INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The first thing I noticed was an electronic sign: ‘No Tailgating Allowed’. Among the throngs of supporters streaming from Century Boulevard toward SoFi Stadium, it was a relatively inconspicuous omen. But an omen nonetheless.
Considering this section of sprawling asphalt is normally the designated tailgating area for Rams and Chargers games, I couldn’t help but wonder why?
Sure, tailgating isn’t a pastime normally associated with soccer, but this wasn’t your normal soccer game. This was Sofi’s first truly prestigious soccer event. This was a Copa America group stage match. This was Costa Rica vs Brazil.
This was widely regarded as a warm up for the eight (yes, eight) matches Los Angeles will host during the 2026 World Cup — including two USMNT group stage games. And the first impression Los Angeles was making with fans — many of whom were traveling from another hemisphere — wasn’t a parade of supporters, or a fan zone or even an especially festive atmosphere.
It was "no tailgating."
The next bad omen came a few minutes later when, creeping through the ticketing line, a member of security announced that flags would not be allowed inside the stadium. Around me, half a dozen supporters draped in the colors of Brazil and Costa Rica, respectively, searched for explanations. There were none given.
Crestfallen, some stepped out of line to consider this ultimatum. Others quickly moved to fold up their flags and sneak them inside anyway (many, it appeared, succeeded).
As I proceeded through security, further arguments broke out over other innocuous items inexplicably banned. I overheard one security guard telling her colleague to let a fan in with a personalized Brazil water bottle. Even she recognized that “if they can’t have flags, f--- it. Let them have something!”
What SoFi did allow is what it has become known for: a visually remarkable venue.
Make no mistake, soccer at SoFi is a sight to behold. The field feels close. The sound contained. The light dazzling. The open-air design refreshing.
On first impression, it seems as though there isn’t a bad seat in the house. And unlike other Copa America venues, this pitch was well maintained, allowing for slick, free-flowing soccer of the highest level. (And to the groundskeepers’ credit, it seemed just as fresh only two days later, when Venezuela and Mexico took to the field).
But on closer inspection, frustrating imperfections emerge. Corner kicks are nearly impossible to see for the thousands seated above it, while the first rows of seats are awkwardly elevated above the pitch itself.
This is ideal for the gridiron, but on wider soccer fields it makes near-sided action a neck-straining endeavor. The controversy over the cramped confines during the venue’s World Cup selection appears warranted.
When Stan Kroenke, billionaire owner of SoFi (and, ironically, Arsenal FC) pitched his pet project, the public was told this would be more than an NFL site, but also a state of the art soccer venue. And yet the most basic of requirements — the size of the field — seemingly wasn’t wasn’t taken into consideration.
Meanwhile the jaw-dropping videoboard dubbed the "eighth wonder of the world," the aesthetically magnificent, free-standing roof and the broad, sweeping concourses replete with photogenic vistas, are all so perfectly realized they must have been painstakingly calculated. One can’t help but wonder whether SoFi is truly the elite soccer venue it was billed as or more a social media backdrop?
The answer for those attending Copa America was this: $100 for nosebleed tickets and potentially as much or more for parking (sans the tailgating); poor public transport; no fan zone; some less than ideal views; exorbitantly priced refreshments; and, in the (surprisingly) scoreless draw between Brazil vs Costa Rica, very little excitement. (Unless you came for the selfies. In which case, success!)
Add all of this up, however, and you perhaps get the worst reality of all: a diluted atmosphere. The official attendance was 67,158. To the naked eye, that figure seemed true. To the ear, not so much.
While sections of the crowd were animated, vast swathes of the stadium were filled with soccer casuals adorning shirts unrelated to the teams on the field. And while that’s a sight not unfamiliar in MLS games or friendlies, it is less than ideal in creating an atmosphere to match the stakes of the game at hand.
But as Costa Rica vs Brazil showed, many of the most passionate fans have been priced out of attending. This is in spite of the fact that Southern California is home to such vast diasporas that SoFi could likely sell out any international game, no matter how small or remote the contesting nations might be. (Venezuela vs Mexico, it is worth noting, did sell out. A testament to the passion of Mexican fans rather than the affordability of tickets.)
While lowering ticket and concession prices to ensure a total sellout is appealing from a fan perspective, the profit margins might make that prospect irrelevant for the powers that be. But should it?
While Americans may be desensitized to being nickel-and-dimed at every conceivable corner at sporting events, most fans from abroad are not. And as hosts to international events like Copa America, the World Cup and the Olympics, there is a responsibility on behalf of organizers to accommodate those fans — not exploit them.
Take a look at Euro 2024. Unfolding simultaneously alongside Copa America, the resounding sentiment coming out of host nation Germany is one of jubilation. Cities as small as Gelsinkirchen (roughly the size of Santa Clarita) offer modern stadiums with unobstructed views, cheap metro and bus lines with stops directly outside the venues, and (free) festive fan zones complete with concerts, soccer-related events and viewing parties.
Perhaps most importantly, the relative affordability of tickets has ensured that the atmosphere of every game has been electric, bolstered by diehard supporters of nations as small and distant as Georgia. Oh, and the $5 stadium beers don’t hurt.
Where SoFi has relied on big screens and bright lights to manufacture its atmosphere, Germany has shown that truly unforgettable events are born from the fans themselves.
Flags, it turns out, are more powerful than palaces.
By fostering the most inclusive and accessible tournament they can, Germany has won the hearts of countless Europeans and it has reminded the global soccer community what all international tournaments should be.
Shouldn’t Southern California — a locale that prides itself as one of the sporting capitals of the country (if not the world) — at least strive to do the same?
Which brings me back to tailgating. While this uniquely American pastime might be uncommon in soccer culture, it can nonetheless enhance the fan experience while also putting our own unique stamp on the event as tournament hosts. Anyone who’s ever been to the Rose Bowl knows how wonderfully distinct and colorful a Southern California tailgate can be.
But in SoFi’s first opportunity to both offer a lively atmosphere and showcase Los Angeles culture, it came up short.
College football fans will remember a similar ban at the National Championship last year. While that ban was sure to ruffle more feathers on the day, this one signals a more ominous prospect: That SoFi — and Los Angeles at large — might not be the right place to host World Cup matches in two years' time.
Because when it comes to hosting international showcases, the bottom dollar shouldn’t be the bottom line. After all, national teams aren’t private entities and the events they compete in — from Copa America to the World Cup to the Olympics — serve a wider cultural purpose.
If that purpose is to be fully realized, then SoFi needs to take a page from places like Germany and prioritize affordability and accessibility. If it truly wants to be an iconic, international soccer venue, it needs to put the fan experience first.
So far, that’s yet to happen. And looking down at the SoFi pitch, awkwardly squeezed into the stadium like a square peg in a round hole, one wonders if it ever will.
