SOFI READY FOR MEGA 3 YEARS

'Great crew' up for events like 2026 World Cup, 2027 Super Bowl and 2028 Olympics

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The SoFi Stadium is scheduled to host eight 2026 World Cup matches, including the US opener and a quarter-final. In 2028, it is slated for the Los Angeles Olympics' opening ceremony and will also be the venue for swimming.

(PHOTO: AFP)

SoFi Stadium was built as the National Football League's (NFL) gleaming new palace, but over the next three years it is set to become a global sporting stage a venue that will flip from World Cup spotlight to Super Bowl host to Olympic spectacle and swimming venue.

Billionaire real estate magnate Stan Kroenke is the driving force behind the US$5 billion (S$6.4 million) stadium in Inglewood, which opened in 2020 and is home to the NFL's Los Angeles Rams, which Kroenke also owns, and Los Angeles Chargers.

SoFi has already staged mega events including the Super Bowl in 2022 and six sold-out nights of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour in 2023. Officials said ambition was always baked into the footprint.

"When we first started talking about building SoFi Stadium in Hollywood Park, Stan Kroenke wanted to host the world's greatest events," Kevin Demoff, president of team and media operations for Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, said in an interview at the stadium.

"We thought that would include Super Bowls, World Cups, hopefully the Olympics when we were dreaming this up in 2015, 2016.