SoFi Stadium owner Stan Kroenke and his family have threatened to pull out of the 2026 World Cup, unhappy with the terms of a deal with FIFA
Less than three years remain until the World Cup visits American soil, and owner Stan Kroenke of SoFi Stadium and his family may withdraw the stadium’s availability for the event, potentially jeopardizing Los Angeles’s status as host city.
Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers play their home games in $5 billion, 70,240-seat SoFi Stadium. The Rams are owned by billionaire sportsman Stan Kroenke, who also owns teams in the Premier League, Arsenal. Kroenke and his family own SoFi through their company Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE).
The 2026 World Cup will be jointly hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico, with 11 of the 16 host cities being based in the U.S. The majority of the games in the United States will take place at NFL stadiums, which can hold World Cup spectators.
In the unlikely event that Kroenke changes his mind, Los Angeles will play their matches at SoFi Stadium.
The Athletic first revealed in September that KSE was not happy with the conditions of a contract with FIFA to host World Cup matches at SoFi Stadium and was threatening to back out. This was the beginning of reports of the dispute between FIFA and the Kroenke family.
According to The Athletic’s report, Kroenke was not happy with the way revenue would be distributed among the host cities.
But reports have been conflicting. In mid-October, ESPN’s John Sutcliffe reported that Kroenke had already decided to pull SoFi Stadium from the tournament via an exit clause; Yahoo Sports disputed that report, saying it was premature.
On Tuesday, the LA Times reported that the Kroenkes’ continued involvement in the World Cup hinges on whether FIFA makes SoFi Stadium the venue for the Final
Nonetheless, according to a number of sources, the World Cup Final will take place at either AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, or MetLife Stadium, home of the New York Jets and Giants.
Multiple sources informed Yahoo Sports that the report by ESPN’s John Sutcliffe in mid-October, which claimed Kroenke had already informed FIFA that SoFi would be leaving through an exit clause, was untimely.
