Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium Will Not Host FIFA World Cup 2026 Games Anymore; Owner Stan Kroenke Refuses To Make Changes

The SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles may be one of the most advanced stadiums in the world, but drama is now surrounding it regarding the FIFA World Cup in 2026, and it may be because of owner Stan Kroenke.

When FIFA announced that the US, Mexico, and Canada would have joint-hosting duties in 2026, SoFi Stadium became one of the frontrunners to hold the final match. However, the Daily Mail reported that it is "now at high risk of not hosting a single game of the event."

ESPN Deportes' John Sutcliffe noted, "A source told me that they are 90 percent sure that SoFi Stadium, the most expensive stadium in the world, has a design problem." This apparently made Kroenke, who owns current NBA champions the Denver Nuggets and English Premier League team Arsenal, unhappy.

Despite being one of the biggest sports stadiums on the planet, FIFA officials reportedly found that its field is not wide enough to accommodate a soccer pitch for an official tournament game. It was then suggested to the Arsenal owner that the "private boxes or sections of the stands would have to be removed to widen the space around the field to accommodate a soccer pitch." However, Kroenke was having none of it.

Sutcliffe noted, "It had design problems, no one told Mr. Kroenke that they didn't plan for a soccer field and that it has to get rid of these boxes. The information that I have is that SoFi Stadium is no longer going to be a World Cup venue because the stadium's owner [Kroenke] said, 'For what it is going to cost me, best skip it.'"

This means that the $5 billion stadium might not host any games at all as FIFA found the pitch to be too small and that its owner is unwilling to make changes. The Los Angeles venue has now gone from possibly hosting the most-watched game in the world to not being able to host a single game at all.

Las Vegas May Replace Los Angeles as Host City Should SoFi Stadium Changes Not Be Made

Should Los Angeles lose its hosting rights if SoFi Stadium's owner remains adamant about not making changes, FIFA actually has several contingencies. According to World Soccer Talk, Las Vegas may be in the running as a replacement host city.

Much like SoFi, the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas is also brand new and is a state-of-the-art NFL arena. However, it should be noted that this is not final yet.

New York and Dallas Final Contenders to Hold FIFA World Cup 2026 Instead of Los Angeles

The SoFi Stadium drama has left only two contenders to host possibly the most-watched game in the world, and they are New York and Dallas.

According to The Mirror, the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final hosting rights battle now boils down to the MetLife Stadium in New York and the AT&T Arena in Dallas, Texas. Both are world-class stadiums, though Dallas is currently the frontrunner now that Los Angeles may be out of the picture.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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