Reviewing the Los Angeles World Cup Experience | OneFootball

With no World Cup matches taking place in Los Angeles for the remainder of the tournament, we look back at what the city had to offer throughout its eight matches. 

The eighth and final 2026 World Cup match at Los Angeles Stadium wasn’t the ones American fans were anticipating, but it was a banger nonetheless.

The hopeful and perhaps naive Stars and Stripes supporter envisioned the United States men’s national team squaring off against Spain, the reigning European champions, for a spot in the semifinals for the first time since the inaugural World Cup in 1930.

Instead, a reinvigorated Belgium side, fresh off a ruthless dismantling of the USMNT, gave the Spaniards hell for the entire match, although an 88th-minute strike from Mikel Moreno broke the 1-1 deadlock and sent Spain through to a highly anticipated semifinal showdown with France.

The match was the closing chapter to Los Angeles’ World Cup story, one that perhaps ended too early. Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, and New York New Jersey will get the final four World Cup matches, and they’re certainly all deserving cities with thriving soccer communities, not to mention their ideal time zones for audiences outside the Western Hemisphere.

However, it felt like LA was deserving of at least a ninth match even prior to the tournament, and after eight opportunities to showcase electric crowds, a fantastic pitch surface, and perhaps the most aesthetically pleasing stadium in the country, it’s even more clear that LA’s final game needed to go beyond the quarterfinals.

As there’s nothing we can do about it now, let’s take a look back at some of the best moments from the eight matches in Los Angeles.

Best Crowd: United States vs. Paraguay

It’s no surprise this is the answer. Looking back 29 days ago, everything felt so fresh and new. Anything was possible, and optimism was at an all time high. How good we had it.

The 2026 World Cup couldn’t have gotten off to a more auspicious start for the United States than it did in the 4-1 opening victory over Paraguay. A quick Paraguayan own goal set up by Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie sent Los Angeles Stadium into a frenzy, and everything snowballed from there.

The sold out crowd of 70,492 set the tone of what we could expect from the LA crowds, which averaged 70,207 over all eight matches.

Honorable mentions have to go to the final Belgium-Spain match and the New Zealand vs. Iran group stage match. Speaking of which…

Best Game: New Zealand vs. Iran

On paper, this certainly could’ve been one of the more boring matches in the group stage. Good thing soccer isn’t played on paper.

In front of a boisterous crowd that heavily favored the Iranian side, this was a back and forth affair that saw New Zealand take the lead twice behind a brace from Elijah Just, only to have Iran equalize after each Just strike.

The bittersweet draw would be a sign for things to come for Iran, who had a series of heartbreaking bad luck close calls throughout the entire tournament.

Best Goal: Folarin Balogun vs. Paraguay

Maybe it’s the bitter American in me, but we gotta go back to that Paraguay game for this one. It really didn’t get any better than this.

In first half stoppage time, already with a goal to his name and a 2-0 lead, Folarin Balogun laced a left-footed rocket into the top bins, putting the bow on an absolute perfect half of soccer for the USMNT. Can we just pretend that’s where it all ended?

Honorable mention to a couple of last minute knockout round winners, including Merino’s versus Belgium, and Canada’s Stephen Eustáquio against South Africa. They weren’t the prettiest of goals, but their circumstances certainly made them worthy of a shout.

Best Press Conference Moment: The Iran-Mexico Connection

There were a few great moments in the post-match press conferences and mixed zones in Los Angeles, including a grumpy Mauricio Pochettino chastising the media for not congratulating his team for advancing to the knockout rounds and instead focusing on the loss to Türkiye.

But the best moment came after the Iran vs. Belgium group stage match, when Team Melli captain Alireza Jahanbakhsh described his and the entire team’s fondness for the support they received in Tijuana, where they were forced to set up base camp because the United States refused to host them.

“I think since we are there, we keep hearing, ‘Iran, hermano, ya eres Mexicano,’” Jahanbakhsh said. “Wherever we go we hear this. That shows how much love they give us and it makes it a lot easier. I think for everyone as well it feels like we’re at home, when we’re in Tijuana.”

The Worst LA Stereotype Perpetuators: Parking Prices

When it comes to LA, there are countless stereotypes. There’s the Valley Girl, the performative male, influencer transplant, and plenty more. But at the World Cup, no stereotype was more on display than the city’s dependence on cars, made evident by the absurd parking prices both outside Los Angeles Stadium and beyond.

In Los Angeles, parking is a luxury. A dedicated spot can add hundreds of dollars to your monthly rent, and texts like “what’s the parking like?” are commonplace before a night out or lunch meeting.

Official parking at Los Angeles Stadium ran anywhere between $150 and $300, and savvy residents and businesses nearby were renting out their driveways and parking spaces, with the cheapest price I saw being $40 about a half-mile walk away.

There were reports of private lots charging upwards of $500 for a spot, which really puts into perspective how much money there is out here.

On the Urban Pitch Podcast, we recommended using the LA Metro’s expanded World Cup service, which included a wide array of buses from up in the Valley to down in the South Bay. However, even those who were using public transit were subject to exorbitant price hikes.

Some Metro stations had minimal increases on World Cup matchdays, from a $3 daily rate to $10, but others, like Union Station in the heart of Downtown, went from a $16 maximum to $65 on gamedays and Fan Zone days.

Parking will always be an issue in the car-dependent streets of Los Angeles, and never was that more apparent than the World Cup. Olympics, you’re up next.

Final Thoughts

Photo by Jorge Sanchez for Urban Pitch.

Los Angeles is a beautiful place, and the World Cup is a beautiful event. It’s no surprise that for the most part, LA put on a successful campaign. And while it certainly isn’t the only city with a gripe for more games (Mexico City definitely needed a semifinal, or even the final itself), the fact that it’s already over has brought a sense of melancholy with it.

Thoughts of “I should’ve done more, should’ve stayed out later, should’ve appreciated it more” have entered my head, as if I haven’t been sleep deprived and in a constant mental haze over the past month. But that’s the true magic of the World Cup, or anything of this magnitude. You can truly appreciate it while you have it, but it still feels like you didn’t maximize your time with it when it’s over.