The Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission recently hosted the FIFA delegation for their official World Cup™ site visit. This is a big step in its bid to bring FIFA World Cup 2026™ to Los Angeles!
The ‘Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission’ stated that following the visit, the Host Committee is expecting FIFA to finalize the 16 Host Cities from the proposed slate of 22 candidates by early 2022. The United States has proposed 17 candidate Host Cities, with at least 10 of these destinations expected to be selected in the final round.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup™ will be the 23rd FIFA World Cup™, the quadrennial international men’s soccer championship contested by the national teams of the member-associations of FIFA. The tournament will be jointly hosted by 16 Cities in three North American countries. Sixty matches, including the quarterfinals, semi-finals and the final, will be hosted by the United States while neighboring Canada and Mexico will each host 10 matches. The tournament will be the first to be hosted by three nations. This tournament will also be the first to include 48 teams, expanded from 32.
The ‘Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission’ further stated that the Los Angeles World Cup Host Committee is led by the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission (LASEC) and includes the Los Angeles Rams Foundation, SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park, Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) Sports Foundation, the LA Galaxy Foundation and is co-chaired by the LA Galaxy President, Chris Klein, and LAFC Co-President, Larry Freedman.
The Host Committee is a united soccer front established to deliver a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Los Angeles, which will drive lasting social, cultural and economic impact on the region.
Stated Larry Freedman, LAFC Co-President, and Los Angeles World Cup Host Committee Co-Chair, “LA is truly a ‘Soccer City’. From playgrounds to City parks, kids and adults alike play soccer here from dawn until dusk. We are proud to be a part of the Los Angeles World Cup Host Committee, working with other members of the Committee to make our collective vision of bringing the world’s best players to the world’s City a reality.”
Said Chris Klein, LA Galaxy President, Los Angeles World Cup Host Committee Co-Chair, “Los Angeles has a rich and storied soccer history with a deeply passionate and diverse community of fans, from youth athletes to global superstars. This City is a multicultural epicenter with supporters of teams and nations throughout the world. LA’s resources and infrastructure will set the standard for a Host City and make it a perfect location for the most celebrated tournament in the world.”
Venues
The Los Angeles World Cup Host Committee has put forth two iconic stadiums for FIFA and U.S. Soccer to select from in the Rose Bowl Stadium and SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park. The region also boasts numerous locations available for training sites or base camps for international teams.
The 90,888-capacity Rose Bowl Stadium is an American outdoor athletic stadium located in the Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena, California (US). Opened in October 1922, the stadium is recognized as a National Historic Landmark and a California Historic Civil Engineering landmark.
The 70,000-capacity SoFi Stadium is a stadium and entertainment complex in Inglewood, California, United States. It is located at the former site of the Hollywood Park Racetrack, 3 miles from the Los Angeles International Airport, and immediately Southeast of The Forum indoor arena.
History
Los Angeles continues to define itself as a ‘Soccer City’, building off the rich history of hosting the 1984 Olympic Soccer tournament, the 1994 FIFA World Cup™ and 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup™, which remain the largest-attended FIFA World Cup™ events in history. The City is home to three professional soccer teams: The Major League Soccer (MLS) teams Los Angeles Galaxy, the Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) and the Angel City FC (planned National Women’s Soccer League expansion team that is expected to begin play in 2022).
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