A powerhouse consortium has unveiled plans for the London Colosseum, a 25,000-seat indoor arena in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park designed to become the UK’s primary hub for global esports events.

While the venue is a multi-sport project intended to host a future NBA franchise and world championship boxing, its architectural and commercial core is tailored for the “explosive gaming market.” The development, led by Jericho Estates, Peacock Gym, and Torch Sports, aims to establish London as a major global gaming capital, competing with high-capacity hubs around the world such as in the Middle East and Asia.

“The 25,000-seat arena is tailored to host major international tournament finals,” the official press release stated. “By connecting London’s growing reputation as a gaming capital to the explosive gaming market in the Middle and Far East, the venue will become a central hub for the future of competitive gaming.”

Another significant contribution to the industry is the London Colosseum Academy, a secondary site connected to the main arena. This campus will feature two dedicated venues with 3,000-seat capacities each, alongside an international esports training campus. This partnership is designed to provide elite athlete development pathways, technical research, and educational support, ensuring a continuous pipeline of British talent for the international circuit.

“The London Colosseum will fullfill this demand as an elite basketball anchor,” said Torch Sports’ Solomon Curtis, “at the same time, its integration of world-class boxing and esports – with the potential to programme other major arts and cultural events as demand dictates – ensures it serves the broader London community and guarantees year-round commercial success.”

Also read:

Designed by CHYBIK + KRISTOF ARCHITECTS, the arena features a highly adaptive bowl configuration. This allows the floor to transition from an “intimate esports setup” to a massive 25,000-seat layout for global finals, such as a League of Legends World Championship or a Counter-Strike Major.

“By prioritising genuine multifunctionality, the arena and its surrounding public spaces are built to evolve, actively combating the inefficiency of traditional, single-use stadiums. A key component of the proposal is a multifunctional tower, featuring a hotel, residences and community facilities, that brings together hospitality, residential, and community uses, extending the life of the site beyond event-based programming and embedding it within the everyday rhythm of the city,” explained the architect Ondrej Chybik.

By embedding an esports training campus within a multi-sport elite environment, the project mirrors the state-led high-performance centres recently established in Saudi Arabia with the Boulevard City, as well as venues in China and South Korea. As London has recently reached headlines for hosting major esports events such as the BLAST Premier and the United Kingdom received a DreamHack event in 2026, the development provides a new level of infrastructure to host the next generation of “sportainment” festivals.

Subscribe to On The Radar, a weekly wrap up of esports business stories, and the fortnightly Heat Map, a deeper dive into the stories across esports business and culture.

Follow The Esports Radar on social media: