The World Cup in Los Angeles will feel like a tournament within a tournament. SoFi Stadium in Inglewood will host eight matches during the 2026 World Cup. These will include the United States men’s opening game against Paraguay on June 12, as well as additional group fixtures and a quarterfinal. The stadium is a short drive from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and has become one of the most high-tech stadiums in the world, boasting a partially covered design, a steep seating bowl, and a double-sided “Infinity Screen” that hangs over the pitch.
Inglewood itself has a long history as a center of Black culture and entertainment thanks to venues like the Kia Forum, while new development around SoFi has added new hotels, restaurants, entertainment complexes, and a lakefront promenade. For visiting fans, that mix of neighborhood life and global football will shape match days, where you stay, and how you move around the city. Los Angeles is also planning a full slate of fan experiences beyond the stadium. The Los Angeles World Cup 26 Host Committee has confirmed that the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Exposition Park will host the official FIFA Fan Festival for the city, with match screenings, concerts, and food vendors scheduled from June 11 to 15.
The same organizers have outlined a network of fan zones in neighborhoods such as Venice, Downey, and the Original Farmers Market at 3rd and Fairfax, which will host smaller viewing events and community programming throughout the tournament period. Together with LA’s museums, beaches, and diaspora food scenes, these hubs give visitors a clear way to combine the World Cup in Los Angeles with concrete activities between matches.
Things To Do In Los Angeles During The World Cup
If you want to stay close to tournament energy, start downtown. The LA Live complex around Crypto.com Arena concentrates sports bars, restaurants, and big screens within one walkable district, making it an easy base on non-match days. Tom’s Watch Bar, which operates as an official viewing partner for multiple leagues, is known for multi-screen game days and sits steps from the plaza, so it is likely to lean into World Cup programming. Only a mile away, Cosm LA delivers a next-level viewing experience for select matches, anchored by its immersive 87-foot-diameter 12K+ LED dome that puts you as close to the action as possible without being inside the stadium.
From here, you can walk to nearby neighborhoods like the Historic Core and Little Tokyo, or head up Grand Avenue to visit The Broad, a contemporary art museum that offers free general admission with timed tickets booked online at thebroad.org. Outside downtown, several districts will attract diaspora fans and visitors seeking to connect with local culture. Koreatown, west of the city center, stays busy late into the night with Korean barbecue, karaoke rooms, and cafés packed into a compact grid of streets.
Along Fairfax Avenue, Little Ethiopia offers family-run restaurants, coffee ceremonies, and small markets that speak to the Ethiopian and Eritrean communities in the city. On the Westside, Santa Monica and Venice provide a coastal reset between fixtures, with the Santa Monica Pier and its Pacific Park rides, the beachfront path down to Venice, and the boardwalk’s mix of skaters, street performers, and open-air cafés.
Where To Stay In Los Angeles For World Cup Matches
Fans who want to keep transfers to SoFi Stadium simple should start with Inglewood and the hotel zones closest to LAX. Hotels in Inglewood, Westchester, and along Century Boulevard near the airport position you within a short rideshare or shuttle trip of the stadium, while avoiding some of the highest parking costs that have already appeared in early World Cup parking offers around SoFi.
SoFi’s own transportation guidance highlights event shuttles and transit links from the Metro C and K Lines, which connect to the LAX/Metro Transit Center. On many major event days, the stadium partners with Los Angeles Metro to run shuttle buses to the venue, and Metro has launched a World Cup information page where final routes and timetables will be posted.
To split your time between matches, museums, and nightlife, several central neighborhoods work better for longer stays. Downtown Los Angeles gives you walking access to LA Live, Grand Central Market, The Broad, and Union Station, from which you can connect to regional trains and Metro rail. Koreatown suits visitors who want dense dining and late-night energy, while still being a quick rideshare or rail link from LAX and the Metro Transit Center for stadium shuttles. On the coast, Santa Monica offers beach access and a terminus for the E Line light rail, and Culver City has become a popular base due to its growing restaurant scene and central location between downtown, the beach, and Inglewood. It’s also where you’ll find the historic Culver Hotel, a 1924 luxury boutique stay that doubles as a landmark, having hosted stars from classics like Gone With the Wind and The Wizard of Oz.
The official Los Angeles tourism site offers current hotel and neighborhood overviews to help you choose the right base once you know your match tickets.
Free Things To Do In Los Angeles Between Matches
Los Angeles has a reputation for high prices, but several of its headline attractions remain free to enter, which makes them ideal for off days during the World Cup. Griffith Observatory and the surrounding Griffith Park trails offer some of the strongest skyline views in the region, clear sight lines to the Hollywood Sign, and indoor astronomy exhibits without an admission fee, although you will pay to park a car in the area. Details on parking, opening hours, and current programs are kept up to date on the official site.
Downtown, The Broad’s free general admission and central location allow you to link contemporary art with a stroll through Grand Park and the nearby historic districts without paying multiple entrance fees in a single afternoon. On the Westside, the Santa Monica Pier and its Pacific Park amusement park are free to access if you simply want to walk, watch the rides, and take in Pacific sunsets along the edge of the Pacific Coast Highway. Individual rides and games cost extra, but the pier itself remains an open public space.
Venice Beach, a short bike ride or walk down the coastal path, adds its skate park, street art, and canals to the list of free-to-roam spaces. Elsewhere in the city, the Getty Center offers free admission with advance reservations, while the city’s World Cup fan zones and the official FIFA Fan Festival at the Coliseum will provide no-cost public viewing areas and performances on selected dates.
Bringing The Kids? How To Make It Family-Friendly
Families traveling to Los Angeles for the 2026 World Cup can build full days around Exposition Park, downtown, and the beach, all of which are served by rail and bus routes. In Exposition Park, next to the Coliseum and the main FIFA Fan Festival site, the California Science Center offers free general admission to its permanent galleries, with hands-on science exhibits that work well for school-age children. The museum is in the middle of a long-term project to build the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, and the Space Shuttle Endeavour is off display while that facility is under construction.
Within Exposition Park are several other sites worth exploring, including the California African American Museum and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. The latter features dinosaur halls, gardens, and interactive exhibitions, while CAAM focuses on African American history and heritage that can easily fill part of a day before or after time in the adjacent fan festival zone.
Public transport makes it easier to avoid driving and parking with children on match days. The Metro E Line links downtown Los Angeles with Exposition Park, Santa Monica, and several central neighborhoods, and Metro’s World Cup hub will provide real-time guidance for getting to SoFi Stadium by rail and shuttle when fixtures get closer.
Many families will choose a downtown base for its walkability, while others head to Santa Monica for the combination of beach, Pacific Park, and the traffic-free beachfront path, which is well-suited for strollers and scooters. Older children and teens usually enjoy the hike or short drive up to Griffith Observatory for night views of the city lights after a day of sports, creating an easy contrast between the intensity of the World Cup in Los Angeles and the wider landscape that surrounds it.
