The global esports industry is riding a wave of popularity at present that has player numbers of popular titles sky-rocketing and more online tournaments being held than ever before. While online play forms the back-bone of the modern esports community, nothing can replace the thrill of witnessing a live esports event, in the flesh—be it in a multi-purpose stadium, a convention center, or an entirely bespoke esports-orientated arena.
There are a number of truly impressive esports arenas in the works today, such as the Fusion Arena, a 3,500 thousand capacity next-generation esports stadium set to open in Philadelphia in 2024. Or the 4,000 seat Northern Lights Arena Europe (NLAE), which is currently slated to be up and running in the Scottish city of Dundee by 2025. These large scale construction projects are seen as a vote of confidence in the future of what is set to become a $3 billion industry by 2027.
But fans who want to experience the best that the sport can offer in a live setting needn’t wait for these mega projects to open their doors. From the USA, to China and South Korea, the global esports community already has a number of sensational and storied venues available at their disposal today. Below we’re taking a look at the best of these.
LoL PARK – Seoul, South Korea
The historic home of modern esports, South Korea has plenty of incredible venues for gamers to descend upon. LoL PARK— a dedicated League of Legends arena in Seoul which opened in 2019 — is easily among the best.
The venue is now home to LCK (League of Legends Champions Korea), the most hotly contested of all feeder series into the League of Legends World Championship. And don’t let its mere 300 seat capacity fool you—this event is incredibly popular. Comparison platform OddsChecker, which provides lines and offers on headline esports events, cites this biannual tournament as among its most popular by betting volume in 2022.
Fans tuning in from around the world to catch legendary teams like T1 continue their historic run of form, can take advantage of backing the event from afar using betting offers. Those fortunate enough to take a seat ringside are in for a treat. LoL PARK’s defining feature is its circular arena that arranges spectators in a tight circle around the contestants. This makes it one of the most intimate and compelling esports venues in the world today.
Esports Stadium Arlington – Texas, USA
The biggest esports arena in North America, the 2,500 capacity Esports Stadium Arlington sits on a 100,000 square ft plot several miles southwest of downtown Dallas.
While this ambitious project has been designed from the ground up to serve as the home venue for the world’s largest esports events, recent disruptions to ordinary scheduling have so far limited its potential.
Fortunately, following the successful hosting of the PGL Arlington Major 2022 Dota 2, the arena is slowly beginning to be put through its paces, and all signs point to it becoming a major landmark on the competitive circuits of the world’s top esports in the coming years. This is one to watch in 2023 and beyond.
Three Gorges Harbor Esports Stadium – Shanghai, China
From the Great Wall, to its 40,000km of high speed railways, China is no stranger to ambitious building projects. As such, it should come as no surprise that the world’s largest esports arena, the Three Gorges Harbor Esports Stadium, is located in downtown Shanghai.
This project is slated to cost an estimated ¥5.8 billion—just shy of $1 billion—and features a luxury five star on-site hotel themed around esports, as well as a museum dedicated to the history of video games.
With a seating capacity of 6,000, it is intended to put Shanghai on the map as the capital of world esports. The arena is set to serve as the operational base for future Asian Games esports events, as well as attracting other headline international and domestic esports competitions.
