Sumo’s London return shows the capital really is a global sport leader
An astonishing thing is happening in Greenwich’s historic Borough Hall. The somewhat garish landmark of SE10, until next Wednesday, is at the epicentre of London’s love affair with Sumo.
Having returned to the capital in 2025 for the first time since the early 1990s, CityAM revealed last month that the highest level of the grappling sport is set to return to Kensington before the decade’s out.
But here in the shadow of the Cutty Sark – one of the last, and fastest tea clippers built in the 1800s – is the latest example of London being at the forefront of sporting culture.
Tickets start from £79 at Tokyo Nights and rise through to £240 for VIP, on-stage dining with wagyu beef, sake and sushi served throughout the extravaganza.
And while the sense of tradition and feeling was heightened in the Royal Albert Hall given the tournament’s grand championship status, the vibe in Greenwich – although respectful – was much more engaged; fans were given a rikishi (fighter) and heya (team) to root for throughout the night.
Lasting a couple of hours the entire experience was akin to what it must feel like to be beside a local dohyō in Japan.
London is powerful
But against a wider backdrop of major nations from across Asia, the Middle East and North America looking to snap up the hosting rights to every sport on the market, a near month-long run of Sumo at Borough Hall should serve as a reminder of London’s power.
Between now and England’s World Cup kick-off against Mexico on Monday morning alone, London will showcase the very best of tennis at Wimbledon, play host to the Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup semi-final and final and stage the London Broncos in rugby league.
That’s before you take in the horse racing at Sandown to the south of the city or the Formula 1 just an hour north, and the wider year of athletics, rowing, rugby union, boxing, netball, fencing, table tennis, polo and more calling London home in 2026.
We take the Premier League for granted in the capital and were lucky to have seven teams in London last season – it will be six following West Ham United’s relegation – with four of them playing European football. Throw in huge stadiums – the likes of Wembley Stadium, Allianz Stadium, the O2 Arena and more – and the capital is a thriving advert for global sport.
What Sumo wrestling tells us is that there is the depth of interest from across the capital’s diaspora to warrant London shouting proud about the sport it has the infrastructure and desire to host.
In a world where parts of the Middle East are looking at pausing investments, and while there is so much overseas interest in the UK’s sporting asset class, the capital must lead from the front and host absolutely every bloody thing it can.