A strong odor fills the stadium as the U.S. men’s football team prepares for its World Cup opener. With a month left before the first match, the venue’s team is transforming the field into a top-tier soccer stadium. Freshly laid soil has been fertilized and refrigerated trucks carrying special grass are expected the next day.
Preparing the pitch is just one aspect of hosting a flawless event in Los Angeles, one of the 16 cities hosting the world’s most popular sporting event this summer.
In contrast to other host cities, Los Angeles faces higher stakes, aiming to use this year’s World Cup—and next year’s Super Bowl—as practice for the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, which will take place in the city two years later.
Carolina Kyllmann / CLEW
This marks the beginning of Los Angeles’ era of hosting major sporting events. Although the eight World Cup matches at SoFi Stadium are smaller in scale compared to the Olympics, they offer an opportunity to evaluate security measures, transportation systems, and heat wave strategies. The traffic-congested city, grappling with budget constraints, seeks to understand the impact of fan influx on its infrastructure, hoping that preparations for these mega-events will yield long-term benefits.
“We’re here to deliver a lasting legacy,” stated Paul Krekorian, leader of L.A. Mayor Karen Bass’ Office of Major Events, at a City Hall meeting in May. He emphasized that hosting these sporting events was not only a matter of prestige but also aimed at providing lasting advantages for the people of Los Angeles.
However, current preparations reveal ongoing challenges: this year’s World Cup in Los Angeles is occurring amid low hotel occupancy rates, expensive tickets, and a growing budget deficit. The city also faces urgent reconstruction needs following the devastating January 2025 wildfires, which scientists have linked to global warming, leaving tens of thousands displaced. Additionally, a year after ICE conducted raids in the multicultural city, where a quarter of the immigrant population is undocumented, fear remains palpable.
Fans and workers face greatest risk from heat
“The majority of those at risk are not the athletes but the spectators, who are typically less acclimatized, along with service staff such as those at sales points or in catering,” explained sports sociologist Sven Schneider. “These groups need specific protection.”
Throughout L.A., expanses of concrete and scarce shade highlight the exposure fans face long before matches begin, spending hours in the sun while waiting for shuttles and standing in queues to enter stadiums. Just days before the World Cup started, FIFA imposed a ban on fans bringing sealed water bottles, but quickly reversed the decision after backlash.
A month earlier, on a typical overcast L.A. spring day, Otto Benedict, in charge of operations at SoFi Stadium (renamed the Los Angeles stadium for the World Cup), shared his team’s familiarity with local climate risks, humorously noting that some fans might arrive underdressed for a cooler “May gray” or “June gloom” day.
Carolina Kyllmann / CLEW
Nevertheless, he assured that they are prepared. “We have cooling fans and cooling zones ready for hot days,” Benedict stated, highlighting constant communication with the National Weather Service and the use of stadium thermometers along with data from previous events to guide their plans. “We are coordinating with FIFA on our response protocol and learning their requirements.” Heat response protocols vary across host cities, based on local risk evaluations.
Despite heat waves being uncommon this time of year, record-high ocean temperatures are altering the norm, according to climate scientist Daniel Swain. “In coastal L.A. County, extreme heat is less common compared to other regions,” he noted. “However, the infrastructure isn’t entirely suited for such conditions, making them quite disruptive when they do occur.”
The $5.5 billion SoFi Stadium stands out as an exception. Surrounded by greenery, it is designed to leverage the natural environment for a comfortable experience. On hot days, the team can open roof panels to create airflow and naturally cool the stadium, which lacks air conditioning. During rain, the roof directs water to a collection system, which, once treated, irrigates the surrounding native plants, offering shade and cooling.
Yet, a different reality exists nearby. Inglewood, home to the stadium, has a tree canopy of just 9 percent, compared to the recommended 30 percent. Temporary misting systems, water dispensers, and sun awnings provided for the World Cup can do little against the demands of a climate-challenged county.
Sporting events encourage first-time public transit use
L.A. Metro hopes that these sporting events will motivate people to try public transportation, possibly for the first time, and that positive experiences can help reduce its stigma in a city where only about 3 percent of commutes are made via public transit, according to 2024 American Community Survey data.
“We are planning with legacy in mind,” said CEO Stephanie Wiggins at SoFi Stadium, as planes roared overhead. “We’ve been working hard to ensure everything runs smoothly.”
