Sports
World Cup In LA: What To Know About Matches, Tickets, Transit And More
The World Cup starts this week. Here's everything fans need to know about what's happening in Southern California.
LOS ANGELES, CA — One of the world's biggest sporting events is finally arriving in Los Angeles this week after years of preparations.
More than three decades after the FIFA World Cup was last held in the U.S., the tournament returns to North America in 2026 for an unprecedented competition shared by the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
The expanded tournament will be the largest in World Cup history, featuring 48 national teams, 104 matches, 16 host cities and 39 days of competition stretching across the continent.
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Los Angeles will play a major role in the event. Inglewood's SoFi Stadium — known as Los Angeles Stadium during FIFA competition — is among the venues.
Though the U.S. opens its World Cup campaign against Paraguay on June 12 in Inglewood, the festivities are starting even earlier in this week.
Find out what's happening in Los Angelesfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Here's what to know about the World Cup ahead of the matches that will bring fans from around the globe to Southern California.
World Cup Matches In Los Angeles
Up first, Los Angeles will host five group-stage matches:
- June 12: United States vs. Paraguay
- June 15: Iran vs. New Zealand
- June 18: Switzerland vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina
- June 21: Belgium vs. Iran
- June 25: United States vs. Türkiye
LA will also host three knockout-round contests during the tournament, with opponents to be determined based on their performance in earlier matches:
- June 28: Round of 32
- July 2: Round of 32
- July 10: Quarterfinal
A detailed schedule is available on FIFA's website.
Tickets
Fans hoping to attend World Cup matches in LA may still be able to find seats — even for the U.S.'s tournament opener.
According to NPR, tickets remained available just days before the U.S. men's national team's Friday against Paraguay, an unusual situation for what is typically one of the most sought-after games of the tournament.
NPR reported that FIFA's ticketing platform still showed tickets available for the match, while resale marketplaces listed thousands more.
Industry experts told NPR that high prices appear to be the main reason. The publication reported that the most expensive standard tickets for the U.S.-Paraguay match were listed at $2,735, while the lowest-priced seats started at $1,120.
More info about tickets is available on FIFA's website.
Official Merchandise
Fans can shop for official World Cup merchandise at six Los Angeles-area pop-up stores open through July 31.
Events And Watch Parties
From the FIFA Fan Festival at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to concerts, celebrity appearances, public watch parties and community celebrations across the region, Los Angeles is turning the World Cup into a monthlong festival.
Major events are planned at the Coliseum, Crypto.com Arena, BMO Stadium, Ovation Hollywood, Union Station, Venice Beach and dozens of other locations stretching from the South Bay to the San Gabriel Valley.
Transportation
Officials are strongly encouraging fans to skip driving and use public transit to get to World Cup matches and events across the region.
Metro is launching special World Cup shuttle service to SoFi Stadium from 15 locations across Los Angeles and Orange counties, including Union Station, Santa Monica, North Hollywood, Long Beach, Torrance, Anaheim and several locations near LAX.
Shuttle rides will cost $1.75 each way, with service beginning up to three hours before kickoff and continuing after matches.
Regional transit providers are also expanding service during the tournament.
Metrolink plans additional rail service on match days, while Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner is adding late-night trains from Los Angeles and requiring reservations throughout the World Cup.
Fans traveling from San Diego, Orange County, Santa Barbara and other parts of Southern California will be able to connect through Union Station to stadium shuttle service and other World Cup destinations.
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