LA28 Announces Olympic Soccer Will Stretch From New York to California

3 February 2026

The 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games organizing committee unveiled an ambitious plan this week unveiling a set of venues for the men’s and women’s soccer tournaments that will expand far beyond SoCal while keeping the competitive heart of the Games in Southern California. On February 3, 2026, LA28 revealed that six additional stadiums from around the United States will host group stage and knockout matches in a coast-to-coast footprint designed to give fans across the country a chance to witness Olympic soccer in person. This wide geographic spread marks a notable departure from many past Olympics where preliminary soccer matches cluster near the host city and reflects growing enthusiasm for the 2028 Games among cities and supporters nationwide.

The newly announced venues drawn from existing Major League Soccer homes and one soon-to-open stadium cover a swath of the country that stretches about as far as an Olympic event can reach without leaving the contiguous United States. Among the six sites chosen for group stage and early knockout play are New York City, Columbus in Ohio, Nashville in Tennessee, St. Louis in Missouri, San José in Northern California and San Diego in Southern California. These cities will host matches leading up to the final stages of the tournament, which are set to take place at the iconic Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California, the historic football coliseum that will stage the men’s gold medal match on July 28, 2028 and the women’s gold medal game the following day.

One of the most eye-catching additions to the 2028 Olympics soccer itinerary is Etihad Park in Queens, New York, a yet-to-open stadium that will serve as the new home of New York City FC. Slated to be completed in 2027, this 25,000-seat facility will host Olympic matches before becoming a permanent hub for professional soccer in the city, a major milestone for a city that has never hosted Olympic competition before.

Along with the New York venue, several existing Major League Soccer stadiums will see Olympic action. Scott’s Miracle-Gro Field in Columbus, home of the Columbus Crew; Geodis Park in Nashville, where Nashville SC plays; and Energizer Park in St. Louis, the ground of St. Louis CITY SC, are all part of the roster. Meanwhile, in California, the state that will host the bulk of the Games matches will be staged at PayPal Park in San José and Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, the latter of which will be temporarily renamed for the Olympics and is already home to San Diego’s expanding professional soccer scene.

Taken together, these six venues will join the Rose Bowl to form a nationwide soccer mosaic that allows Olympic competition to unfold in diverse locales while gradually drawing teams back toward Los Angeles as the tournament progresses. LA28 chief of sport and games delivery officer Shana Ferguson highlighted the rationale behind this broad approach, saying it would “bring Olympic Football group stage and knockout matches to stadiums across the United States,” giving more fans a chance to experience the Olympic spirit firsthand rather than confining early play to Southern California alone.

The decision also aligns with a strategic plan to ease travel demands for athletes and teams. Organizers have worked with Soccer United Marketing and other partners to craft a schedule that minimizes the physical toll on competitors by sequencing venues so teams can move progressively from east to west as the tournament advances toward its finals in Pasadena. With this structure, a squad might begin group play in New York before traveling through the Midwest or South and ultimately ending in California for the medal rounds.

Beyond logistics and fan access, the expanded venue list speaks to the growing popularity of soccer in the United States and the importance placed on the sport at LA28. For the first time in Olympic history, the women’s soccer tournament will feature more teams than the men’s competition, with 16 nations competing compared with 12 on the men’s side, a reflection of broader progress in gender parity at the Olympic Games. Though the match schedule and team draw details have yet to be released, LA28 officials say those are forthcoming before ticket sales begin later this spring.

The wide geographic distribution of venues some nearly 2,800 miles apart by road illustrates just how different the Los Angeles 2028 soccer tournament will feel compared with traditional host-city-centric formats. Cities from New York to San Diego will share in hosting Olympic action, offering fans from diverse regions an opportunity to take part in one of the world’s most celebrated sporting events well before the finals culminate in Southern California.

As registration for the LA28 Olympic Ticket Draw continues through March 18, fans interested in attending soccer matches and other Olympic events are encouraged to secure their chance to be part of history. With venues spanning the nation and the promise of groundbreaking competition structures, the 2028 Olympic soccer tournament looks poised to set a new standard for how global sport connects communities across a host country and beyond.