Despite months of resistance and threats to pull out of the World Cup entirely, Los Angeles is set to remain a host city for the international soccer tournament, according to reports.
L.A. was named as a host city for the 2026 World Cup last June, with SoFi Stadium selected as the stadium where the matches would take place.
However, Stan Kroenke, who owns the top-of-the-line stadium in Inglewood, refused to adjust the playing area to accommodate a soccer field, which uses wider dimensions than a football field.
ESPN reporter John Sutcliffe had earlier indicated that SoFi was “practically out” of the running to host any World Cup games due to Kroenke’s disagreement with FIFA, however new reports from The Messenger now say otherwise.
Los Angeles and SoFi Stadium are still a World Cup 2026 host city and venue, per The Messenger’s Arash Markazi, who also noted that L.A. “may not get the final but [is] expected to get marquee matches.”
According to Markazi, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass confirmed that the city recently secured the World Cup, telling him that she was not “exactly sure if we were going to get it but we are.”
In addition to owning SoFi Stadium and the L.A. Rams, Kroenke owns Arsenal F.C. in the English Premier League and the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer.
The 2026 World Cup will be played in 16 venues across 16 cities in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
