The streets around SoFi Stadium were awash in red, white and blue on Friday as fans of the U.S. men’s national soccer team converged on Los Angeles to watch their team play its first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Stars and Stripes aren’t expected to dominate the tournament, a massive global undertaking playing out across 16 host cities in Canada, the United States and Mexico. Powerhouse teams like Spain and France are likely to fill that role.
But the U.S.’s middling rankings and the eye-watering ticket prices hardly mattered to the soccer fans crammed into bars, boisterous watch parties and the streets around SoFi ahead of the 6 p.m. kickoff against Paraguay at the temporarily renamed Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood.
Kevin and Katie Howell came to the game with their kids, Alexander and Lily, from Washington, D.C.
“The 1994 World Cup inspired me to fall in love with soccer as an 8-year-old boy, and I passed that down to my son, and it’s a thing we share as a family,” said Kevin, referring to the year the U.S. last hosted.
Kevin said his dad took his older brother to some of the ‘94 games, some of which were played at Stanford University, but deemed him too young, giving him a serious case of “FOMO.”
Just hours ahead of his first World Cup match, he was thrilled to be sharing the experience with his family, including his own 8-year-old-son.
“This was kind of me…I don’t know, a midlife crisis maybe, or something I had to do. Bucket list item for me,” the 39-year-old said.
Alexander was especially excited, he said, to see U.S. forward Christian Pulisic play. “I really like seeing him.”
While SoFi won the opportunity to host the first match featuring the U.S., six games are set to be played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, presenting what some local officials said could be an economic boon for the San Francisco Bay Area.
And Paraguay’s team has made their base camp at San José State University, while Australia is based in Alameda at the Oakland Roots and Soul facility.
Straining to be heard over the raucous crowd behind him near SoFi, Chris Powers was looking forward to watching the U.S. play, and hopefully win, with his friend, Jeff Wilson.
“Everyone is just so excited to be here,” the 40-year-old from Connecticut said. “It’s been a really cool experience.”
Nearby, Pedro Mendoza had flown in from Paraguay to see his team take on the U.S.
“Soccer is a big deal in Paraguay,” the 45-year-old said. “It’s like another religion for us.”
Mendoza, who joked that his nosebleed seats put him “closest to God,” paid about $1,500 to attend the game, and was hoping to go to one more.
He said traveling to the U.S. amid the current political climate and President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown was “a little concerning,” but that he had everything “in order” and was ready to enjoy the game.
Juan Lugo and Luis Ibarra of Texas said they were also prepared to do whatever it took to attend the match.
“I wouldn’t miss it,” Lugo said. “There’s no way we were going to miss a World Cup on home soil.”
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