SoFi Stadium to Host Eight Games in the 2026 World Cup

FIFA has announced that SoFi Stadium will host eight matches during the 2026 World Cup. 

This comes after months of back and forth on whether the stadium would be hosting any games at all. 

It will be the first time the World Cup has been played in Southern California since 1994 when the Rose Bowl was the site of the final match. 

The Details 

The 2026 World Cup will be hosted in North America and include venues in Mexico, Canada, and the United States. 

Although Mexico City will start the tournament, America and Canada will begin just a day later. Southern California will host the first game in the US at SoFi Stadium. 

In total, the Inglewood stadium will have eight matches played there, including the first and third games for the U.S. national team. The World Cup championship game will be played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. 

While SoFi Stadium was under consideration for the final game, FIFA decided to choose the east coast instead. 

In addition, there were even recent questions as to whether Los Angeles would host any of the games. 

During negotiations, SoFi Stadium owner Stan Kroenke was willing to pull out altogether if terms on how the money would be shared and where it would come from weren’t fixed. 

However, the two sides figured things out and Southern California will be a host site for the World Cup for the first time in thirty years. 

What Does This Mean for Los Angeles?

With news of the World Cup and the Summer Olympics coming to Southern California in 2026 and 2028, elected officials have been pumping legislation to prepare the city. 

Now that Los Angeles hosting World Cup games is a reality, it wouldn’t be surprising to see transit, homelessness, and housing projects attempt to fast-track their timelines from 2028 to 2026. 

However, it appears that Inglewood will be the city in focus for many of those projects. The Inglewood Transit Connector will bring residents and tourists directly to the stadium for other transit and commercial hubs. 

As of right now, the city hopes for it to be done by 2028. 

Additionally, the LA City Council has proposed raising the minimum wage to $30 for tourism workers. While the proposal was planned for 2028, it would be no surprise if it is changed to 2026. 

How This Impacts You?

The World Cup is the biggest sporting event on the planet, with billions of people watching the games from all over the globe. 

Due to the hype around the event, it also creates a tourism boom in whatever place hosts it that year. In 2022, over 3 million people went to Qatar to watch the World Cup in person. 

In a city like Los Angeles, it could only be assumed that number will be higher. As a result, there will likely be a huge economic boost in Los Angeles, particularly in commercial areas. 

Thus, there will likely be more legislation that comes before 2026 to prepare your buildings and the rest of the city for this. 

We’ll keep you updated on the latest news with local legislation before the 2026 World Cup. 

Until then, keep up with BOMA on the Frontline for the latest news in the Greater Los Angeles area.