Los Angeles is one of the many cities set to host World Cup matches in 2026, with SoFi Stadium being chosen as one of the venues. However, Rams owner Stan Kroenke would love for his $5 billion stadium to host the biggest match of all: the World Cup Final.
Unfortunately, that may not be possible due to the construction of the field and surrounding seats. According to The Times in England, SoFi Stadium’s field is too narrow to host the World Cup Final as it is currently constructed. In order for the stadium to host the Final, the field would need to be widened by as much as 63 feet. That would require seats in the lower section to be removed.
SoFi Stadium can seat 70,000 fans and even more with standing room, but FIFA expects stadiums to hold at least 80,000 for the World Cup Final. Therefore, losing seats to widen the field wouldn’t work.
However, sources close to the 2026 organizing committee say in order to comply with Fifa’s regulations, the width of the field would have to be increased — possibly by as much as 63ft — which would mean removing some of the seats close to the pitch and raising the playing surface.
MetLife Stadium, home of the Jets and Giants, would now be in contention to host the Final because it holds more than 82,000 fans. SoFi Stadium was previously seen as the favorite to host the final match, but that seems to be in doubt now.
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Story originally appeared on Rams Wire