SoFi Stadium is a major sports and entertainment venue in Inglewood, California, within the Los Angeles metropolitan area. FIFA used the neutral tournament name Los Angeles Stadium when it staged 2026 World Cup matches there.

The venue hosted eight World Cup fixtures, including the United States' 4-1 opening win over Paraguay on 12 June. The match drew a reported 19 million television viewers in the United States.

Its enclosed design made playing-surface preparation a material World Cup issue. SoFi was among eight US venues required to convert artificial surfaces to Hybrid grass for the tournament, with FIFA requiring ventilation and irrigation measures after Copa América 2024 pitch failures.

Key Issues

Venue labour dispute

SoFi workers secured a safety clause

On 6 June, roughly 2,000 hospitality workers at SoFi Stadium voted 96% to authorise a strike, four days before the United States faced Paraguay there. Their dispute combined wages with demands for protection from immigration enforcement at the venue.

A tentative agreement on 9 June prevented a walkout, and workers ratified it on 11 June. The deal gave the Union a contractual right to walk off if it judged immigration enforcement threatened workers' safety, keeping the dispute tied to SoFi Stadium even after the opening match went ahead.

Common Questions

Why is there a labour dispute at SoFi Stadium?

UNITE HERE Local 11 has been without a contract for over a year and is demanding FIFA commit that ICE will not operate at the venue. FIFA has not responded, leading to the strike-authorisation vote.Source: event

How many World Cup matches is SoFi Stadium hosting?

SoFi Stadium hosts eight World Cup fixtures, including USA vs Paraguay (12 June), Iran vs New Zealand (15 June), and Belgium vs Iran (21 June).Source: event

Are SoFi Stadium workers going on strike during the World Cup?

UNITE HERE Local 11's roughly 2,000 SoFi hospitality workers began a strike-authorisation vote in early June 2026, which could lead to a picket at the 12 June USA v Paraguay opener.Source: event

Why does Iran play at SoFi Stadium in the 2026 World Cup?

Iran was assigned to Group G with matches scheduled at SoFi in Los Angeles. Iran requested relocation to Mexico, which FIFA formally rejected in April 2026. The match schedule cannot be changed under FIFA's host agreements.Source: Lowdown

Why did Iran want to move their matches away from Los Angeles?

Iran requested relocation to Mexico, partly due to the large Iranian-American diaspora in California and political concerns about the match environment. FIFA rejected the request.Source: background

How much did SoFi Stadium cost to build?

Over $5.5 billion, making it one of the most expensive stadiums ever constructed.Source: quick_facts

How the World Sees Them

USA

A picket at the American team's opening game would hand domestic and international critics a vivid tournament-launch story about workers' rights.

FIFA

No public response to the Local 11 strike threat; silence treats the dispute as a host-nation labour matter, not a FIFA commercial risk.

Iran

Iran's Group G games in Los Angeles were the specific flashpoint: the large Iranian-American diaspora in California was seen as a threat to the team's political insulation, driving the relocation request FIFA refused.

UNITE HERE Local 11

A year without a contract and no FIFA response to the ICE-data demand have moved the union past letters and rallies to a binding strike vote.