World Cup 2026 Los Angeles Host Guide: SoFi Stadium

The World Cup 2026 Los Angeles schedule covers eight matches at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, behind Dallas, which hosts a tournament-high nine matches, and ahead of most other US venues. The schedule runs five group-stage matches, two Round of 32 ties and a quarter-final, with the venue operating under the tournament label Los Angeles Stadium because the commercial name cannot be used during the competition. The headline UK-facing night is the USA v Paraguay opener on Friday 12 June at 6:00 pm local time, which lands at 2:00 am BST on Saturday 13 June.

This guide covers every SoFi Stadium fixture with confirmed kick-off times, how the venue has been reconfigured for the tournament, how Metro's K Line and the World Cup Enhanced Service work on matchday, where the FIFA Fan Festival sits, and the current ticket situation now that the Last-Minute Sales Phase is live. For a broader tournament context across all 16 host cities, see our complete guide to the 16 World Cup 2026 host cities.

Fans comparing seats and prices in the run-up to kick-off can browse World Cup 2026 tickets on 1BoxOffice, with seat-level detail across both individual fixtures and multi-match bundles where available.

SoFi Stadium at the tournament: the name, the pitch and what has changed

Tournament rules strip commercial names, so SoFi Stadium is labelled Los Angeles Stadium in match materials. The SoFi name is the venue's long-standing commercial title under a naming-rights deal, in use since the stadium opened in 2020. The two refer to the same building at 1001 Stadium Drive, Inglewood. The stadium is home to the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers and sits inside the 298-acre Hollywood Park development alongside the Kia Forum and YouTube Theater.

The pitch is the headline change. SoFi's default surface is artificial turf at NFL dimensions, 54 yards wide. For the tournament, the field has been widened to roughly 74 yards by removing more than 400 demountable seats and field suites in the corners, and natural grass has been laid on a layered substrate with vacuum drainage and grow lights.

Per Otto Benedict, SoFi's Vice President of Facility and Campus Operations, the stadium will hold around 69,000 fixed seats plus suites for World Cup matches, lower than the 70,240 NFL benchmark because of the corner removals. The 100,000-capacity figure that occasionally circulates online is a special-event ceiling and does not apply to the tournament configuration.

SoFi has a fixed translucent ETFE roof that is open on the sides, so it sits between an indoor and open-air stadium. Afternoon sun on the west side of the bowl hits hard, while evening kick-offs are the more comfortable environment, which matters for the 6:00 pm and 7:00 pm USA fixtures. For stand-by-stand access, facilities and concourse detail, see SoFi Stadium World Cup tickets.

The SoFi Stadium match schedule

Eight matches fall across five group-stage fixtures, two Round of 32 ties and a quarter-final on 10 July. Kick-off times below are confirmed Pacific Time, with group opponents updated after the December 2025 Final Draw and the March 2026 play-off results. UK fans should add eight hours for British Summer Time, so a 6:00 pm PT kick-off lands at 2:00 am BST the following morning and a 12:00 pm PT kick-off at 8:00 pm BST.

Date	Stage	Fixture	Kick-off (local PT)
12 June 2026	Group D	USA v Paraguay	6:00 pm
15 June 2026	Group G	Iran v New Zealand	6:00 pm
18 June 2026	Group B	Switzerland v Bosnia and Herzegovina	12:00 pm
21 June 2026	Group G	Belgium v Iran	12:00 pm
25 June 2026	Group D	Türkiye v USA	7:00 pm
28 June 2026	Round of 32	To be confirmed	12:00 pm
2 July 2026	Round of 32	To be confirmed	12:00 pm
10 July 2026	Quarter-final	To be confirmed	12:00 pm

Demand pressure is likely to be strongest on the two USA fixtures and the 10 July quarter-final. The 12 June opener is the home nation's tournament curtain-raiser and the highest-profile LA group-stage match. The 25 June closer could become a Group D qualification decider, depending on the results in the prior matches.

The 10 July quarter-final is the deepest knockout round held at any California venue, which alone carries premium pricing regardless of the eventual match-up. Round of 32 ties on 28 June and 2 July round out the LA knockout slate.

Matchday at SoFi Stadium

Arrive early. SoFi security screening applies at every entry, the stadium ramp system is wide but slow at peak bag-screening times, and the Hollywood Park development becomes heavily congested with pedestrian traffic 90 minutes before kick-off. A realistic target is 120 minutes before a standard fixture and 150 minutes for the 12 June USA opener and the 10 July quarter-final. Gates typically open two hours before kick-off.

