Expand<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\u201cThe 2026 FIFA World Cup is finally here, and we\u2019re excited about all the opportunities Angelenos and visitors from around the world will have to participate in the world\u2019s biggest sporting event here in the sports capital of the world,\u201d Host Committee CEO Kathryn Schloessman said Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis spectacular stadium will host the U.S. Men\u2019s National Team opening match, and seven more matches over 39 days this summer. But the World Cup experience is more than just the eight matches at SoFi, Los Angeles Stadium. The L.A. World Cup experience is 39 days of soccer-themed events taking place around our region, giving visitors an opportunity to see all that L.A. has to offer.\u201d<\/p>\n
The group stage begins June 12 with the United States facing Paraguay. The Inglewood venue will also host two Round of 32 matches and a quarterfinal scheduled for July 10.<\/p>\n
Out in the community, Tuesday\u2019s Board of Supervisors action directs the county\u2019s chief executive officer to find funding and sponsorships for unofficial \u201cfan fest\u201d sites either at county-owned properties or within any of the 88 cities in L.A. County. The county counsel would set up agreements to accept grants to pay for these unofficial fan zones.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe World Cup is a unifying event that brings people together across cultures and generations, so fan zones are an important avenue to help more residents and families take part in that experience close to home,\u201d said Barger in an emailed response. \u201cI\u2019ve heard from constituents who are excited not only about the matches themselves, but about the opportunity for their local communities and small businesses to come together in celebration.\u201d<\/p>\n
The city of Pico Rivera in March announced it intended to establish \u201cCultural Celebration Hubs\u201d both for the World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympic Games. The hub would include live broadcasting of the games, music, food and exhibits.<\/p>\n
\u201cCultural Celebration Hubs create a unique, inclusive atmosphere where fans can cheer on their teams, engage with international cultures, and participate in Olympic and World Cup festivities,\u201d said Pico Rivera City Manager Steve Carmona in a statement released in March.<\/p>\n
Pico Rivera is hosting two \u201cWorld Spirit Festival\u201d events to showcase World Cup games: Friday, June 26, at Smith Park, from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. with two jumbo screens for showing the match of the day. The other will be Saturday, June 27, also at Smith Park. But the Saturday event includes the temporary closure of Whittier Boulevard, where there will be two more jumbo screens, food vendors and a fun zone, explained Javier Hernandez, city spokesperson. For both, admission is free.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are trying to capture the spirit of the world \u2014 of the world soccer games,\u201d Hernandez said.<\/p>\n
Other official fan zones are taking place in Los Angeles\u2019 Union Station and in Burbank.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Los Angeles World Cup 26 Fan Zones are about bringing the World Cup into the heart of our communities,\u201d said Schloessman. \u201cThese locations will play an important role in welcoming fans, creating shared moments, and ensuring that the excitement of FIFA World Cup 2026 is felt across Los Angeles County.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
Supervisor Hahn said Downey is hosting the party on its own, without help from the FIFA World Cup or the county, as is Pico Rivera.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of us don\u2019t have tickets to the World Cup games, but these free parties are an opportunity for the residents to get out and enjoy the game on a big screen, surrounded by their families and neighbors,\u201d Hahn said in an emailed response.<\/p>\n
The fan zones will open after the tournament\u2019s opening weekend and remain active throughout the competition. While several locations will offer free admission, most events are expected to charge between $5 and $25.<\/p>\n
Shanti Rao, a volunteer with AYSO Region 13 in Pasadena, lives in Altadena. He wanted to take the kids in the soccer league as well as himself to a watch party. \u201cI wasn\u2019t willing to pay $2,000 or over $1,000 (for a ticket),\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Other Los Angeles World Cup 26 Fan Zones, as well as unofficial fan fests and watch parties, include:<\/p>\n
\u2022 The Original Farmers Market \u2013 June 18-21;<\/p>\n
\u2022 Downey \u2013 June 20;<\/p>\n
\u2022 Heart of the City: Union Station & L.A. Plaza de Cultura y Artes \u2013 June 25-28;<\/p>\n
\u2022 Hansen Dam Lake \u2013 July 2-5;<\/p>\n
\u2022 Earvin \u201cMagic\u201d Johnson Park \u2013 July 4-5;<\/p>\n
\u2022 Whittier Narrows \u2013 July 9-11;<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 Venice Beach \u2013 July 11;<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fairplex, Pomona \u2013 July 14-15 and July 18-19;<\/p>\n
\u2022 West L.A. Harbor \u2013 July 14-15 and July 18-19;<\/p>\n
\u2022 Downtown Burbank \u2013 July 18-19; $25 general admission, higher priced areas for VIP, passport lounge, watch party areas;<\/p>\n
\u2022 Duarte \u2013 \u201cOne Nation Under Gol,\u201d June 12, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.;<\/p>\n
\u2022 North Hollywood \u2013 NoHo Arts District, Magnolia Boulevard between Lankershim and Vineland, June 26-27;<\/p>\n
\u2022 Glendale \u2013 Either July 10 or July 18, Artsakh Paseo;<\/p>\n
\u2022 Pasadena \u2013 June 12, 6 p.m. (U.S. vs. Paraguay), Pasadena Civic Auditorium, 300 E. Green St.;<\/p>\n
\u2022 Lancaster \u2013 (L.A. County Parks & Recreation), June 25, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., George Lane Park; and<\/p>\n
\u2022 Lake Los Angeles \u2013 (L.A. County Parks & Recreation), June 25, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Steven Sorensen Park.<\/p>\n
The 2026 World Cup, which will be held across the United States, Mexico and Canada, is expected to be the largest in the tournament\u2019s history, featuring 104 matches.<\/p>\n
More information can be found at https:\/\/losangelesfwc26.com\/.<\/p>\n
City News Service contributed to this report\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.dailybulletin.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With ticket prices for the World Cup soccer tournament out of reach for many fans, Los Angeles County wants to create more fan zones in county parks or local cities where folks can watch the matches on big screens and take in some of that team spirit. The L.A. County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2414397,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[21796,22691,472452,462881,472445,472446,339151,419714,472447,344421,21738,472448,419070,472449,453417,472453,472450,426660,370771,472451,21848,21737,386440],"class_list":["post-2414396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-business","tag-california","tag-downey","tag-foothill-cities","tag-harbor-area","tag-high-desert","tag-inglewood","tag-inland-empire","tag-la-county-board-of-supervisors","tag-los-angeles-county","tag-news","tag-north-beaches","tag-northwest","tag-oc-beaches","tag-palos-verdes-peninsula","tag-pico-rivera","tag-san-fernando-valley","tag-san-gabriel-valley","tag-south-bay","tag-south-beaches","tag-sports","tag-top-stories","tag-world-cup"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778645104_As-World-Cup-nears-LA-County-exploring-unofficial-fan-zones-scaled.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2414396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2414396"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2414396\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2414398,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2414396\/revisions\/2414398"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2414397"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2414396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2414396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2414396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}