The World Cup is here: your complete guide to LA's eight matches, fan zones, and matchday logistics
SoFi Stadium hosts eight FIFA World Cup 2026 matches — including two USA games — from June 12 through July 10. This guide covers the full schedule, where to get remaining tickets, the FIFA Fan Festival at the LA Coliseum, all ten LA fan zones with dates and prices, how to get to the stadium without getting stuck on the 405, and what makes LA's football culture worth paying attention to.
The tournament that hasn't played a game in Los Angeles since 1994 is back — and this time it stays for five weeks. SoFi Stadium in Inglewood has been renamed Los Angeles Stadium for the duration, and eight matches will be played there between June 12 and July 10. USA opens against Paraguay tonight; 69,650 seats are already sold out. Here's what you need to know to make the most of it.1
The eight LA matches at a glance
Five group stage games, two Round of 32 knockouts, and a quarterfinal. Team USA appears twice.
| Date | Match | Kickoff (PT) | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 12 | USA vs. Paraguay | 6 p.m. | Group D |
| Jun 15 | Iran vs. New Zealand | 6 p.m. | Group G |
| Jun 18 | Switzerland vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina | 12 p.m. | Group B |
| Jun 21 | Belgium vs. Iran | 12 p.m. | Group G |
| Jun 25 | USA vs. Türkiye | 7 p.m. | Group D |
| Jun 28 | Round of 32 | 12 p.m. | Knockout |
| Jul 2 | Round of 32 | 12 p.m. | Knockout |
| Jul 10 | Quarterfinal | 12 p.m. | Knockout |
Paraguay returns to the World Cup for the first time since 2010 — they reached the quarterfinals that year. Türkiye's June 25 showdown could be a Group D decider; Belgium on June 21 is effectively Group G's elimination game. The two knockout slots remain open by team until group stages conclude on June 27.2
SoFi opened in 2020 on the former Hollywood Park Racetrack site. In its soccer layout, four corner-section blocks are removed to accommodate the wider FIFA pitch, bringing the working capacity to 69,650. The stadium has hosted the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup final and two 2024 Copa America matches. It's scheduled to host Super Bowl LXI in February 2027 and the 2028 Olympics opening ceremony.
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Tickets: where things stand
The main FIFA lottery phases (Visa Presale, Early Ticket Draw, Random Selection Draw) are all closed. Two avenues remain open:
- FIFA Last-Minute Sales — live now at fifa.com/tickets, first-come first-served, instant confirmation. Availability appears and disappears quickly.
- FIFA Official Resale Marketplace — face-value resale between fans, open until one hour before each kickoff. Check frequently; tickets surface sporadically.
- Secondary market — StubHub and similar sites carry inventory, particularly for the knockout rounds. Prices track well above face value for USA games.
No walk-up sales at the stadium. You need a FIFA account to buy through official channels.
FIFA Fan Festival at the LA Memorial Coliseum
The official Fan Festival runs June 11–14 at the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Exposition Park — roughly 15 minutes from SoFi by Metro.3
Tickets start at $10 for general admission; free for children 12 and under. The four-day lineup includes:
- June 11: Los Lobos perform, followed by a live broadcast of Mexico vs. South Africa at noon
- June 12: Steve Aoki plays from 2:30 p.m., then the crowd watches USA vs. Paraguay at 6 p.m.
- June 13: Capital Cities close out the evening; matches include Brazil vs. Morocco and Haiti vs. Scotland
- June 14: Normani headlines; Germany vs. Curaçao and Netherlands vs. Japan screen throughout the day
Getting there: Metro E (Expo) Line stops at Expo Park/USC and Expo/Vermont, both within a short walk of the Coliseum. A designated rideshare drop-off sits at Vermont Avenue between Exposition Boulevard and Downey Way. Limited parking exists at the surrounding Exposition Park lots and USC structures.
10 fan zones spread across LA County
Beyond the Coliseum, the LA World Cup 26 Host Committee has organized ten fan zones running from June 18 through the Final on July 19. Each carries a "locally inspired" character rather than a generic FIFA template.4
The Original Farmers Market (Fairfax, Jun 18–21) — $5/day, free under-3. Group stage matches including USA vs. Australia and Mexico vs. Korea Republic, beer gardens, cuisine from market vendors. Tickets: fanzone.farmersmarketla.com
LA Union Station (Downtown, Jun 25–28) — Free. Watch USA vs. Türkiye, plus DJs, meet-and-greets, and immersive soccer challenges. One of the few centrally located free options. Details: unionstationla.com
LA County's Earvin "Magic" Johnson Park (Compton area, Jul 4–5) — Free. Quarterfinal matches, family activities, food trucks, community marketplace. Accessible via Metro C Line to Avalon Station.