The stadium footprint forces a long walk from most transit drop-offs. The closest Metro station, Westchester/Veterans on the K Line, is about a 15-minute walk along Century Boulevard. Parking, shuttle and rideshare drop-off zones all sit on the perimeter of the Hollywood Park site, which means even paid on-site parking still leaves a five-to-ten-minute walk to the gates.

The I-405 corridor near SoFi is reported by Metro's host-committee statements as heavily congested on event days and should be avoided within three hours of kick-off. The stadium's own messaging recommends transit ahead of driving for that reason.

For a peer host-city perspective on the largest US match allocation, our World Cup 2026 Dallas host city guide covers AT&T Stadium, the nine-match Texas slate and how the Dallas matchday compares to LA. Fans planning a multi-stadium trip will recognise the parallel transport and accommodation logic.

Transport: Metro K Line and the World Cup Enhanced Service

The clearest matchday recommendation for Inglewood fixtures is the Metro K Line to Westchester/Veterans station. Single fare is $1.75 with a TAP card. Journey time from Downtown LA runs 35 to 45 minutes on the K Line with a transfer, and the station sits about a 15-minute walk from the SoFi gates along Century Boulevard.

LAX airport connects to the K Line via the LAX/Metro Transit Center at the Aviation/Century stop, which makes SoFi one of the better-connected World Cup venues for incoming international fans. The full Metro World Cup matchday plan covers shuttle stops, accessible boarding and return-service windows after the match.

Metro is running a World Cup Enhanced Service for every Inglewood fixture. Two services operate alongside each other and are easy to confuse. The first is a direct shuttle from designated stops to a Los Angeles Stadium drop-off; it costs $1.75 each way, requires no reservation and is paid at the door.

The second is the SpotHero-managed park-and-ride, which charges for a parking reservation at outer-LA lots and includes free round-trip rides for the passengers in that vehicle on matchday. Early-bird rates start at $59 per vehicle and rise as the match approaches. Service starts up to four hours before kick-off, with stadium arrivals beginning up to three hours before matches, and runs up to two hours after the final whistle.

For fans who must drive to the stadium, on-site Hollywood Park lots require pre-purchase via the SoFi Stadium app, with no walk-up sales on matchday. World Cup parking listings reported in news coverage have run to $250 to $300 for some fixtures, considerably above NFL-day pricing, with further demand-led increases possible on the USA fixtures and the quarter-final. Treat the SoFi Stadium app as the live source on matchday pricing rather than any range cited in older articles.

Rideshare drop-off is permitted only in designated zones, and queues build quickly after the final whistle. The most reliable Inglewood matchday strategy remains the K Line plus the 15-minute walk along Century Boulevard.

The FIFA Fan Festival and the LA Fan Zone network

The FIFA Fan Festival Los Angeles runs at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Exposition Park, 3911 South Figueroa Street, south of Downtown LA. Local event and ticketing pages currently list the festival for 11 to 14 June 2026, a four-day opening-weekend window built around the 12 June USA opener. The festival is a ticketed and cashless event sold through Ticketmaster, with general admission at $10 inclusive of fees, premium air-conditioned hospitality lounge access at $30 and free entry for children 12 and under with a reserved ticket.

The Coliseum site includes interactive football zones, a concert stage, food and drink from LA's international community neighbourhoods, and a curated live broadcast schedule of selected matches rather than every fixture. Fan-experience programming runs each day around the published match schedule.

The Coliseum is most easily reached on the Metro E Line, with stops at Expo Park/USC and Expo/Vermont. There is no on-site parking in Exposition Park itself, and paid parking around the USC campus is reservation-only on matchday.

Outside the 11 to 14 June festival window, the LA World Cup 2026 Fan Zone network takes over across the 39-day tournament. Programming runs across ten neighbourhood sites on staggered dates.

The early-tournament zones are the Original Farmers Market on 18 to 21 June, City of Downey on 20 June, and Heart of the City at Union Station and LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes on 25 to 28 June. The mid-tournament zones cover Hansen Dam Lake on 2 to 5 July, Earvin "Magic" Johnson Park on 4 to 5 July, Whittier Narrows on 9 to 11 July and Venice Beach on 11 July.

The late-tournament zones run at Fairplex in Pomona on 14 to 15 July and 18 to 19 July, West Harbor in San Pedro on the same dates, and Downtown Burbank on 18 to 19 July. Each zone offers live match viewing and local programming rather than the full hospitality and ticketing footprint of the Coliseum festival.

Fans planning around the 25 June, 28 June, 2 July, or 10 July fixtures will use the Fan Zones rather than the Coliseum festival, which has closed by then. The Fan Zones operate separately from the ticketed Coliseum festival, with local programming, live match viewing and community-led activity across LA County.

