Los Angeles spent nearly a decade preparing for the World Cup, the international soccer tournament that lasted little more than six weeks spread over the three North American nations.
Record ticket costs — a factor local officials could not control — placed attendance out of reach of many and were broadly criticized by fans and officials alike. But people found they didn’t have to empty their checking accounts to catch World Cup fever with throngs of other boosters.
Across Southern California, the tournament’s public face was often a folding chair in a park, a large screen on a neighborhood street or a restaurant filled with supporters wearing national-team jerseys.
Fifteen national teams passed through Los Angeles International Airport. Preliminary estimates place the tournament’s immediate economic impact across Los Angeles County as high as $892 million, with organizers projecting more than $1.1 billion in longer-term tourism benefits. Those numbers describe the scale of the World Cup, yet answer the more consequential question: What exactly did Southern California receive in return?
For many officials and experts interviewed for this story, the answer was two words: Fan fun. And much of it was free — or at least cheap.
The FIFA Fan Festival and 10 official L.A.-area fan-zone sites welcomed more than a quarter-million people, while more than 300 additional community events unfolded across the region from public parks and cultural institutions to neighborhood streets, restaurants and transit stations across Southern California.
After eight years of preparation, Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission President and CEO Kathryn Schloessman said the tournament delivered the visibility and visitor impact organizers had anticipated. What surprised her was how deeply the celebration spread beyond the stadium.
“The community impact exceeded our expectations,” said Schloessman. “The greatest joy was seeing families come together and create memories that will last for years.”
For Paul Krekorian, executive director of Los Angeles’ Office of Major Events, the tournament’s lasting value may be found partly in the complex civic operation the public never saw. Only eight World Cup matches were played at SoFi Stadium (renamed Los Angeles Stadium for the tournament, to elude sponsor complications), yet the tournament reached far beyond the venue.
“The human process was how to integrate the planning of many disparate subject-matter experts and deliver a unified product that, to residents, just seemed like a fun event at the park,” Krekorian said. “They didn’t see how much went into making it happen, and we wanted them to have that experience.”
Across more than 100 Kick It in the Park events, approximately 40,000 people participated without a single emergency call for service, according to Krekorian. Behind those gatherings, city departments worked across jurisdictions on transportation, security, permitting, public services and emergency response while also coordinating with the FIFA Fan Festival and official fan zones.
“We learned how to work together across departments and jurisdictions — to anticipate potential problems, respond resiliently and implement plans efficiently,” Krekorian said. “That gives us a base of data and knowledge we will use to prepare for the 2028 Olympics (in Los Angeles).”
Yet the larger lesson, he said, was not only operational. “One takeaway is the sense of celebration we’ve had citywide,” Krekorian said. “Los Angeles caught World Cup fever, and that suggests that as we move toward 2028, this will be an unprecedented opportunity to uplift the spirit of the city.”
A family arriving at a neighborhood park encountered a match on a large screen, children playing soccer, cultural programming and city services all offered without a ticket or admission fee. What they did not see were the parks employees, transportation planners, emergency personnel, sponsors, volunteers, nonprofit organizations and private contractors required to make that afternoon possible — a test of government coordination.
Amanda Daflos, L.A.’s Deputy Mayor of the Office of Strategic Partnerships saw what she describes as civic joy, evidence that public events could create measurable value.
The term may sound intangible, but L.A. officials attempted to quantify it. Preliminary city surveys found that 96% of attendees said the neighborhood events made them feel as though L.A. cared more about their community. Ninety-three percent said they felt greater pride in being Angelenos, while 87% said the experience made them more likely to return to their local park.
Daflos describes that result as not merely a feeling, but an outcome reflected in repeat attendance, volunteer participation, neighborhood pride and stronger connections to public space.
More than 200 volunteers contributed approximately 1,000 hours, and 95% rated their experience positively, Dafflos said. Participants included people with disabilities and residents who returned for multiple assignments.
“The enduring question is how this really impacts and benefits everyone around the region,” said state Sen. Ben Allen, chair of the California Senate’s Special Committee on International Sporting Events.
While many officials have declared L.A.’s World Cup experience a community success story, the financial assessment, meanwhile, will take some time to cook.
Preliminary tournament figures project $892 million in economic impact across L.A. County and more than $1.1 billion in long-term tourism benefits. An earlier analysis commissioned by the Los Angeles World Cup Host Committee projected a more conservative $594 million in countywide impact, including $343 million in direct visitor spending and $251 million in follow-on activity.
Roughly $17 million was spent in Inglewood, home of SoFi Stadium, according to Mayor James Butts Jr.
For now, the numbers may well be evidence of significant activity, but are far from a final audited return. Stephen Bank, a UCLA School of Law professor who studies sports and public policy, cautioned against allowing economic-impact estimates to become the only measure of success.
Public investment should also be evaluated through a more fundamental question: Did government spend money on something residents genuinely wanted and used? A park, public celebration or civic program does not need to return a direct profit to possess public value. Communities routinely invest in libraries, recreation centers and cultural spaces because they serve residents, not because they produce conventional revenue.
By that standard, Bank said, Angelenos clearly wanted to participate in the World Cup even when they never entered the stadium. That distinction may prove central to the tournament’s legacy.
