CALIFORNIA DREAMING

WITH LA SET TO HOST EIGHT 2026 WORLD CUP MATCHES, SOPHIE GOODALL VISITS THE CITY OF ANGELS AND DISCOVERS A WONDERLAND OF SPORT AND MEDIA ATTRACTIONS

- SOPHIE GOODALL

A DEAFENING roar erupts as Los Angeles Dodgers baseball player Shohei Ohtani flings his bat across the pitch and darts towards first base.

More than 50,000 voices scream in excitement, the volume rising as he flies across the diamond, scoring a home run just minutes into the game. Cheers echo throughout the open-air stadium as a little boy in front of me waves his foam finger in the air, resplendent in the Dodgers’ navy and white.

It's hard not to get caught up in the frenzy at Elysian Park, the area of Los Angeles that’s home to the Dodger Stadium, even though 10 minutes ago I had zero knowledge of baseball - let alone Ohtani, the most expensive signing in Major League Baseball history ($700m, or £600m, in exchange for 10 years of both his exceptional batting and pitching skills).

But with a “Dodgers Dog” (a simple hotdog in a bun) in one hand and a cold drink in the other, I gleefully join in with the rousing chorus of Take Me Out to the Ball Game as the sun sets on this balmy evening in LA.

It's not hard to see why the Californian city, famous for its palm-tree lined boulevards, golden coastline, and glittering entertainment industry nestled within its hills and canyons, is already a certified dream destination for holidaymakers.

With its warm temperatures, blue skies and wholesome family fun at its sporting events, it’s a far cry from the football terraces back home.

Sunny LA is set to host eight Fifa World Cup matches this year, including five from the group stages, two from the round of 32, and one quarter-final, between June 11 and July 19 at the SoFi Stadium in LA’s Inglewood district.

The gargantuan, 3.1 million sqft sporting venue is situated in the newly-developed Hollywood Park, a 300-acre event destination, just a 12-minute drive from LAX airport, and a 20-minute drive south west from downtown LA.