Where to stay for the LA fixtures

Three practical accommodation areas work for Inglewood matchdays. Downtown LA sits at the Metro hub and gives fans the strongest combination of K Line access for SoFi and E Line access for the Coliseum festival during 11 to 14 June. The K Line transfer to Westchester/Veterans runs 35 to 45 minutes, and Exposition Park is 25 minutes south on the E Line, plus walking time.

Inglewood and the South Bay, including El Segundo and Manhattan Beach, put fans within 10 to 20 minutes of SoFi by car and within walking or short-shuttle distance for hotels right by the stadium. The trade-off is distance from the rest of LA's attractions and a pricier hotel base for fans doing only one or two matches.

Santa Monica and the Westside offer beach access, stronger restaurant density and a 45 to 60 minute rideshare to SoFi outside peak traffic. For fans blending matchday with a broader LA holiday, this is a practical base.

Hospitality and Cat 1 packages, where 1BoxOffice carries them, can simplify accommodation logistics for fans doing multiple matches across the tournament window. For matches outside LA, browse football tickets across the wider tournament calendar.

Tickets for World Cup 2026 Los Angeles matches: where things stand in May 2026

The tournament is in the Last-Minute Sales Phase, which opened on 1 April 2026 and runs first-come, first-served until the final on 19 July. A new public ticket drop covering all 104 matches went on sale on 22 April 2026, with categories 1 to 3 and selected front-row inventory available where seats remain. The tournament organisers' Resale/Exchange Marketplace operates alongside, allowing eligible original buyers to list seats; resale is subject to federal and local regulations.

For every SoFi Stadium match, three buying routes are open at this stage: the primary platform, its resale marketplace and regulated third-party marketplaces. Each carries different inventory characteristics, and the practical position on each is laid out below.

• Inventory on the primary platform sells in near real time when restocks happen, and pricing is dynamic across categories.
• The tournament organisers' resale platform is the route for eligible original buyers reselling under platform terms; available inventory is variable by fixture.
• Regulated third-party marketplaces, including 1BoxOffice, carry inventory for every LA fixture with seat-level detail. 1BoxOffice is a verified secondary marketplace established in 2006, with a 150% money-back guarantee if a ticket fails to grant entry on matchday.

To buy via 1BoxOffice, create an account, then select the LA fixture and filter by stand and budget. Seat location and delivery method appear on the order page before payment is confirmed.

After purchase, fans can monitor delivery status by choosing track your order. Delivery format and timing depend on the ticket route shown on the order page: organiser-channel World Cup 2026 tickets are mobile-only and delivered through the FWC2026 Mobile Tickets app, while 1BoxOffice order pages display the available delivery method before payment is confirmed.

For a step-by-step buying walkthrough using a different US World Cup venue as a worked example, see how to book World Cup 2026 tickets at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for category structure, dynamic pricing and resale-platform mechanics. The same flow applies to SoFi Stadium fixtures.

For any fixture-specific question or delivery query, contact us directly. The team handles ticket enquiries and post-purchase queries.

Weather, security and the two USA matches

June and early July are stable weather months in LA. Inglewood averages sit in the low to mid 20s Celsius, around 73 to 79 degrees Fahrenheit, with low rainfall and high afternoon sun. The late-afternoon sea breeze from the Pacific cools evening kick-offs.

The ETFE roof at SoFi provides shade but not full enclosure, so sun exposure on the west side of the bowl is real for the 12:00 pm group-stage fixtures and the knockout ties. The 6:00 pm and 7:00 pm USA kick-offs run into a cooler, more comfortable evening window.

Security screening includes metal detection at every entry and a clear-bag policy that mirrors standard major-event rules: no outside food or alcohol, no large bags, no flags above the stated size and no poles. Review the fixture entry page 48 hours before the match for the final confirmed list. Both USA fixtures, especially the 12 June opener, will see a wider perimeter and longer bag-screening queues than the other group-stage matches.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many World Cup 2026 matches are being played in Los Angeles?

Eight matches at SoFi Stadium, one of the larger US allocations behind Dallas, which hosts nine, and ahead of most other host cities. The schedule is five group-stage fixtures on 12, 15, 18, 21 and 25 June, two Round of 32 ties on 28 June and 2 July and a quarter-final on 10 July. The 12 June USA v Paraguay match is the home nation's tournament opener and the highest-profile LA group-stage fixture, with Türkiye v USA on 25 June potentially a Group D qualification decider depending on the prior results.

