FIFA WORLD CUP 2026
Why could SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles be removed as a FIFA World Cup 2026 venue?
The stadium in Inglewood had been touted as a venue for the final but could now miss out on the tournament altogether.
In just over two years and seven months time, the first World Cup to be played across three different countries - the United States, Mexico and Canada - will be begin. FIFA announced the 16 venues which would host matches at the tournament all the way back in June 2022, although there are now strong suggestions that SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles is to be replaced.
How much did SoFi Stadium cost to build?
The stadium in Inglewood is principally used for American football, with NFL teams the Los Angeles Chargers and the Los Angeles Rams its two main tenants. Opened in 2020 at a cost of a whopping $5.5 billion, making it by far the most expensive stadium ever built in any sport, it is “very close to not being a World Cup venue,” precisely because it was not built for soccer.
That’s the understanding of ESPN journalist John Sutcliffe, who has claimed owners Kroenke Sports & Entertainment “didn’t plan for a soccer field” and that private boxes or sections of the stands would have to be removed to be able to make the field wide enough to meet FIFA regulations for the tournament. “For what it’s going to cost me, best skip it,” is Kroenke’s view, according to Sutcliffe.
SoFi Stadium had been touted as a potential host of the World Cup 2026 final, which has yet to be decided. It now appears, however, there is real possibility of it not even hosting a single group game.
Where will the opening game of the FIFA World Cup 2026 take place?
Sutcliffe also revealed that the opening game of the tournament will almost certainly be played at Mexico City’s iconic Estadio Azteca at 3:00 p.m. local time (5:00 p.m. ET). The exact date has yet to be confirmed, although it will be some time in the middle of June.
Club América and Cruz Azul’s home ground hosted both the 1970 World Cup final, in which Pelé scored as Brazil defeated Italy 4-1, and the 1986 final, which saw Diego Maradona’s Argentina edge out West Germany 3-2. The stadium will become the first in history to host three opening matches and the first to feature at three different World Cups.