World Cup ends at SoFi Stadium; Super Bowl and Olympics up next

INGLEWOOD – That’s a wrap.

The NFL’s Rams and Chargers will return to SoFi Stadium in the fall, and the beautiful natural grass field used during the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be replaced by the NFL teams’ artificial surface.

Read more Mikel Merino stars again as Spain edges Belgium 2-1 in the World Cup quarterfinals

But Los Angeles Stadium, which is what the Inglewood venue was called during eight World Cup matches that concluded on Friday with Spain’s 2-1 quarterfinal victory over Belgium in front of a lively crowd of 70,492, left quite an impression.

Competitors marveled at SoFi’s massive size, design and surface.

So much so that following New Zealand’s 2-2 draw with Iran in front of 70,108 fans for a group play match on June 15, New Zealand coach Darren Bazeley thought he had just seen the Holy Grail of football pitches.

“I’ve been in a lot of football stadiums around the world,” Bazeley said. “This is the best football stadium I’ve ever been.”

SoFi Stadium transformed into a natural grass surface to meet strict FIFA requirements for the World Cup. The field was raised roughly three feet higher than an NFL surface, and it was widened.

United States defender Antonee Robinson was asked about the playing surface following a 4-1 victory over Paraguay in the Americans’ World Cup opener on June 12.

“It’s probably the best field I’ve ever played on in the States,” Robinson said.

Friday’s match was the final World Cup match in SoFi. Spain advances to Tuesday’s semifinals against France at Dallas Stadium. Spain’s Mikel Merino broke a 1-1 tie with an 88th minute goal, slotting a putback just minutes before stoppage time to help the Spaniards pull out the victory to advance.

In other quarterfinals to be played on Saturday, England will take on Norway, while Argentina faces Switzerland.

The World Cup, which is hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, will culminate with the championship on June 19 at New York/New Jersey Stadium.

For the $5 billion SoFi Stadium palace, which will be 6 years old in September, it showed the world why it is quickly becoming one of the most iconic stadiums in the world. And it’s just getting started.

SoFi is on the verge of becoming the first venue in history to host three massive global sporting events over a three-year period. Next up is the 2027 Super Bowl, followed by the 2028 Summer Olympics.

The Super Bowl will return to SoFi Stadium on February 14, which will be the second Super Bowl it has hosted and ninth Super Bowl played in the Los Angeles area. It will also be the first Valentine’s Day Super Bowl.

SoFi Stadium hosted the Super Bowl in 2022, a Rams victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, 23-20.

When the Summer Olympics come to Los Angeles in 2028, SoFi Stadium will undergo another massive undertaking to serve as the Olympic swimming venue with a capacity to hold a record-breaking 40,000 spectators for an Olympic swimming event.

SoFi will split opening ceremony duties with the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, marking the first time the Opening Ceremony will span two venues.

For the World Cup at SoFi Stadium, however, Friday’s game brings an end to a month of excitement that included jaw-dropping ticket prices, celebrities galore, and massive crowds from all over the world.

More than a half million (561,656) fans attended the eight matches at Sofi, where get-in prices constantly hovered around $1,000, and were significantly more for the two games that included the United States team. The average attendance for the eight games was 70,207.

Read more World Cup: Spain defeats Belgium on Mikel Merino’s late goal in quarterfinal match

Overall, FIFA’s World Cup expansion from 32 to 48 teams drew record crowds across the three countries.

Going into the quarterfinals with 96 of 104 matches completed, a World Cup record of 6,259,584 fans have attended matches, which is an average of 65,204 per game, making the 2026 tournament the best-attended in World Cup in history.

During the eight matches at SoFi Stadium, it was a party and a celebration.

Celebrities Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio and David Beckham attended the opening match on June 12, which was the United States’ most impressive game, opening the World Cup with a bang.

Rising star Folarin Balogun scored twice in a rout of Paraguay before a sellout crowd of 70,492. It was the first time the Americans scored four goals in a World Cup game, and left many wondering if it was the best performance ever from a USMNT squad.

“If you’re talking the most stylish win in USMNT history, the Paraguay match will be tough to top,” explained ESPN soccer reporter Jeff Carlisle. “The U.S. created 12 chances and completed more than 500 passes. This wasn’t aimless possession either. The USMNT was constantly attacking the Paraguay goal, with clever touches and dynamic movement.”

Iran, which was the first country in the history of the World Cup to compete on the home soil of a country it is at war with, participated in two games at SoFi Stadium.

Iran fought back twice to salvage a 2-2 draw with New Zealand in front of 70,108 on June 15. It also played Belgium to a scoreless draw in front of 70,317 on June 21.

But it wasn’t a memorable stay for the Iranians, who missed the knockout round, and complained about how the team was treated.

Some members of Iran’s staff were denied visas to the United States. Following its matches in Los Angeles, Iran had to immediately return to Tijuana, which was its home base during the World Cup.

Iranian coach Amir Ghalenoei voiced his complaint after playing New Zealand.

“We have spent so much time commuting, they didn’t even give us time to recover,” Ghalenoei said. “They told us you have to leave immediately. They asked us to get on a plane and return to Tijuana.

“The Mexican people, the Mexican government, especially in Tijuana, they have made us feel at home. We really weren’t homesick because they made us feel at home. They gave us energy and we actually missed them. It’s not ideal to go back this evening, but we look forward to going back to the good Mexican people.”

In Switzerland’s 4-1 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 18, 20-year-old Johan Manzambi came off the bench in the 72nd minute and scored twice in front of a colorful crowd of 70,026. Switzerland moved on to the quarterfinals.

The United States played its final game at Sofi Stadium on June 25 against Türkiye. The USMNT had already clinched Group D and sat the majority of its starters. It looked like the match would end in a draw before Türkiye scored in the final seconds of stoppage time to pull out a 3-2 victory in front of 70,492.

SoFi Stadium hosted two Round of 32 knockout games in addition to Spain’s quarterfinal game on Friday.

Canada’s Stephen Eustáquio ended a scoreless draw against South Africa on June 28 with a dramatic game-winner in stoppage time, scoring in the 92nd minute to lead the Canadians to a 1-0 victory and their first knockout win in World Cup history in front of 69,237 fans.

Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal helped make easy work against Austria in the Spaniards’ 3-0 victory in a Round of 32 match on June 2 in front of 70,492. Oyarzabal scored twice, notching goals in the 36th and 89th minutes.

Read more Orange County restaurants shut down by health inspectors (July 2-9)