Story perspectives

US Starts World Cup vs Paraguay, LA Fan Festival Unveiled

5/14/2026

Summary

USA Opens World Cup

The United States opens the World Cup against Paraguay on June 12 at Los Angeles Stadium.
Otto Benedict says 1,600-mile refrigerated trucks will deliver sod on Wednesday for a two-day install.
Metro will run 300 shuttles with $1.75 rides and $3.75 buses from lots across Los Angeles and Orange counties.
Ten fan zones, including Venice Beach and Pomona Fairplex, will host parties.
The FIFA Fan Festival runs June 11-14 at the Coliseum.

Summary

Bay Area Hosts

Bay Area Host Committee expects 260,000 visitors to generate $480-$630 million for local businesses.
Prologis will sponsor a flag-raising tour of San Francisco, Oakland, Santa Clara, San Jose, Redwood City, Santa Cruz and airports.
San Pedro Square Market will host a free 39-day viewing party broadcasting all 104 matches.
On June 6 the Bay Area will seek a Guinness record with 20,000 people doing a 10-second keepie-uppie.

Summary

Magic Urges LA

Magic Johnson urged fans at the “30 Days to FIFA World Cup 2026” ceremony in SoFi Stadium to make Los Angeles their destination.
The committee hired Snoop Dogg, Eva Longoria and Will Ferrell as ambassadors.
David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Steven Gerrard were cited as LA Galaxy alumni to illustrate the city’s soccer pedigree.
Organisers said the ceremony shows Los Angeles’ global sporting and entertainment stature and aims to attract tourists beyond match days.

Summary

Katy Perry Opens

Katy Perry, Future, Anitta and LISA will headline opening ceremony before the U.S. Men’s National Team match on June 12, while a 39-day fan-event series starts with Official FIFA Fan Festival™ at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum June 11–14.
Committee officials released a media toolkit with transportation, hospitality and community-program details for the World Cup.
Leaders, transportation authorities, venue executives and stakeholders met at Los Angeles Stadium to review readiness plans for eight tournament matches.

History

Historical Context

FIFA awarded the 1994 World Cup to the United States on July 4 1988; the tournament took place June 17–July 17 1994 and attracted a record 3,587,538 spectators, averaging nearly 69,000 per game. Using only existing stadiums, the event showed that major soccer tournaments can succeed in America, a precedent that now supports the 2026 joint bid featuring Los Angeles fan zones.

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USA Opens World Cup

The United States opens the World Cup against Paraguay on June 12 at Los Angeles Stadium.
Otto Benedict says 1,600-mile refrigerated trucks will deliver sod on Wednesday for a two-day install.
Metro will run 300 shuttles with $1.75 rides and $3.75 buses from lots across Los Angeles and Orange counties.
Ten fan zones, including Venice Beach and Pomona Fairplex, will host parties.
The FIFA Fan Festival runs June 11-14 at the Coliseum.

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