With 76 Place ‘off the table,’ 76ers plan to build new arena in South Philly Complex; plan to bid for WNBA team

With the 76ers being talked back into South Philadelphia, they now have a new plan.

The Sixers and Comcast Spectacor will announce an agreement to build the Sixers’ new arena in South Philadelphia Sports Complex, according to Sharrie Williams of 6 ABC.

The arena will join Lincoln Financial Field, Citizens Bank Park, and the Wells Fargo Center. Say goodbye to easy parking.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, and Comcast President Brian Roberts have reportedly talked the 76ers into staying in the South Philly Sports Complex, according to Ernest Owens of Philly Mag. Mayor Cherelle Parker is expected to give a press conference on all of this tomorrow at 11 am.

So the Sixers will not get their building in Camden, New Jersey, or Center City. They will still get their own arena, just in South Philly.

This all stemmed from just that, the Sixers wanted their space. Their lease at the Wells Fargo Center is up in 2031, and the Sixers would like to have their own building to ease scheduling issues, host more of their own events, and make more money.

The plan for the arena on Market East was to demolish parts of the Fashion District, where this new arena is going, which would start in June 2026. Officials said construction would start in the summer of 2028 and the 18,500-seat arena was planned for completion in the summer of 2031, when their lease at the Wells Fargo Center ends.

If they keep the same plans, construction could start in the summer of 2028, avoiding any demolishing occurring when the World Cup and MLB All-Star Game come to the city, which will be nice.

Along with this, Comcast and the Sixers are going to join together to bid for a Philadelphia WNBA team, according to Kevin Kinkead of Crossing Broad.

Cities with WNBA teams include Atlanta, Chicago, Connecticut, Dallas, Indiana, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York), Minneapolis, Phoenix, Seattle, Washington D.C., Golden State, and Toronto.

The reason Philadelphia has not been gifted a team yet is because of the instability of the Sixers’ arena situation. Now, finally, that the arena affair is stable and a new building is on the way, a WNBA franchise could be coming with it.

We will have more updates right here on phillysportsreports.com and on our social media.

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