When the men’s World Cup first game to the U.S. in 1994, Pasadena’s Rose Bowl was the venue under the broad bracket of LA County.The sprawling, concrete up-turned frisbee of a venue was the setting for the showpiece fixture of the tournament, taking in the eye-gouging rigidity of the only goalless final in World Cup history. Two decades later, hopes are high for a better spectacle on the west coast.This summer’s LA offering comes in the form of the SoFi Stadium—or, as FIFA have rebranded it, the Los Angeles Stadium (which is actually in Inglewood). There will be eight games at the typical home of the NFL’s LA Rams and Chargers, each offering its only layer of intrigue.2026 World Cup Group Stage Games in Los AngelesMauricio Pochettino’s co-hosts will play two of its group games in LA. | Omar Vega/USSF/Getty ImagesDateKickoff TimeFixtureFriday, June 126 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ETUSMNT vs. ParaguayMonday, June 156 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ETIran vs. New ZealandThursday, June 1812 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. ETSwitzerland vs. Bosnia and HerzegovinaSunday, June 2112 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. ETBelgium vs. IranThursday, June 257 p.m. PT / 10 p.m. ETTürkiye vs. USMNTThe U.S. men’s national team will chiefly call the west coast home for much of the tournament’s group stage. Mauricio Pochettino’s co-hosts start and end the first round in LA and will be based in Irvine, Calif., taking advantage of the training facilities usually used by Orange County SC, a side in the USL Championship, the nation’s second tier.Picking a base is crucial. There was so little for the squad to do in the French countryside which served as their home at the 1998 World Cup that they soon turned on each other. “After five minutes, everybody was ready to kill themselves,” goalkeeper Kasey Keller recalled. “And each other.”Iran will also play two of its three group games at SoFi but—crucially—will be traveling from Mexico after striking a compromise with FIFA. Much of the pre-tournament buildup was spent fretting over the Asian nation’s involvement in any capacity amid the ongoing conflict with the U.S., but it appears as though Iran will be taking on New Zealand and Belgium in the States.This could present an intriguing atmosphere in the city. LA has such a large Iranian diaspora in the wake of the 1979 Islamic Revolution it has been dubbed Los Tehrangeles. How the U.S. locals react to this wave of support for a nation very much on the front page as much as the back will be interesting, to say the least.2026 World Cup Knockout Games in Los AngelesMexico continues to collect good results ahead of the World Cup. | Ronaldo Bolaños/Los Angeles Times/Getty ImagesDate / Kickoff TimeRoundFixtureSunday, June 28—12 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. ETRound of 32Runner-up Group A vs. Runner-up Group BThursday, July 2—12 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. ETRound of 32Winner Group H vs. Runner-up Group JFriday, July 10—12 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. ETQuarterfinalTBDThe Rose Bowl was treated to a semifinal and final in 1994 but SoFi will bring its run to an end in the quarterfinals. Before that last-eight tie, there are two round-of-32 matches to navigate immediately after the group stage.The first of these ties will be between the runners-up in Groups A and B which, according to Opta’s supercomputer, is expected to be Mexico and Canada, a clash between the two other co-hosts. There is also the prospect of South Africa, South Korea and Czechia (Group A) taking on one of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar or Mexico (Group B).Group H’s winners—which will surely be Spain—also head to the west coast for a clash against the runner-up in Group J. Argentina is expected to top that particular standing, leaving one of Algeria, Austria or Jordan to duke it out at SoFi.There are so many permutations by the time the quarterfinals rolls around it’s a fool’s errand predicting who will reach that stage of the competition. However, Spain would be favorites to advance and—should the European champion win its group—would be on course for a return to Inglewood. There is a scenario that would pit the USMNT as Spain’s opponents, but Argentina would be a likelier challenge. READ THE LATEST WORLD CUP NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FCAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow