SoFi Stadium is about to do something no venue has ever done before. The massive $5 billion complex in Inglewood, California will host the World Cup, Super Bowl, and Olympics - all within three consecutive years. That's absolutely bonkers when you think about it.
Built by billionaire Stan Kroenke and opened in 2020, SoFi was always designed to be special. But even the planners probably didn't expect this kind of scheduling jackpot. The stadium is home to both the LA Rams and Chargers, and it's already proven it can handle big moments with a Super Bowl in 2022 and six sold-out Taylor Swift shows.
"When we first started talking about building SoFi Stadium, Stan Kroenke wanted to host the world's greatest events," said Kevin Demoff, president of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment. "Now if you had said that they would happen in three consecutive years, maybe that would have been hard pressed to believe."
World Cup Transformation Underway
This summer kicks things off with eight World Cup matches, including the massive U.S. opener and a quarter-final. That's huge for American fans and bettors eyeing the tournament. Getting a proper pitch installed is no small task either.
The stadium will remove about 400 seats and raise the playing surface roughly 30 inches to accommodate a FIFA-regulation grass field. They're bringing in cool-season hybrid grass from Washington state in refrigerated trucks. The venue will pack in about 74,000 fans under its translucent roof.
Otto Benedict, senior vice president of facility operations, calls it "a limitless building." He's not exaggerating - at 3.1 million square feet, SoFi is the NFL's largest stadium, built specifically to transform for different sports.
Olympics Swimming Pool Inside a Football Stadium
After hosting Super Bowl LXI in 2027, SoFi takes on its wildest challenge yet - becoming an Olympic swimming venue for LA28. Yes, you read that right. Swimming. In a football stadium.
"If you had asked me when we built this, did I ever envision swimming being in SoFi Stadium in the Olympics? I would have said no," Demoff admitted. The idea came from U.S. Swimming Trials held at Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium before the Paris Games, which proved a football venue could work.
The stadium also features the world's largest 360-degree video display - the 70,000-square-foot Infinity Screen that hangs 120 feet above the field. About 50 people work in the control room on NFL game days, with 100 total crew members running cameras and backup systems.
For punters and football fans alike, this stretch of events puts SoFi at the center of the sporting universe. The World Cup matches here could define tournament betting markets, especially with the U.S. opening game drawing massive domestic interest.
Demoff's goal is simple but ambitious: "When this run is done, I want people to look at SoFi Stadium and say, the world's greatest building hosted the world's greatest sporting events and did it flawlessly."
