★ THE OCTOPUS'S SOCCER ALMANAC ★ VENUE FILE No. SOF-004: SOFI STADIUM ★ THE SPACESHIP ★ INGLEWOOD · USA ★ OPENED 8 SEPTEMBER 2020 ★ HOST OF 8 MATCHES AT THE 2026 WORLD CUP — FIVE GROUP-STAGE GAMES PLUS THREE KNOCKOUT FIXTURES (TWO ROUND OF 32 AND A QUARTER-FINAL), INCLUDING TWO OF THE UNITED STATES' GROUP GAMES, UNDER THE LARGEST TRANSLUCENT STADIUM CANOPY IN THE WORLD ★ FILED BY PROF. INKSWORTH ★
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SOFI STADIUM
The Spaceship — Inglewood, United States
INGLEWOOD · USA · OPENED 2020 · CAP 70,240

📋 QUICK FACTS

FULL NAME
SoFi Stadium
NICKNAME
The Spaceship (The Spaceship)
OPENED
8 September 2020 (first game: LA Rams 20-17 Dallas Cowboys (13 Sept 2020), played in an empty bowl during the pandemic)
CAPACITY NOW
70,240 (expandable to over 100,000 for major events)
EXPANDED
100,000+ (the bowl can be expanded beyond 100,000 with standing-room and field areas for marquee events)
ALTITUDE
38 m / 125 ft above sea level
PITCH
105 m × 68 m · natural hybrid grass laid for 2026 (normally artificial turf)
ROOF
Fixed translucent ETFE canopy with open sides, indoor-cool but open to the air
ARCHITECT
HKS, Inc.
OWNER
Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (Hollywood Park / StadCo LA)
TENANTS
LA Rams · LA Chargers (NFL)

📊 THE NUMBERS

CAPACITY70,240 / 100,000+ EXPANDED
ROOFFIXED ETFE CANOPY · 302 PANELS
2026 MATCHES HOSTED8 MATCHES · 5 GROUP + 3 KNOCKOUT
OPENED2020 · A WORLD CUP NEWCOMER

A 2020-built spaceship: the largest translucent ETFE canopy in sport spans the whole bowl, open at the sides to the cool Pacific air - and for 2026 the usual artificial carpet gives way to a living hybrid lawn.

TOP MATCHES — REPLAY THEATRE
2026
VS USA vs Paraguay GROUP D

Co-hosts the United States open their Group D campaign against Paraguay - one of the host nation's group-stage matches staged on the West Coast.

2026
VS Iran vs New Zealand GROUP G

Iran face New Zealand in a Group G fixture - one of five group-stage matches the stadium hosts before its three knockout fixtures.

2026
VS Switzerland vs Bosnia and Herzegovina GROUP B

Switzerland meet Bosnia and Herzegovina in Group B - an early-afternoon kick-off under the translucent canopy.

2026
VS Belgium vs Iran GROUP G

Belgium take on Iran in the second of the venue's Group G fixtures.

2026
VS Türkiye vs USA GROUP D

Türkiye face co-hosts the United States in the final Group D round - the last of the stadium's five group-stage matches before the knockout rounds.

⚽ MATCHES HERE — 2026

🔔 RECORD CROWD ON FILE
81,384
Ed Sheeran - Mathematics Tour concert
23 September 2023

The biggest crowd the stadium has held was a concert, not a sporting event - the expandable bowl swelled past 80,000 for Ed Sheeran, well beyond its 70,240 football capacity.

VISITOR SNAPSHOT · INGLEWOOD

THE SIGHTS

  • Hollywood Sign & Griffith Observatory
  • Santa Monica Pier & the beaches
  • Venice Beach boardwalk
  • The Getty Center & Getty Villa
  • Kia Forum (next door in Inglewood)
  • Intuit Dome (Inglewood's basketball arena)

THE TABLE

  • Tacos al pastor from the taquerias
  • Korean barbecue (LA's Koreatown)
  • In-N-Out burgers, animal style
  • Fish tacos & ceviche
  • Loaded breakfast burritos

GOOD TO KNOW

Language
English (with widely spoken Spanish)
Currency
US dollar (USD)
Time zone
Pacific Time (UTC-7 in June, on daylight saving)
Elevation
About 38 m (125 ft) above sea level - a flat coastal plain a few miles inland from the Pacific.
Population
Roughly 110,000 in Inglewood itself, within the Greater Los Angeles metro of around 13 million.

GETTING AROUND

The Metro K Line serves Inglewood, with a people-mover link and shuttle network feeding the stadium; freeways and ride-hailing fill the rest in a famously car-dependent city.

Traveller's tip: in Los Angeles the car is king - leave huge margins for traffic, or lean on the expanding Metro rail rather than the gridlocked freeways.

WEATHER BRIEF · JUNE BY THE PACIFIC

HISTORICAL CLIMATE, NOT A FORECAST. Typical June conditions from the climate record - never a matchday prediction.
TYPICAL JUNE HIGH 23°C 73°F
TYPICAL JUNE LOW 16°C 61°F

Inglewood sits in a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) on the Los Angeles coastal plain: dry, rain-free summers tempered by the cool Pacific. June is famous for "June Gloom" - grey marine-layer cloud that burns off to mild, dry afternoons.

WHAT TO PACK
  • 🧥 A light layer - the "June Gloom" marine layer keeps coastal mornings cool
  • ☀ Sunscreen - the cloud burns off to bright afternoons
  • 👟 Comfortable shoes - Los Angeles is a sprawling, walk-and-shuttle affair

📜 FILE TIMELINE

2016
Ground broken on the Hollywood Park site, on the footprint of the old Hollywood Park racetrack in Inglewood.
2020
Opened on 8 September; the Rams' first game on 13 Sept was played in an empty bowl during the pandemic.
2022
Hosts Super Bowl LVI before 70,048 - the Los Angeles Rams beating the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 on their home field.
2023
Draws its record crowd of 81,384 for an Ed Sheeran concert, the expandable bowl stretched past 80,000.
2025
Stages a successful natural-grass test pitch during a Nations League window, convincing organisers it can host World Cup football.
2026
Hosts eight World Cup matches - five group-stage games plus three knockout fixtures - including two of the United States' group games.
THE ALMANAC SPEAKS

A newcomer to the World Cup stage, this Inglewood spaceship leads not with history but with engineering: the largest translucent canopy in the game, open at the sides to the Pacific air. For 2026 it swaps its artificial carpet for a living hybrid lawn flown in on a raised tray. Eight matches - five in the group stage, three in the knockouts, two of them the hosts' - a brand-new bowl writing its first football chapters.

— PROF. INKSWORTH, ARCHIVIST 🐙
Ready.
Zone: Historical