FIFA makes Los Angeles U-turn: World Cup 2026 is coming to LA
SoFi Stadium in the Los Angeles area looks set to host 2026 FIFA World Cup matches once again. The state-of-the-art arena was previously picked as one of the 11 United States venues for the upcoming tournament.
However, a feud between the governing body of the sport and Stan Kroenke seemed to spoil these plans. Kroenke currently owns the Los Angeles Rams and SoFi Stadium, as well as Premier League side Arsenal.
It was previously reported that FIFA was backing out of their agreement with Kroenke due to a financial dispute. The billionaire was apparently not happy with his cut of the deal. In fact, Kroenke challenged the split of money set to be distributed between FIFA, the city, and SoFi Stadium.
Another point of contention between the two sides apparently involved which city gets to host the World Cup Final. Kroenke wants the final at his arena, but AT&T Stadium in the Dallas area is the current favorite. As a result, there were suggestions that Kroenke could pull his stadium out of the tournament all together.
L.A. mayor confirms that the city has agreement with FIFA
Nevertheless, The Messenger reporter Rash Markazi is now claiming that FIFA and Kroenke have called a truce. The reporter took to social media on Friday evening to declare that the Southern California arena will host “marquee matches” at the prestigious competition.
“Los Angeles and SoFi Stadium are still a World Cup 2026 host city and venue,” Markazi wrote on X. “There were talks about pulling out for a few months during negotiations but the city and stadium are in. They may not get the final (Dallas is the favorite) but they are expected to get marquee matches.”
Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass then also confirmed the news as well. “We have actually just secured the World Cup in our region,” proclaimed Bass. “For a few months we weren’t exactly sure if we were going to get it but we are. And that’s going to come up very soon.”
SoFi Stadium to host World Cup games despite reported flaws
Despite the news, there have been suggestions that SoFi Stadium has design flaws for soccer matches. The arena was purpose built to host National Football League games. Both the Rams and Los Angeles Chargers currently call the stadium home.
ESPN reporter John Sutcliffe previously claimed that Kroenke’s arena would need fairly significant renovations to adhere to FIFA’s demands. This is despite the fact that the stadium was open in 2020, at a construction cost of between $5 billion and $6 billion.
Nevertheless, SoFi Stadium has hosted major soccer fixtures in recent years. LA Galaxy and LAFC previously hosted a double header at the arena back in 2022. Kroenke’s English club Arsenal then faced Barcelona there earlier this past summer in front of over 70,000 fans. Brazil and Mexico will both play Copa America matches at the stadium in June.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will expand to include 48 total teams from around the globe. Previously iterations of the tournament involved just 32 teams. SoFi Stadium will be one of 16 total arenas across North America to host matches at the competition.
Photo credit: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire