The Los Angeles Rams have done things in style since coming back to the city prior to the 2017 season. Although the Rams were forced to play their home games in the Coliseum from 2017-2019, they eventually moved into SoFi Stadium ahead of the 2020 campaign.
It was a momentous occasion for the City of Los Angeles and the Rams organization as SoFi Stadium is a state-of-the-venue that cost about $6 billion to build. The stadium is able to seat more than 70,000 people and is home to not just the Rams but also the Los Angeles Chargers.
SoFi Stadium just played host to Super Bowl LVI, where the hometown Rams were able to capture its first championship in L.A. However, outside of football games, SoFi has also hosted numerous events and is currently up for a bid to host the 2026 FIFA World up.
However, the venue’s opportunity to host the next World Cup is reportedly in jeopardy as the pitch would need to be increased to accommodate regulations according to Martin Ziegler of The Times:
However, sources close to the 2026 organising committee say in order to comply with Fifa’s regulations, the width of the field would have to be increased — possibly by as much as 63ft — which would mean removing some of the seats close to the pitch and raising the playing surface.
With 63 feet being a sizable increase, figuring out how to meet FIFA’s specifications will be quite the challenge for Los Angeles. SoFi Stadium was already facing issues trying to meet FIFA’s 80,000-seat minimum, so this just adds to the complexities of their bid.
With SoFi Stadium facing difficulties, MetLife Stadium and AT&T Stadium are now considered the favorites to host the 2026 World Cup. That would be a blow for Los Angeles and fans as the city has a dedicated and fervent soccer fanbase.
Cooper Kupp and Kylian Mbappe swap jerseys at SoFi Stadium
The soccer world has already seen how great SoFi Stadium is and how perfect of a venue it would be to host games. The stadium itself has already been visited by some of the greatest soccer players in the world, perhaps most notably Paris Saint-German forward Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe visited SoFi and Los Angeles this past summer on vacation and was greeted by Rams star Cooper Kupp. The two players were seen on social media enjoying their time together and they eventually swapped jerseys much to the delight of their respective fans.
