Why Wolves have another permanent home more than 5,000 miles from Molineux

Alongside the famous Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton Wanderers have another home that few people know about.

Wolves have called Molineux home since 1889, but a new permanent home has now opened its doors more than 5,000 miles away from the Black Country.

Wolves Esports has grown into a major operation since launching in 2018, with its presence in China also growing over the years.

That has resulted in Chongqing Wolves, the hugely successful 'Honor of Kings' video game team, moving into a purpose-built esports arena in Chongqing, holding more than 2,000 spectators.

The scale of the project does raise eyebrows among fans in the West Midlands, especially as the overarching feeling of unrest surrounding owners Fosun remains, but the club's hiearchy have continued to stress that the esports operation is seperate from the football club.

Wolves Esports now has a permanent home in China

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The Old Gold first entered the esports world in 2018, before they established a Chinese operation one year later, as Fosun looked to take the club's brand into a rapidly growing market.

One of the biggest steps came in September 2021, when Fosun Sports acquired successful King Pro League team Chongqing QGhappy, before it was renamed Chongqing Wolves.

Honor of Kings is a five-versus-five online game in which players take control of individual heroes and work as a team to destroy the opposing base, with the scale of the game in China being enormous, with 100 million daily players.

With this in mind, a permanent home for the team was developed in the Bishan district of the city, before being formally handed over after trial operations in March 2026.

Built to China's national A-grade esports arena standards, the venue is the largest professional esports venue in south-west China, while the first three KPL matches attracted 5,100 fans in total.

Fosun's focus has been called into question previously

Since failing to qualify for Europe under Bruno Lage in 2022, there has been a sharp downturn in performance on the pitch at Molineux in the years since.

The Old Gold would secure mid-table finishes under Julen Lopetegui and Gary O'Neil in the two subsequent years, but relegation was considered a huge possibility on one too many occasions before O'Neil's sacking in 2024.

Vitor Pereira would come in and save the Black Country club before luck finally caught up with Wolves, who were relegated at the end of the 2025/26 Premier League campaign.

It is hard to point the finger at anyone other than Fosun when it comes to just why this downturn happened.

The ambition to sell players wasn't matched by the corresponding ambition in incomings, and that ambition even forced Lopetegui to leave the club days before the 2023/24 season began, resulting in the massively inexperienced O'Neil taking the job.

At the same time, supporters have had to watch their brand used as a vehicle for growth in China, while the football club itself has received little to no care.

At a meeting between Wolves and supporter groups in January 2026, it was noted that esports is a completely separate entity with no link to Wolverhampton Wanderers' funds.

But fans have every right to feel concerned when the club's badge is used for something carrying no connection with the club.

Fosun do not have much breathing room to turn Wolves' reputation around

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Wolves have experienced unimaginable highs since Fosun's 2016 takeover, with Nuno Espirito Santo's side reaching the quarter-finals of the Europa League in 2020, and threatened to burst into the Champions League on multiple occasions.

Those memories are now in the distant past, with the club desperately looking to bounce back to the top flight at the first opportunity, while the ownership group remains on very thin ice among supporters.

Time and time again, promises have been made and not kept, while money continues to be spent on esports ventures and the club's branding is used for them.

That would not be a problem if Wolves were thriving as they were at the turn of the decade, but sadly, the current venture leaves a sour taste in the mouths of fans in the West Midlands.