Your chance has finally arrived to get into sumo wrestling.
From a safe distance, of course.
Because next year a fleet of Japan’s most elite wrestlers will be facing off at the Royal Albert Hall in a rare international tournament – in fact, this will only be the second time in the sport’s 1,500-year history that an official five-day basho will be held outside Japan. Heck, they only take place six times a year in Japan. So unless you plan to go there any time soon (and wake up at 2am UK time to pre-book tickets), this could be pretty much your only opportunity to see one of the world’s most ancient and electrifying sports for another 750 years.
The Royal Albert Hall’s Victorian splendour will be transformed into an authentic dohyō wrestling arena, complete with a soil and sand stage, a rice straw ring, and a floating Shinto shrine-style roof overhead. You’ll get to see the elaborate dress of the gyōji referee, and watch the stately ring entrance ceremony, where the wrestlers process onto the stage in hand-embroidered silk aprons. And of course, you’ll get to see some absolutely jaw-dropping action as the country’s top-level wrestlers duke it out.
Japan Sumo Association
Sumo’s unique mix of ritual pageantry and fast-paced clashes make it a very easy sport to get into. Before each bout, the wrestlers face each other and match their breath in a time-honoured ritual that creates an electric atmosphere across the venue. Then, once the match begins, it’s surprisingly fast-paced: showdowns are often won and lost in under a minute, and the stakes are high – when a wrestler is toppled out of the ring, he often falls into the front row.
Tickets for all five days of the tournament go on sale in early 2025, and are likely to be snapped up very quickly – so if you want to go, prepare to fight for a spot.
NOTE: The Grand Sumo Tournament comes to the Royal Albert Hall on 15th – 19th October 2025. You can sign up to find out when tickets go on sale right here.
The Grand Sumo Tournament | Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, SW7 2AP
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