Los Angeles to host USA's opening match of FIFA World Cup 2026
USA will begin their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign as hosts in Los Angeles and will remain on home soil for all three group games.
Los Angeles Stadium has been confirmed as the venue for USA's opening fixture of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ on Friday, 12 June 2026.
The full match schedule for the biggest-ever FIFA World Cup has now been unveiled, giving the framework for the 104-game tournament featuring 48 teams across 16 host cities in three countries – Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Los Angeles will have the honour of opening USA's tournament in what will be the nation's 12th World Cup. The city's Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena was previously used during the 1994 edition, hosting seven games in total, including the final between Brazil and Italy.
USA will play all three of their group games on home soil, with Seattle Stadium hosting their second fixture on Friday, 19 June, before they return to Los Angeles Stadium for their final group match on Thursday, 25 June.
Name: Los Angeles Stadium
Location: Los Angeles, USA
Capacity: 70,000
Opened: 2020
USA v Paraguay | Group D | Friday, 12 June
IR Iran v New Zealand | Group G | Monday, 15 June
Switzerland v Bosnia and Herzegovina/Italy/Northern Ireland/Wales | Group B | Thursday, 18 June
Belgium v IR Iran | Group G | Sunday, 21 June
Kosovo/Romania/Slovakia/Türkiye v USA | Group D | Thursday, 25 June
Match 73 | Round of 32 | Sunday, 28 June
Match 84 | Round of 32 | Thursday, 2 July
Match 98 | Quarter-final | Friday, 10 July
Los Angeles Stadium is the newest venue chosen to host FIFA World Cup 2026, having opened in September 2020. It is situated just a 30-minute drive from Pasadena's famous Rose Bowl, which hosted the World Cup final of 1994.
Both the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers play their NFL fixtures at the venue, which also hosted Super Bowl LVI as the Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in 2022.
Los Angeles Stadium has already hosted a number of concerts under its iconic and unique roof, with Taylor Swift, BTS and Ed Sheeran among the artists to have graced the venue.
People who hail from Los Angeles are called Angelenos.
It is the second-most populous city in the USA with more than 3.7 million inhabitants. Only New York City has a higher population, with north of 7.6 million people living there.
Los Angeles was a founding city of Major League Soccer (MLS) and was a proud home of the North American Soccer League (NASL) a generation ago.
The Hollywood Walk of Fame can be found in LA. As of 2023, there are more than 2,700 stars which commemorate the likes of Morgan Freeman, Muhammad Ali and Scarlett Johansson.
Pasadena's Rose Bowl hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup final. It was the first showpiece match to be decided on penalties, with Brazil defeating Italy 3-2 following a 0-0 draw after extra time.
Originally settled by indigenous tribes by 8000 B.C., come 1769 Gaspar de Portola established a Spanish outpost in the Los Angeles area. The outpost grew in 1781 as a group of 44 settlers of European, African and Native American backgrounds arrived from Mexico to establish a farming village.
Modern day Los Angeles boasts a vibrant entertainment industry and is home to a plethora of the world's biggest movie stars. Hit films such as E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and La La Land have been set in the home of Hollywood.
Football also plays a huge part in Los Angeles culture. In the 1970s, the city's main NASL representative were the Los Angeles Aztecs, who were coached by Rinus Michels and signed the likes of George Best and Johan Cruyff. These days, the city is home to two top-flight MLS sides in the shape of LA Galaxy, who are the division's most successful side, and Los Angeles FC, who lifted the MLS Cup and Supporters Shield in 2022.