Wells Fargo Center to be renamed to Xfinity Mobile Arena in September

The Center is closed. Sort of.

The naming rights of the formerly Wells Fargo Center will become Xfinity Mobile Arena on September 1, Comcast Spectacor and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment announced Tuesday.

The new deal runs through the 2030-31 seasons for the Flyers, 76ers, and Wings. After that, both Comcast and HBSE plan to open up their new shared building in South Philadelphia.

“As part of this partnership with Comcast Spectacor and HBSE, Xfinity Mobile will bring cutting-edge WiFi capabilities to the arena so fans stay connected from the tailgate to the concourse,” Tuesday’s press release said. “Xfinity Mobile customers will automatically join a supercharged WiFi experience in the arena that will deliver lightning-fast speeds with Comcast’s WiFi PowerBoost feature, all at no extra cost. Fans will be able share photos, videos, and stream with friends and family as they experience their favorite moments and action in the arena.”

The South Philly arena has had five different names since it was opened in 1996. The arena was originally called Spectrum II before we got corporate. From the CoreStates Center from 1996 to 1998, to the First Union Center from 1998 to 2003, to the Wachovia Center from 2003 to 2010, and to, of course, the Wells Fargo Center from 2010-2025.

Now, it is going from a Center to an Arena.

“This arena is an anchor in the South Philadelphia Sports Complex and broader region,” Dan Hilferty, the Comcast Spectacor chairman and CEO and Flyers governor, said in a statement. “As we complete our historic relationship with Wells Fargo, we wanted to ensure that our new partner matched our enthusiasm for delivering world-class service to our fans and guests. We are committed to continuing investing in our venue to ensure we’re at the forefront of technology, innovation, and cutting-edge fan experiences. We couldn’t be more excited that Xfinity Mobile’s brand will become the centerpiece for sports and entertainment in Philadelphia.”

For the first time since the Spectrum and Veterans Stadium, a South Philly stadium will not be named after a bank or financial institution.

Here are some renderings of the new branding that the venue will include:

With Xfinity having the naming rights until the building’s end, it seems as if Comcast, which owns the building and Xfinity, wanted to keep the naming rights in-house rather than searching for a new partner for the next six years.

So, in this situation, is Comcast paying Comcast for the naming rights of their venue? Seems complicated, but also makes sense.

Now, what will we nickname it? The X? The Mobile? X-Mob? We need to construct some sort of distinctive contrast between the arena and Xfinity Live. “Meet me at Xfinity” will no longer do its full justice. Need to be specific.

Maybe the new name is a good thing.

Since Wells Fargo took over the naming rights, the 76ers have owned a record of 556-639, while the Flyers have posted a 544-454-157 record. Combined, the two organizations have gone through 12 different coaches, eight general managers, 15 playoff appearances, and zero appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Wells Fargo curse may be over, perhaps. Things, however, do not look so bright in the immediate future.

So, the final event at the Wells Fargo Center will be Nine Inch Nails with Boys Noize on August 27. The first event at the Xfinity Mobile Arena is Benson Boone’s American Heart World Tour on September 3. The Sixers and Flyers’ schedules are yet to be released.

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