The first 48-team World Cup is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, and Los Angeles is one of the American host cities. Here is what local fans should know — with a reminder to confirm the fast-changing specifics on official sites.
The venue
The LA-area matches are being played at SoFi Stadium, the Inglewood home of the Rams and Chargers, a confirmed 2026 World Cup venue, according to FIFA. The stadium sits just east of LAX and holds roughly 70,000 people. FIFA and the stadium have said SoFi will host several matches — group-stage games plus knockout rounds up to a quarterfinal; the semifinals and final are assigned elsewhere, with the final at MetLife Stadium in the New York/New Jersey area. Because knockout matchups depend on results and details can shift, check the current schedule at fifa.com before making plans.
Getting there
SoFi has no rail station at its door, so plan your transit. LA Metro says it will run direct shuttle buses to the stadium for World Cup matches, connecting from rail stations and regional hubs, per Metro. The nearest rail stops are on the Metro C and K lines — Hawthorne/Lennox and Downtown Inglewood — with shuttle links to the venue. On-site parking is limited and pricey, and Inglewood traffic is heavy on event days, so transit is the easier bet. Confirm shuttle pickup points, routes and fares at metro.net closer to your match, and check Metrolink and the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner for regional service.
How the tournament works
This is the first World Cup with 48 teams, up from 32. They are split into 12 groups of four, each team playing three group games. The top two in each group plus the eight best third-place finishers advance to a 32-team knockout bracket — round of 32, round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals and the final. In all, the expanded format runs to 104 matches across the three host nations, far more than the 64 of recent tournaments.
Where things stand
The U.S. men's national team has reached the round of 16, a milestone for the co-hosts on home soil, as the Herald has reported. Their route deeper into the bracket depends on the knockout draw as it fills in.
Tickets and fan events
FIFA and local organizers have pointed to official fan festivals and viewing zones around the county. Because locations, dates and whether events are free can change, confirm those through FIFA and the Los Angeles host-city organizers rather than secondhand listings. For match tickets, use only official FIFA channels — resale scams spike around big events.
The bottom line
LA's World Cup summer centers on SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, best reached by Metro's planned shuttles and rail connections. Lock in the specifics — dates, kickoff times, transit and fan events — through FIFA and LA Metro, whose official pages will be updated as the tournament runs.
