The 2028 Olympics may be held in Los Angeles, but football will be played from sea to shining sea. Today, the organizing committee for the 2028 Summer Olympics announced that six stadiums will host men’s and women’s soccer matches in conjunction with the Rose Bowl.
Group and knockout stage matches will be held in six stadiums:
advertise
– Etihad Park, Queens (NYCFC’s new stadium scheduled to open in 2027) – Capacity 25,000
-Scotts Miracle-Gro Field, Columbus – Capacity 20,371
-Jorda Park, Nashville – Capacity 30,000
– St. Louis Energizer Park – Capacity 22,423
– San Jose PayPal Park – 18,000 people
-Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego – 35,000 capacity
Due to sponsorship conflicts, the stadium will use a generic city name (Columbus Stadium, New York City Stadium, etc.), as is typically used at World Cups. The Rose Bowl (capacity 89,702) will retain its Olympic designation.
The medal games for the men’s and women’s soccer tournaments, including the gold medal game, will be played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, with the teams returning to the Los Angeles area to finish the tournament.
Traditionally, the Olympic football tournament is held throughout the country hosting the Games, freeing up the host city’s facilities for other events. When Atlanta hosted the Summer Olympics in 1996, football games were held at RFK Stadium in Washington, Sanford Stadium in Athens, Legion Field in Birmingham, the Citrus Bowl in Orlando and the Orange Bowl in Miami. Atlanta didn’t even host a game during these tournaments, with the gold medal game taking place in Athens. The last time Los Angeles hosted a football game in 1984, football games were played at Harvard Stadium in Cambridge, Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Stanford Stadium in Stanford and the Rose Bowl.
advertise
In 2028, the format of the men’s and women’s football competition will change. Previously, the men’s tournament consisted of 16 teams, while the women’s tournament had only 12 teams. In 2028, the women’s tournament will have 16 teams, while the men’s tournament will be reduced to 12 teams. The United States, as the host nation, will automatically send teams to both events. For the men’s team, this means that the U-23 squad, which has up to three overage players, has taken a spot. The U.S. women’s soccer team also has a spot in the Olympics, meaning the CONCACAF Women’s Championship later this year will only serve as their World Cup qualifier. The top three finishers in the event who are not designated Team USA will also qualify for the Olympics.
The six stadiums that host football matches along with the Rose Bowl are all Major League Soccer stadiums, and San Jose and San Diego are also National Women’s Soccer League stadiums. If fans of the USWNT and U.S. Men’s U-23 teams are unable to travel to Los Angeles for the Summer Olympics, they will have the opportunity to watch their teams compete across the country in the Olympics.
