Local planning afoot for the upcoming World Cup

For organizers of the 2026 World Cup, Friday's tournament draw is alike the bell lap of a long-distance race, the moment when the slow slog turns into a sprint.

- By KEvIN BAXTER

FIFA will announce Saturday the teams coming to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, one of three U.S. host cities.

(Frederic J. Brown AFP via Getty Images)

“This is going to be huge,” said Kathryn Schloessman, president and chief executive officer of the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission. “This is going to be a big deal.”

Schloessman has been preparing for that big deal for most of the last eight years. Together with the local host committee and civic leaders, she helped secure eight games for SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, set up fan fests throughout the region, organized public transportation, found training centers for visiting teams and worked to establish a legacy program that will ensure the tournament’s influence continues well beyond the final match.

All that effort will take on a new urgency this weekend. The tournament draw on Friday in Washington, D.C., determines which of the 48 nations taking part in the largest World Cup ever played will be grouped together. And on Saturday, FIFA will announce which teams are coming to L.A. and when they'll get here.