FIFA President Gianni Infantino warned Tuesday that Los Angeles was about to be flooded with football fans from across the globe as he helped kick off World Cup celebrations at a star-studded event at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Speaking ahead of this week's opening matches, Infantino said the city would soon become a focal point of the football world during the expanded 48-team tournament, which gets underway in Mexico City on Thursday before Los Angeles stages its first World Cup match on U.S. soil Friday.
"You will be invaded," Infantino told the crowd.
"You will be invaded by a horde of barbarians. But it's happy barbarians, don't worry."
The event drew entertainment and sports figures, including actors Will Ferrell and Brendan Hunt, singer Lance Bass, former NBA player Robert Horry, and U.S. football greats Mia Hamm and Cobi Jones.
