“How are you going to amuse yourself?”Īs big as the World Cup is, however, Freedman noted that it’s just part of an unprecedented series of major sporting events that will be held in Southern California in a six-year window that opened last winter when SoFi played host to the Super Bowl. “What are you going to do for the rest of the day when you’re not training?” Freedman asked. Southern California also has Hollywood, the beaches and Disneyland. It’s a little bit more reliable from that perspective,” Freedman said. “All cities are not created equal when it comes to the weather. But with multiple world-class training facilities and mild summer weather when compared to other host cities such as Houston Arlington, Texas and Miami, Southern California could comfortably house multiple teams at a time, which gives the area a tremendous advantage. The World Cup’s effect on the local economy in 2026 will depend on how many games are played at SoFi and what kind of ancillary draws, such as fan festivals and cultural events, are staged here. The 1994 tournament set records for both overall attendance at 3.6 million and average attendance at 68,991 a game while the economic impact for Southern California alone was estimated at $623 million. Also missing the cut was M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, about 40 miles from Washington. Eight matches, including the final, were played at the Rose Bowl, which didn’t make the cut this time. The artificial-turf surface will also have to be covered with a carpet of natural grass, a process that must be repeated in at least seven of the other 16 World Cup stadiums.ĭuring the last World Cup played in the U.S., in 1994, the 52 matches were played in nine stadiums. Larry Freedman, co-chair of the host committee and co-president and chief business officer at LAFC, said that can be resolved by removing some of the demountable field-level seats in the four corners of the pitch. What it doesn’t have is a regulation-size soccer field. The most expensive stadium in the world with a construction cost of more than $5 billion, it has many of the baubles the group’s top officials like, including lavish luxury suites and close proximity to the airport. SoFi, meanwhile, has long been a FIFA favorite for more modern reasons.
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