a dedicated infrastructure built for the "stadium" scale now required by Worlds, Majors, and other international finals.
The construction timeline, the financial commitments, and the precise partners in the consortium are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
