SoFi Stadium might be coming up empty in its bid to host the World Cup finale in 2026 … and it’s all ’cause its field could be deemed too narrow for FIFA’s liking.
Seriously.
According to a report from The Times, the pitch at SoFi in Los Angeles is not currently wide enough for FIFA. In fact, the outlet reports, the building would have to increase its field by up to 63 feet to meet the soccer org.’s requirement.
The stadium would have to take out some of its seats in order to make that happen — but FIFA reportedly would have an issue with that too … because SoFi, which seats 70,240, is already struggling to meet the 80K World Cup final minimum.
MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and AT&T Stadium in Dallas are now considered the front-runners for the tourney’s championship if SoFi can’t figure out a way to resolve the issues.
The 2022 World Cup Final between Argentina and France was played at Lusail Stadium in Qatar — and set a record for attendance … with 88,966 soccer fans packing into the venue to watch Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe go toe-to-toe.
The United States, Mexico and Canada will all host the 2026 tournament.