New esports arena to open in Sunderland

Image: British Esports

British Esports, the national esports federation for the UK, is gearing up to open its flagship Gaming and Esports Arena in Sunderland, UK next year.

The Sun said stretching across 15,000-square-feet, the arena will host live events, competitions and have immersive audience experiences for egamers and egaming fans.

The arena, which sits alongside the National Esports Performance Campus (NEPC) in Sunderland, is set to open in early 2026 after financing was approved by a leading High Street bank.

The state-of-the-art venue will also be located next to the Stadium of Light – the home of Premier League football team AFC Sunderland.

Custom-built for live events, elite competition, and immersive audience experiences, it’s equipped with a 200-seat theatre, a 17m-wide LED screen, broadcast, content and editing studios, retail and hospitality, performance rooms and an expansive outdoor activation space.

The first of its kind esports arena in Europe, which aims to be one of the best in the world, will also become a training and education hub where athletes can practise under tournament conditions with lights, an audience area and a stage, replicating the thrill of intense, live esports competition.

The venue is ideal for professional esports players preparing to compete in major future events, such as the Esports World Cup and Olympic Esports Games.

Students and future talent can also hone their skills in real-time supporting live competition events, broadcast and more, such as those competing in the nationwide British Esports’ Student Champs tournaments for schools and colleges, plus those studying the Esports BTEC and university qualifications.

The venue is designed to support all roles in esports, from broadcast talent to production, coaches and more.

The arena will be a multi-use venue available for private bookings, music events, games industry and esports community events, national competitions and more. It will be located next to the Stadium of Light, the home of Premier League football team AFC Sunderland.

The Gaming and Esports Arena sits alongside the National Esports Performance Campus, which opened in 2023 and has hosted an array of esports teams and talent, including the likes of Esports World Cup winners Team Falcons, national Great Britain teams in NBA 2K and Rocket League, and many more.

Work begins on the arena in September 2025 and it is due to open in Q1 2026.

Andy Payne OBE, Chair of British Esports, said, “This is our St George’s Park for esports, a national home with world-class performance spaces that will help train the next generation of esports talent and help grow the region to be a key leader in esports in the UK. The arena completes a multi-year vision to develop a campus that’s built to develop esports athletes, deliver first-class events, and support entrepreneurs and creators.

“This significant development marks another crucial step forward in British Esports’ mission to champion grassroots esports development and elite athlete performance across the nation and globally. It will help generate new jobs and drive economic prosperity for the North East, forming a key part of the expansive Riverside Sunderland initiative.

“We have designed our facility so that on any given day we could be a training and performance hub, running a global esports tournament, hosting a publisher game launch or hired out as a music venue. The flexibility of the arena will be what makes it a sustainable facility that drives value back to British Esports, so that we can do more work for our community.”

Cllr Michael Mordey, leader of Sunderland City Council, said, “We are thrilled to see work progressing on the development of British Esports’ Gaming and Esports Arena at Riverside Sunderland, which is held up as one of the most ambitious regeneration schemes in the UK right now.

“Billions of pounds of investment will see our city transformed in the coming years, with thousands of new homes, Grade A offices, a new Nissan electric vehicle hub and a plethora of new leisure developments rising from the ground, and the Gaming and Esports Arena is a fantastic addition to this mix.

“It is a game-changing development which will cement Sunderland’s reputation as the home of esports in the UK, while providing a major boost to the regional economy, creating high skilled jobs for local people and attracting visitors from across the globe to our transforming city.”

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