The World Cup begins in Mexico City on June 11, but the first 2026 match on U.S. soil comes the next evening in Inglewood. The United States men’s national team plays Paraguay at SoFi Stadium on June 12 at 6 p.m. PT, giving Los Angeles the country’s first home-stage moment in a tournament spread across three nations.
The city’s role is larger than one Friday night. SoFi Stadium will host eight matches, starting with the U.S. opener and running through a quarterfinal on July 10. The group-stage schedule is now set, with Iran vs. New Zealand on June 15, Switzerland vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 18, Belgium vs. Iran on June 21, and Türkiye vs. the United States on June 25.
The schedule gives Los Angeles several different tournament rhythms. The first U.S. match brings the opening spotlight. The June 25 return against Türkiye keeps the national team tied to the city deeper into the group stage. The knockout dates extend the local calendar into July, which matters for hotels, transit, public events, and anyone tracking how the expanded <a href=”https://stadiounited.com/fifas-13-billion-world-cup-shows-how-far-the-business-has-grown/”>2026 World Cup</a> changes the scale of hosting.
The local geography is just as important as the match list. SoFi Stadium, built into Hollywood Park and close to LAX, is the match hub. The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, in Exposition Park, is the early public gathering point. LA28 is already using the same split for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies, which makes this World Cup feel less like a one-stadium event and more like a test of Los Angeles’ broader mega-event map.
How Los Angeles is building the tournament around two hubs
The official FIFA Fan Festival Los Angeles will take place at the Coliseum from June 11 to June 14. Tickets are listed at $10 including fees for general admission, with children 12 and under admitted free with a paid adult general-admission ticket, and reserved club seats or loge boxes listed at $30 including fees. The event is built around live match broadcasts, music, food, fan activations, and cultural programming, but it should not be treated as the full-tournament public square. It is an opening-weekend anchor.
The longer public plan now runs through official fan zones across Los Angeles County. The announced roster stretches from The Original Farmers Market, Downey, Union Station, Hansen Dam Lake, Earvin “Magic” Johnson Park and Whittier Narrows to Venice Beach, Fairplex, West Harbor, and Downtown Burbank. Those sites move the tournament beyond Inglewood and Exposition Park, with different windows attached to group-stage, knockout, semifinal, third-place, and final-weekend programming.
Metro has moved from broad guidance to published match-day routes. Regional transit partners will run direct buses to SoFi Stadium from multiple pickup points, with most direct buses scheduled every 10 minutes unless otherwise noted. The LAX/Metro Transit Center route is one of the clearest options, taking about 15 minutes each way to Lot S near Arbor Vitae and District Drive, followed by a 5-to-10-minute walk to the stadium.
The cost structure is also clearer. Metro lists the standard direct-service fare at $1.75 for riders walking up, getting dropped off, or using non-reserved parking, with one free transfer included for riders coming from Metro bus or rail. The LAX/Metro Transit Center connects to the C Line, K Line, Metro Micro, local buses, and the shuttle between the station and LAX terminals. Visitors should still check the latest Metro and airport updates before match day, especially if they are building a tight connection around LAX.
Where to stay depends on the trip’s center of gravity. A match-heavy itinerary points toward Inglewood, LAX, or a hotel near one of Metro’s direct-service pickup points. A public-events itinerary points more naturally toward Exposition Park, Downtown Los Angeles, or the E Line corridor. Later arrivals should check the fan-zone calendar before choosing a base, because the July public program shifts across the county.
FIFA has also added a U.S. opening ceremony before USA vs. Paraguay. The Los Angeles lineup includes Katy Perry, Future, Anitta, LISA, Rema and Tyla, with the ceremony scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. PT, 90 minutes before kickoff. Stadium gates are scheduled to open four hours before kickoff, which makes June 12 a longer stadium day than the match time alone suggests.
Los Angeles’ World Cup history still runs through Pasadena. The Rose Bowl hosted the 1994 men’s World Cup final and the 1999 Women’s World Cup final, giving the region a record few soccer cities can match. The 2026 version shifts the center to SoFi Stadium and the Coliseum, with public programming spread through county sites rather than gathered around one downtown corridor.
International travel adds one more planning layer. FIFA PASS is now live for eligible ticket holders who need a priority U.S. visa interview appointment, though it does not guarantee visa approval. Anyone buying <a href=”https://stadiounited.com/fifa-is-still-selling-scarcity-but-the-price-is-the-problem/”>2026 World Cup tickets</a> from outside the United States should separate match access from entry clearance and start that process early.
Los Angeles no longer has a placeholder World Cup plan. The match dates are confirmed, the Fan Festival has a venue and price, fan zones have locations, and Metro has released direct-service routes. The remaining variables are the ones that usually settle closer to tournament time, including parking availability, final event capacities, airport-connection timing, and day-of operating details. The safest plan starts with a simple choice: SoFi Stadium, the Coliseum, the fan zones, or a trip built around all three.
