Oriental Sports Center — Shanghai, China

The Oriental Sports Center, also known as the Shanghai Aquatic Sports Center, is a sports complex in the Pudong New Area of Shanghai, China. Built between 2008 and 2011 to a design by the German practice Gerkan, Marg and Partners, it opened in July 2011 and staged the 14th World Aquatics Championships that same month.

The complex is not a single hall but a group of them: an indoor arena, an indoor swimming pool and an outdoor pool, each with its own seating. The arena — the Indoor Stadium — is the one that matters for a fight night, seating 18,000 and carrying a calendar that runs from arena football and basketball through speed skating and figure skating to esports and mixed martial arts.

For a UFC card the floor is cleared for the octagon and the seating wraps it on every side: the lowest rows sit level with the cage, the middle tier reads the whole floor at an angle, and the upper rows take in the hall as one room. The building is enclosed and air-conditioned, so conditions inside hold steady whatever the Shanghai weather is doing outside.

The Oriental Sports Center stands in southern Pudong, on the eastern bank of the Huangpu River and directly beside Expo Park — the riverside grounds left behind by the 2010 World Expo. That places it across the water from the historic centre of Shanghai rather than in it, on a stretch of the city that was rebuilt for large public events and has the road and rail capacity to match.

The setting is open and low-rise by Shanghai standards, with the river on one side and the Expo grounds on the other, so the walk in from the metro is a straightforward one. The Bund, People's Square and the towers of Lujiazui all lie north along the river and are reachable in well under an hour on the metro, which makes the arena easy to pair with a day in the older parts of the city.

Shanghai has one of the largest metro networks in the world and it reaches this arena directly, which makes rail the simplest way in on an event night.

Transport options:

• Metro rail — Oriental Sports Center station sits beside the complex and is an interchange of Lines 6, 8 and 11; it is the southern terminus of Line 6 and the first cross-platform interchange built in Shanghai, so changing lines here takes seconds rather than a walk
• Taxi and ride-hailing — metered taxis and app-based cars operate across the city; having the destination written in Chinese helps, and queues build at the pick-up points once a full house leaves at the same time
• By car — the complex is reached on the elevated roads through southern Pudong, with parking on site for major events; departures run slower than arrivals

Road access around the complex is managed closely when the arena is full, so allow extra time for the final approach and for security screening at the gates. Arriving well before the opening bouts leaves room to clear entry and find your section without rushing.

As a venue built for international championships and broadcast events, the Oriental Sports Center carries the infrastructure expected of a complex of that scale. Seating categories for a fight night run from floor positions ringing the octagon, through the lower rows with sightlines level to the cage, to the elevated tiers that take in the whole floor and the card across the evening.

Food and drink outlets operate on the concourses during events. Mobile payment is the norm across Shanghai and is accepted throughout the building; international cards are less universally handled than in Europe or North America, so it is worth carrying a backup. Restrooms and accessibility provision are distributed around the concourse; accessible entry and seating arrangements for a given event are confirmed by the organiser.

Security screening at entry follows the standard Chinese venue protocol, which includes an identity check alongside the bag search — carry the passport you booked with. Prohibited items usually include professional cameras, large bags, and outside food and drink. Exact entry rules for a specific date are published ahead of the event, so check them before you travel.

A fight night at the Oriental Sports Center pairs easily with a stay in Pudong, where hotels sit a few metro stops from the doors, or with a base around the Bund or the former French Concession if you would rather trade proximity for the older city. Booking ahead is advised around a major event, when demand across Shanghai rises.

The city rewards a longer trip: the Bund waterfront, Yu Garden, the Shanghai Museum on People's Square and the observation decks of Lujiazui are all within reach of a single metro line, and the water towns outside the city make an easy day out. Late summer in Shanghai is hot and humid with a real chance of rain, while autumn and spring are mild and the most comfortable times to walk the city.

Most visitors need a visa for mainland China, though a number of nationalities qualify for visa-free entry or a transit exemption — check the official Chinese channels well before booking travel. Line up your visit with the UFC 2026 schedule, read how a fight night works on the about the UFC page, see other locations on the venue overview, or return to the homepage for ticket access.