This browser does not support the Video element.
SoFi Stadium preps for 2026 FIFA World Cup
Tuesday, March 3 marks 100 days from the 2026 World Cup kicking off at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Tuesday, March 3 marks a significant milestone for Los Angeles, marking 100 days away from hosting matches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with SoFi Stadium set to take center stage.
What we know:
SoFi Stadium will be rebranded as "Los Angeles Stadium" for the tournament. The venue, known for hosting the Rams, Charges, and major concerts, will be transformed to meet FIFA requirements.
What is currently a synthetic field will be replaced with a natural grass surface specifically designed for FIFA competition.
"So what is a synthetic field now will become a live, living, natural grass, FIFA specific field that when it's elevated and comes all the way out into the expansiveness of this stadium that it is will be a truly incredible experience," a stadium representative said.
The field will be elevated about 30 inches to align with existing stadium infrastructure.
"So when you stand here right now and see us in our normal NFL configuration, you're looking at our field. What will happen for FIFA is one, we will elevate the field up about 30 inches in total height. So it'll I'll be level with this blue padding," the representative said.
Because a regulation soccer pitch is larger than an NFL field, sections of the stadium will be adjusted to create more space.
"But because a soccer pitch by regulation size is so much larger than an NFL field, that field is gonna expand all the way. And if you look behind you, you'll see that there's one, two, three sections that are demountable. So where you are standing right now, when we're in our FIFA mode, when you look up, you will see our roof. That will be all open airspace," the representative said.
"We're going to do that from all four corners, so that will be how much wider we get."
Behind the scenes: preparing the pitch
To maintain the natural grass inside the covered stadium, SoFi will use artificial lighting systems.
"This is one of a series of artificial light rigs that we will use to make the grass feel like it's outdoor and basically getting a sun tan. These are LED lights that are built inside here. This entire system opens up the arms expand to cover a larger distance. We will roll these out. We'll spend about 18 hours a day with these on the field in between our matches so that it is stimulating the grass to want to grow and it thinks it's in a full environment, knowing that we have our canopy structure that takes 65% of the sun," the representative explained.
Poster revealed
In celebration of the 100-day countdown, FIFA unveiled the 2026 tournament poster.
The backstory:
FIFA requires host venues to follow consistent branding and sponsorship guidelines across all tournament sites.
"I think it's a very creative concept by FIFA to make sure that there's a consistency across all of their venues. We will go through and essentially white label all of the signage that you see so that then FIFA can come in and put their brands and utilize their major partners in all of those spaces," the representative said.
What fans can expect
Stadium officials say the experience for fans will be unlike any other.
"The noise and the energy is just incredible. There is not another venue in all three of the countries where they're hosting matches that have an infinity screen like ours. So to be able to see soccer being played on that screen, to have the LED that you see, all of those immersive parts of our building operating at the same time, and then the energy that comes with what is truly an amazing competition, it will be spectacular," the representative said.