Schloessman said the fan zones became one of the event’s clearest successes because they were largely free or low-cost, family-oriented and shaped by the communities hosting them. Rather than reproduce a single corporate template, each site reflected its location — a neighborhood block party, cultural festival, high-end soccer carnival, complete with sponsor activations and giveaways. The decentralized structure suited L.A. County, a region without one downtown or one civic center capable of containing its cultural life.
The scenes also challenged the recurring claim that Southern California lacked a deeply rooted soccer culture, Schloessman added. Supporters marched toward matches carrying flags. Families gathered on weekday afternoons to follow teams with no direct connection to Los Angeles. Residents who had rarely watched soccer began tracking brackets and discussing results. Fans representing rival countries occupied the same streets, parks and transit vehicles without significant conflict.
“It was the camaraderie — cheering for your country, wearing the jersey and waving the flag, you don’t see that in the same way with any other sport,” Schloessman said.
At West Harbor in San Pedro, organizers accelerated development preparations so the property could participate in the World Cup. Union Station became both a transportation hub and a fan experience. Cultural institutions introduced soccer programming. Restaurants and neighborhood organizations became informal embassies for international teams.
The fan zones, youth clinics, transportation enhancements and neighborhood programs that defined Los Angeles’ World Cup experience did not materialize simply because FIFA awarded matches to the region, but had to be financed.
Local host committees did not receive match-ticket revenue or income from stadium food and beverage sales, parking or other valuable commercial assets, according to Schloessman. Yet the local organizations still had to help deliver the public-facing infrastructure surrounding the competition which required independent fundraising. The effort relied on a network of corporate donors, foundations, civic organizations and public agencies.
Schloessman cited partners including Amgen, Archer, Kaiser Permanente, Los Angeles Tourism and Metro among those supporting the broader host effort. “Everyone wanted it here, but if you don’t have funding, it won’t happen.”
Frank Cooper, Visa’s chief marketing officer, said the World Cup demonstrated that sponsorship creates its greatest value when it gives people and businesses a meaningful way to participate.
“The FIFA World Cup reinforced that sponsorship is most impactful when it creates participation, not just visibility,” Cooper said. “The brands that leave a lasting impact are the ones that turn global attention into local opportunity for small businesses, entrepreneurs and communities.”
Global sporting events create what Cooper described as a “pop-up economy,” generating concentrated opportunities for jobs, customers and revenue.
County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell said the tournament also demonstrated that residents will use public transportation when service is clear, convenient and connected to the destination.
At Earvin “Magic” Johnson Recreation Area, visitors could exit Metro near Avalon Boulevard and walk through a temporarily closed street to the county fan zone. Mitchell said residents repeatedly expressed surprise that reaching the event without a car had been so manageable.
Her conclusion was simple, “If you build it, they will come,” but the World Cup’s transit performance depended on additional service, personnel and buses, resources that cannot be assumed for 2028.
Mitchell emphasized that Metro will require sufficient state and federal support to expand mega-event operations without undermining everyday service for residents who depend on transit to reach jobs, schools and medical appointments, which may become one of the defining Olympic tests.
No community carried more of the tournament’s operational burden than Inglewood. The city hosted all eight local matches, absorbing the traffic, security demands, crowds and business activity generated by more than half a million spectators.
Thousands of people traveled to Inglewood without tickets, drawn simply by the atmosphere surrounding the matches. Market Street’s “Wood Cup” celebrations filled local businesses and gave residents a gathering place outside the stadium. According to data cited by Butts, cellphone activity in the area increased approximately 55% to 65% on match days.
The public-safety result was equally notable. Butts said only three arrests connected to tournament activity occurred across the eight games, all involving public intoxication. A joint operations center brought together Inglewood police, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, federal agencies and other security partners, with personnel working around the clock.
Inglewood’s roads did not expand because the World Cup arrived. Manchester Boulevard and Prairie Avenue still had finite capacity. Residents living near SoFi Stadium still endured traffic that no operational plan could entirely eliminate.
Metro helped reduce some of that burden. Inglewood provided space for bus staging and worked with the agency on a coordinated transportation strategy, but the tournament confirmed two realities: Inglewood can successfully host international events of extraordinary scale, and access to the stadium remains one of the region’s most consequential transportation challenges.
Allen said Metro’s daily reports gave policymakers a valuable view into where riders originated, how they reached venues and where operational pressure emerged. The World Cup revolved around one principal competition site, the Olympics will involve numerous venues operating simultaneously throughout the region.
Mitchell viewed the fan zones through an equity lens. Because not everyone could afford a match ticket, it became essential to bring the party to the people, she said.
The events also opened opportunities for small and microbusinesses through food vending, merchandise and community partnerships. Whether those opportunities created durable economic growth will require deeper examination.
For Mitchell, the value was visible in the residents who thanked her for bringing the tournament into their neighborhood.
“It was more than going to a match,” she said, “but having the experience in your community.”
“Seeing people come together at fan festivals and fan zones, cheering for their countries, wearing their jerseys and waving their flags was incredibly exciting,” said Schloessman. “You don’t see that kind of camaraderie in any other sport.”
She added: “It was a great moment for Los Angeles — and for every host city.”