Los Angeles begins countdown to the FIFA World Cup 2026

We are now 30 days away from the biggest, most-viewed sporting event in the world, the FIFA World Cup 2026 and Los Angeles is getting ready to welcome thousands of fans.

On Tuesday morning, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood opened its doors to the Los Angeles World Cup 2026 Host Committee, regional partners and World Cup stakeholders to provide an update on the logistics for residents and visitors alike. 

SoFi Stadium–with a capacity of 70,000 spectators–will host eight of the 104 matches, including five group stage matches, two rounds of 32 knockout games and one quarterfinal.

Larry Friedman, co-chair of the Los Angeles World Cup 2026 Host Committee and LAFC co-president, said the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission works every day in order to attract big events like the Super Bowl or the Olympics. He said in order to make the World Cup 2026 a reality, it took them eight years. 

“And then we worked very hard once that right was secured to be an official host city and have matches at a venue in our city,” he said. 

Once they were approved to be a host city, the next step was to plan the main events and Fan Zones around the region. This included logistics in matters of security, safety and transportation. 

Kathryn Schloessman, president & CEO of Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission, said this will have a tremendous economic impact for the community,allowing Los Angeles to be on the world stage once again. 

The committee estimates that the event in Los Angeles will have up to $892 million in short-term economic impact to Los Angeles County.

When combined with projected long-term tourism gains from global media exposure, estimated at over $230 million, total short- and long-term benefits to Los Angeles County could exceed $1.1 billion, according to the committee website. 

NBA legend and Los Angeles World Cup 2026 Community Ambassador, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, said not only will the financial impact be very positive, but also the less fortunate will have great opportunities. 

“600 young people are going to come for free,” he said. “That means a lot because when you think about fans who may not be able to buy a ticket to come here, they will get a chance to experience the World Cup.”

Potential presence of ICE

Schloessman, who also co-chairs the Los Angeles World Cup 2026 Host Committee, said they have been consulting with experts and community stakeholders, as well as with federal, state and local organizations, including the government and law enforcement on a regular basis. 

She highlighted that in major events like this one, their job is to make sure that they are providing a safe and secure experience. 

“What we are hearing… is from [Secretary of State Marco] Rubio, that ICE is going to be here like they are for regular events, making sure that everybody is safe and secure and that there’s nothing that goes wrong,” she said. 

She added that they are working extra to make sure they can address the several changes that wouldn’t normally happen for a regular event or one smaller in scale.

“We are working with all the experts in the various areas, who are the experts in safety and security, to make sure we’re delivering a safe and secure event for our visitors,” she said. 

Cooperation with federal agents has met backlash from union leaders and SoFi Stadium employees. AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler asked in a letter to FIFA President Gianni Infantino and 2026 World Cup Chief Strategy and Planning Officer Amy Hopfinger to consider the serious risk that FIFA’s planned collaboration with the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement poses to the thousands of workers in hospitality, transportation, event production and other vendors for whom the World Cup will be their jobsite. 

Fast and secure transportation

Stephanie Wiggins, CEO of Metro, said Metro is ready to move around thousands of people without disrupting the daily commute of locals.

She said there will be 300 dedicated shuttles to each of the matches to ensure that the service does not disrupt the regular service for regular riders.

“So the smart way to get to any match is, you can take transit for only $1.75, you can get dropped off or park and ride. You can reserve your parking space at metro.net/worldcup,” she said. “When you think about gas prices, that is the smartest way to travel.”

She said the traveling will not only happen at the SoFi Stadium but also at several Fan Zones throughout the region. 

She also showed the new TAP Cards FIFA World Cup 2026 edition, which will be available for sale when people use public transportation. 

For more information on the Fan Zones, visit: https://losangelesfwc26.com/los-angeles-world-cup-26-fan-zones/