SoFi Stadium to host 8 games in 2026 World Cup, including USMNT opener

The United States Men’s National Team will play two group stage games at SoFi Stadium in the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup.

The USMNT will play open its World Cup play June 12 in the Inglewood stadium, home of the Rams and Chargers of the NFL, and also their third group game, June 25. The USMNT’s second group game will be in Seattle, June 19.

The locations and dates for the next men’s World Cup were announced Sunday. The tournament will held in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. SoFi will host a total of eight games.

“This (announcement) brings it to life and makes it exciting,” USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter said. “We would have been happy at any of the venues because we know that home support is going to be incredible in this World Cup.

“Having said that, we know where we’re at and now we can start planning, which is a big part of it. We know from the last World Cup (2022) how important it is to get the environment right. Preparation will begin tomorrow (Monday) and we look forward to an amazing World Cup.”

Aside from the two USMNT group stage games, SoFi will host three other group stage games (June 15, 18, 21), two games in the Round of 32 (June 28, July 2) and one quarterfinal (July 10).

“That’s why you invest that much in a state-of-the-art stadium like that and to get to host eight games, big games, games that will have a huge impact on the World Cup,” Berhalter said. “L.A. has a melting pot of cultures, a bunch of different people coming together, L.A. has everything, the beaches, the weather, it’s a great location to watch soccer and I’m sure with the 2026 World Cup, it’s going to be a great venue.”

SoFi Stadium has hosted several big soccer events recently, drawing more than 70,000 fans for the Leagues Cup Showcase doubleheader in 2022 (Galaxy vs. Chivas, LAFC vs. Club America), the CONCACAF Gold Cup final in 2023 between Mexico and Panama and a friendly between Arsenal and Barcelona, also in 2023.

Later this summer, the stadium will host games in the CONMEBOL Copa America.

There were reports that FIFA was looking to move on from SoFi Stadium due to the stadium’s size. FIFA guidelines call for stadiums to have a capacity of at least 80,000 and the field is narrower than FIFA guidelines.

All of that appears to be in the past as a stadium press release stated that the stadium is scheduled to begin “to undergo modifications” starting this week.

SoFi Stadium has hosted WrestleMania 39 and several concerts by the likes of The Rolling Stones, Bad Bunny, The Weeknd, Taylor Swift, Metallica and Beyonce.

This will be the first World Cup featuring 48 teams, instead of the 32-team format that has been in use since 1988. The teams will be in 12 four-team groups.

The tournament will also see an increase in total games from 64 to 104.

The opening date for the tournament is June 11 with Mexico hosting at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.

“We’re so happy being here in Azteca,” Mexican national team coach Jaime Lozano told the FS1 broadcast. “Being here with the fans will be a special day in my life and for the national team.

Canada’s national team will kick off play June 12 in Toronto.

Mexico will play its group stage games in Mexico and Canada will play in Toronto and Vancouver. In all, there will be 13 games played in Mexico and 13 in Canada.

“Toronto is a great city, with a great soccer tradition,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said. “Canada will do fantastic in this World Cup.”

One huge question was answered Sunday. After months of rumors and reports, it was announced that MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, will host the World Cup final, set for July 19.

The third-place game will be played in Miami at Hard Rock Stadium.

The semifinals will be played at AT&T Stadium (Dallas) and Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta).

The last time that a men’s World Cup was hosted in the U.S. was in 1994. The 1999 and 2003 Women’s World Cups were hosted in the U.S.

This is the first time that Canada will host and the third time for Mexico (1970, 1986). Canada hosted the 2015 Women’s World Cup.

Source: Orange County Register