L.A. Metro has introduced multilingual signs at stations, implemented contactless payments on buses, and merged eight apps into a single platform for planning, payment, and real-time service alerts, benefiting both international visitors and local commuters.
Notably, the agency opened three new underground stops in May—timed perfectly for the World Cup—after working on the extension for over six decades. In June, fans used the D Line to access watch parties and Fan Zones. Unlike match-day shuttles, these stations will continue serving residents into August.
Carolina Kyllmann / CLEW
Officials project that about 78,000 people will use the D Line daily, serving one of the nation’s densest corridors. By the end of May, L.A. Metro reported its highest rail ridership in six years. The plan includes opening six more stations by 2028, connecting UCLA dorms, slated to become the Olympic Village, to downtown L.A.
L.A. Metro draws from its history: ridership peaked in 1984 when the city last hosted the Olympics. “We recognize that global events present opportunities,” Wiggins said.
For the World Cup, L.A. Metro is providing free water at hydration stations in key areas, and for four days in late June, it transformed L.A.’s main railway hub into a Fan Zone. Union Station became lively in a way not seen in years. “Our Fan Zone encouraged early arrivals, longer stays, and a new perspective on Union Station,” reflected Wiggins in a Substack post. “When we simplify and secure the system, create inviting places, and give riders a reason to choose transit beyond their daily commutes, they respond.”
Whether ridership will continue to grow post-events remains to be seen. Buses form the backbone of L.A. Metro’s network, serving around 12,000 stops daily, accounting for about three-fourths of trips—but the infrastructure needs improvement.
Most bus stops lack shelters, leaving riders exposed to the sun and uncertain about wait times without live departure boards. The Sidewalk and Transit Amenities Program is upgrading stops, and has installed 403 shelters—but departure screens are frequently offline.
L.A. faces numerous challenges leading up to the Olympics
Spending time in Los Angeles reveals that authorities, agencies, and businesses often focus on immediate tasks within their domains. L.A. Metro does not own bus stops; local governments do. Transport experts suggest that local politicians hesitate to invest in shelters due to concerns about them being taken over by the homeless population. While the bus system covers L.A., riders often endure prolonged sun exposure when transferring lines, frequently accompanied by the city’s sizable homeless community—a reminder of the hurdles the city must overcome to host the world.
L.A.’s severe housing crisis and budget strains lead some to question if the investment in global events will benefit local residents. Days before kick-off, SoFi Stadium workers threatened to strike and street vendors weighed potential profits against their own safety.
Midway through the tournament, L.A. buzzed with energy, with residents gathering in solidarity and celebration, reported local journalist Alissa Walker in her dispatches. Yet, celebrations were marred by toxic air from a massive warehouse fire.
Carolina Kyllmann / CLEW
The city’s challenges run deeper than last month’s smoke: many residents are still recovering from last year’s wildfires, which devastated neighborhoods in Altadena and Pacific Palisades—marking the most destructive fires in Los Angeles history. Air pollution reached hazardous levels; pollutants persist long after the fires were extinguished.
Amid a national administration focused on fossil fuels, California, known for its environmental initiatives, faces immense pressure. Los Angeles published its Climate Action plan in April, dedicating a section to leveraging major sports events to boost “climate investments that extend beyond the closing ceremonies.” The plan commits Los Angeles to achieving net zero by 2045, 100 percent clean energy by 2035, and hosting a “transit-first” Olympic Games, aimed at enhancing mobility in underserved neighborhoods.
However, those striving for greater climate resilience in L.A. County remain skeptical about the plan’s ambition and pace. After the wildfires, Mayor Bass dropped the mandate for new homes to be built without fossil fuel systems.
“The people and the trauma make this all very complicated quite honestly, but it was an opportunity to truly do things in a way that is more sustainable and the region chose not to,” said Cassie Rauser, who heads the advocacy group TreePeople, which educates, plants, and cares for trees across Southern California.
“It remains to be seen what the wildfire’s lasting impacts are,” said L.A. Metro’s Wiggins, grief palpable in her voice as she recalled her own employees’ devastation and shock at losing their homes. Regaining her usual confidence, she said that the wildfires showed how important it is to have good infrastructure and good transit: “We were relied on during those fires.”
Whether L.A.’s mega-event era will benefit the people of Los Angeles in the long run is a question that hangs thick in the air. It is exactly the kind of resilience that is deeply woven into the every day that L.A. will have to build more of for its mega-event investments to have a long-term legacy. The countdown until the Olympics opening ceremony marks two years and two weeks.
