To the delight of most Philadelphia sports fans, its teams are staying where they are.
Last year, the Philadelphia Flyers and 76ers were moving towards building a $1.3 billion downtown arena in Center City, leaving their current home at the Wells Fargo Center, but those plans have been scrapped.
What happened to the new downtown Philadelphia arena?
Back in January of this year, it was confirmed that instead of building a new arena and moving to Center City, the 76ers and the Flyers were to remain in the South Philadelphia Complex.
Both teams currently play their home games at the famous Wells Fargo Center.
The decision to remain in South Philadelphia came after intense lobbying by locals in the area, and according to reports, those plans were given the support of NBA commissioner Adam Silver and NFL boss Roger Goodell.
Philadelphia 76ers and Flyers’ new arena
The new Philadelphia arena will replace the current Wells Fargo Center, the new venue should be ready by the 2031 season, although there is an option to accelerate the process by a year.
While arena designs have not been released, concepts have been teased with Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment CEO Tad Brown promising that it will be “the greatest arena in the world.”
“We’re going to create an experience, an environment, a home-court and home-ice advantage that’s going to be unlike any other in sports,” Brown told Front Office Sports.
“Now, everybody says that, but it’s our turn. This is something that’s incredibly important.
‘It’s a legacy project to our ownership team, and we aren’t going to leave any stone unturned to find the best and most advanced technology and experience that we can provide—in every facet.”
HSBE, who own the $4.9 billion 76ers, and Comcast, who own the Flyers, awarded the design contract of the arena to the architectural firm Populous back in June.
The new arena will be purpose-built for the NBA and NHL, and will involve a significant new look to the facility that has been the 76ers and Flyers home since 1996.
“As the Sixers and the Flyers begin to bring to life their vision for a new arena in South Philadelphia, we’re thrilled to join the team as their lead design partner,” said Jonathan Mallie, Managing Director- Americas for Populous.
“Our focus is to create a new home that not only delivers a next-gen experience for fans but is also authentically Philly.”
The venue will also house the forthcoming WNBA expansion team.
The WNBA awarded Philadelphia a team in June, with the team scheduled to have their first season in 2030.
If the new arena is not completed by then, the team will play in the Wells Fargo Center but will be part of the relocation.
“This is a perfect opportunity to push everything together. It’s a perfect time to open the new arena, and it’s a perfect time for the WNBA to come to Philly in the way they’re cycling in their expansion teams,” Brown says.
HBSE and Comcast also intend to go beyond just building the arena.
The two companies want to transform the area in a way that positively impacts the South Philly area.
“We want to make sure we’re doing the right things to make the biggest impact, and they’re going to affect the most people who need it,” Brown says.
“It’s very important to both us and to Comcast that we’re making the biggest impact we can in both [downtown and the sports complex].”
Other new NBA arenas
The 76ers are not the only team to be building a new arena, as the Oklahoma City Thunder announced their plans for a new home last month.
The defending NBA champions will open their $900 million state-of-the-art arena for the 2028 season.
Meanwhile the Washington Wizards will also have a new home, with an $800 million facility currently being built for the start of the 2027 season.
Currently, the model venue for all newly built arenas is the Los Angeles Clippers $2 billion Intuit Dome that opened its doors last season.