The Arena Filming Locations

Originally titled “L’Arène,” Netflix’s The Arena brings together 38 amateur MMA fighters for a competition overseen by Ciryl Gane, Cédric Doumbè and Benoît Saint-Denis. The fighters enter an enormous Fight Camp where physical challenges, technical tests and cage fights gradually reduce the field, with €100,000 and a professional MMA contract awaiting each eventual winner. Netflix describes the Arena itself as an unusual, purpose-built setting, and much of that environment was created around Reims in northeastern France.

Production did not remain in one place, however. The main Fight Camp was reportedly established at the former Reims-Champagne Air Base near Bétheny, while additional fights were filmed with a live audience at the Adidas Arena in Paris. The competition later travels to Thailand for another stage.

Reims and Bétheny, France

The principal filming location for The Arena was reportedly the former Reims-Champagne Air Base, also known as BA 112, on the northern outskirts of Reims near Bétheny. The sprawling former military property offered the production the space needed to construct the Fight Camp and stage the large-scale challenges seen during the opening episodes.

The location makes practical sense for a reality competition of this size. BA 112 has been increasingly repurposed for film and television production since the French Air Force base closed in 2011. Its former aircraft hangars provide thousands of square meters of adaptable production space, while the wider property includes roads, open land and former military infrastructure. Reims and Grand Reims have also been developing the site as a larger audiovisual production hub.

Rather than using recognizable Reims landmarks as the main backdrop, The Arena largely transforms the former base into its own contained world. That isolation helps the Fight Camp feel separate from everyday life, keeping the focus on the competitors and their progression through the tournament.

Adidas Arena, Paris

The production also moved to Paris for some of its larger fights. A public filming notice confirms that The Arena shot at the Adidas Arena, 56 Boulevard Ney, Paris, on September 13, 2025. Spectators were invited to attend the filming of four MMA fights close to the cage, with additional guests from the MMA world expected to appear.

This means production continued beyond the main Fight Camp shoot and used a genuine large-capacity sporting venue for part of the competition. The Paris setting gives those bouts a more professional event atmosphere, which suits a series built around amateur fighters trying to earn their way into professional MMA.

Thailand

Thailand provides the other major filming destination for The Arena. The later phase of the competition takes the surviving fighters out of France, with Episode 5 revealing that eight semifinalists will eventually travel to Thailand.

The location is particularly fitting because of Thailand’s deep connection with Muay Thai and combat-sports training. The preview also reveals that former UFC champion Georges St-Pierre joins the competition during this stage, making the trip feel like a significant escalation from the original Fight Camp.

Also Read: Netflix’s The Arena Episodes 1-5 Recap and Eliminations: Who Went Home and Who Returned?

The exact Thai city or training facility used by the production has not yet been reliably confirmed publicly. Rather than assuming that filming took place in Bangkok, Phuket or another well-known MMA hub, it is safer to identify Thailand as the confirmed destination until Netflix reveals more in the later episodes.

When Was The Arena Filmed?

The Arena was filmed during 2025, more than a year before its September 30, 2026 Netflix premiere. Reports place the main Reims production around June 2025, while the confirmed Adidas Arena shoot took place on September 13, showing that filming continued across multiple stages rather than being completed in one short block.

The different locations also mirror the structure of the competition. The fighters begin inside the isolated Fight Camp near Reims, selected bouts move into a major Paris arena, and the surviving semifinalists eventually head to Thailand as the path toward the professional prize becomes increasingly demanding.