Why is SoFi Stadium called Los Angeles Stadium at the World Cup?

Tournament rules strip commercial names during the competition, so the SoFi naming-rights branding cannot appear in match materials. The tournament-time label Los Angeles Stadium is what shows on tickets, wayfinding and broadcast graphics, but it refers to the same venue at 1001 Stadium Drive in Inglewood that has been the home of the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers since 2020. The address, ETFE roof and seating bowl are unchanged from the SoFi configuration; only the in-tournament signage and the pitch dimensions are different.

Has the SoFi pitch been changed for the World Cup?

Yes. SoFi's default surface is artificial turf at NFL dimensions, 54 yards wide. For the tournament, the field has been widened to roughly 74 yards by removing more than 400 demountable seats and field suites in the corners, and natural grass is being installed on a layered substrate with vacuum drainage and grow lights to keep the turf in playable condition under the ETFE canopy. Per the SoFi facilities team, fixed seating capacity for the tournament is around 69,000 plus suites, lower than the 70,240 NFL configuration because of the corner removals.

What is the most reliable way to get to SoFi Stadium on matchday?

Take the Metro K Line to Westchester/Veterans station, then walk 15 minutes to the gates. Single fare is $1.75 with a TAP card, and the Downtown LA journey runs 35 to 45 minutes with a transfer. From LAX, the K Line connects via the LAX/Metro Transit Center at Aviation/Century, which makes SoFi unusually well-connected for incoming international fans. The World Cup Enhanced Service direct shuttle from designated stops also costs $1.75 each way and avoids the I-405 corridor entirely on matchday.

How much does parking cost at SoFi Stadium for World Cup matches?

Hollywood Park lots require pre-purchase through the SoFi Stadium app, with no walk-up sales on matchday. World Cup parking listings reported in news coverage have run to $250 to $300 for some fixtures, well above standard NFL-day pricing, with demand-led increases possible on the USA fixtures and the quarter-final. Metro park-and-ride is the cheaper alternative, with early-bird rates from $59 per vehicle, inclusive of round-trip transit for passengers. Treat the SoFi Stadium app as the live source on the day rather than older quoted ranges.

How much does the LA Fan Festival cost and where is it held?

The FIFA Fan Festival Los Angeles runs at the LA Memorial Coliseum, 3911 South Figueroa Street in Exposition Park, with local event and ticketing pages currently listing 11 to 14 June 2026. It is a ticketed and cashless event sold through Ticketmaster, with general admission at $10 inclusive of fees, premium hospitality lounge access at $30 and free entry for children 12 and under with a reserved ticket. The main public transit option is the Metro E Line to Expo Park/USC or Expo/Vermont. Outside the 11 to 14 June window, ten neighbourhood Fan Zones run across LA County for the rest of the 39-day tournament.

Are World Cup 2026 Los Angeles tickets still available?

Yes. The Last-Minute Sales Phase opened on 1 April 2026 and runs first-come, first-served until the final on 19 July, and a further public drop covering all 104 matches went on sale on 22 April 2026 with categories 1 to 3 and selected front-row inventory subject to demand. The tournament organisers' Resale/Exchange Marketplace operates alongside and is regulated by third-party marketplaces, including 1BoxOffice, which carries inventory for every LA fixture. Availability is likely to be tightest for the 12 June and 25 June USA matches and the 10 July quarter-final.

How do I avoid invalid tickets for a Los Angeles World Cup match?

Stick to the tournament organisers' channels and to regulated marketplaces. Tickets sold outside those routes, particularly via anonymous social media posts, fan forums and unverified classified sellers, can be voided at the gate, with buyers refused entry. The risk concentrates on the highest-demand fixtures, namely the 12 June USA opener, the 25 June USA Group D closer and the 10 July quarter-final. On 1BoxOffice, the 150% money-back guarantee covers tickets that fail to grant entry on matchday, which limits the financial exposure on a single high-priced seat.

Los Angeles brings one of the largest US match footprints to the 2026 tournament, with two USA fixtures and a quarter-final anchoring the schedule. For fans still finalising plans, 1BoxOffice is a verified secondary marketplace established in 2006 that lists seat-level inventory for every SoFi Stadium fixture, with a 150% money-back guarantee if the ticket fails to grant entry on matchday.

Sources: FIFA Los Angeles Stadium article, SoFi Stadium final match schedule, SoFi Stadium FIFA World Cup 2026 parking and public transportation page, Metro World Cup riding page, NBC Los Angeles SoFi pitch construction report, NBC Los Angeles SoFi 2026 World Cup schedule.