Venice Beach (Jul 10–11) — $10 GA with VIP options. Knockout stage matches on the waterfront, global food, live DJs, cultural performances.
Fairplex (Pomona, Jul 14–15 & 18–19) — $10 (before Jul 14) or $20. Covers semifinals, third-place match, and Final viewing party. Interactive science-of-soccer exhibits.
West Harbor (San Pedro, Jul 14–15 & 18–19) — $5/ticket. Waterfront experience with soccer activities and live DJ.
Downtown Burbank (Jul 18–19) — $25. Final matches, live entertainment, and a free adjacent international street fair. Tickets: tickets.cbfproductions.com
The remaining three zones — Downey (Jun 20), Hansen Dam Lake (Jul 2–5), and Whittier Narrows (Jul 9–11) — range from free to $25. Full list and tickets: losangelesfwc26.com/los-angeles-world-cup-26-fan-zones
Getting to SoFi Stadium on matchday
This is the part where a lot of fans will make or break their experience. On sold-out match days — meaning all eight — the I-405 and I-105 become parking lots by mid-afternoon.
The Metro shuttle is the right move for most people. LA Metro deploys 300 additional buses as direct nonstop shuttles to SoFi for every match. The base Metro rail fare is $1.75 one-way; the shuttle itself is free on top of that. The bus ride takes about 15 minutes and drops you at Lot S (Arbor Vitae/District Dr), a 5–10 minute walk from the stadium gates.2
If you're driving, note: you must pre-purchase a parking pass through JustPark before arriving. No pass means being turned away at the FIFA security perimeter. Park-and-Ride lots with shuttle connections are an alternative. Do not show up without a reservation and hope for the best.
The LA Metro app (free, iOS and Android) lets you plan your trip in real time. Fare: $1.75 one-way; children 6 and under ride free with a paying adult.
Beyond the stadium, LA Metro has also organized dozens of community events accessible by transit across the county — from Pasadena to Long Beach to North Hollywood. The full interactive map is at lametro.maps.arcgis.com.5
Local flavor: Inglewood and the broader LA football culture
SoFi sits inside a broader entertainment campus — Hollywood Park — that's been under construction since 2019. Around the stadium you'll find Tom's Watch Bar, The Meeting Spot, and Cosm Los Angeles for pre/post-match crowds. For local dining, Inglewood's Afro-Caribbean and Mexican food scene is within walking distance: Two Hommés (Afro-centric), Dulan's Soul Food Kitchen, and Martin's Cocina y Cantina are all nearby.
LA's soccer culture isn't new, but the city's relationship with the sport runs deeper than casual. LAFC, playing at BMO Stadium in South LA, finished 2024 as Western Conference finalists and draws consistently sold-out crowds. Angel City FC, the NWSL side co-founded with celebrity investors, plays a few miles away and has become one of the league's most visible brands. Both clubs have hosted World Cup-adjacent events and players throughout the tournament.
The city's demographic mix means this tournament will be watched from a dozen directions at once. Large Mexican, Salvadoran, Korean, Japanese, and Brazilian communities across the county each bring their own noise and color when their national team plays. On days like Mexico vs. South Africa (June 11), the city doesn't feel like it's hosting a sporting event — it feels like a national holiday.
Stadium tours and official merch
World Cup Tours at SoFi run through July 9. The 90–120 minute guided tour ($85+) covers the player locker rooms, media zones, premium suites, and underground tunnels — no match ticket required.
Standard Behind-the-Scenes Tours (60 min, from $56) are available outside match windows.
Official FIFA pop-up merchandise stores are open at multiple LA locations. NBC Los Angeles published a current list of store locations.6
References
- 1NBC Los Angeles: What to know about the 8 World Cup matches in LA
nbclosangeles.com
- 2
- 3NBC Los Angeles: Guide to 2026 World Cup fan events in LA
nbclosangeles.com
- 4
- 5LA Metro: Go Metro to free fan events across LA County
thesource.metro.net
- 6
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