London’s place among the world’s greatest sporting cities is set to be enhanced by plans for a new 25,000-seat indoor arena that will be known as the ‘London Colosseum’.
The space will serve as a base for a London franchise in the soon-to-be-formed NBA Europe competition, world championship boxing as well as international esports and gaming competitions.
Plans for this stunning facility were revealed on Wednesday afternoon by a powerhouse consortium with the location set to be situated at the heart of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford.
It has been widely-reported that the NBA are targeting an October 2027 launch for a new 16-team NBA Europe League – with two of those sides coming from a London and Manchester franchise. No timeline yet has been given though for when the London Colosseum could be built if given planning permission.
The proposed 25,000 capacity would make the London Colosseum the largest indoor arena in the United Kingdom, surpassing the 23,500-sized Co-op Live in Manchester. That was built in 2024.
The O2 Arena – built in 2007 – is currently the biggest venue of this kind in London, holding 20,000.
Plans for a new 25,000-seat indoor arena called the ‘London Colosseum’ have been revealed
The arena will be a base for London NBA Europe franchise, in a competition soon-to-be-formed
The location is set to be situated at the heart of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford
Designed by CHYBIK + KRISTOF ARCHITECTS, the London Colosseum will include a flexible configuration to make it sustainable for basketball and boxing to esports.
Alongside the arena, will include a striking multifunctional tower that will home a hotel, residences, and community spaces.
As well as those two striking buildings, there will also be a new London Colosseum Academy built.
This purpose-built setting will have two venues with a capacity of 3,000 seats each directly connected to the London Colosseum as well as a training campus.
This secondary site will house a dedicated basketball school, the historic Peacock Boxing Gym & Academy, and an international esports training campus – developed in partnership with a leading London performance sport university.
The aim of that partnership will provide elite athlete development pathways, educational support, and cutting-edge research, ensuring a continuous pipeline of sporting talent across all three disciplines.
Speaking about the work ahead, Ondrej Chybik of CHYBIK + KRISTOF ARCHITECTS said: ‘The London Colosseum’s bowl design allows the arena floor to effortlessly adapt to accommodate 18,000 and up to 25,000 spectators across diverse sporting and entertainment events.
‘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.’
