SoFi Stadium, versatile and spectacular, is a SoCal sporting palace

The Inglewood venue has become a bucket list stop for sports fans

Published Aug 01, 2026  •  Last updated 10 minutes ago  •  7 minute read

Interior of SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with the field set up for NFL play. Photo by SoFi Stadium /Handout

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When Stephen Eustaquio scored the landmark World Cup goal that thrust Canada into the sphere of being a soccer nation, the magic of the moment was amplified by the spectacular stage on which it unfolded.

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Two years down the road at that same site, SoFi Stadium will be transformed into a different stage — an underwater one — as Canada’s incredible Olympian, Summer McIntosh, looks to make history in the pool at the Los Angeles Summer Games.

In between, the home to both the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers will have full NFL seasons, including a Super Bowl next February.

Welcome to one of the most stunning and versatile sporting venues in the world, a shrine to the modern spectator experience.

With a price tag of $5 billion US spent to fulfill the ambitious vision of Rams owner Stan Kroenke, who masterminded the project, you’d expect sensational.

SoFi delivers — and then some — at a venue that has become a bucket list stop for sports fans, a constituency increasingly committed to expecting exceptional from a live-event experience.

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And a compelling sporting trifecta playing out over three years — World Cup, Super Bowl, Olympics — only adds the SoCal stadium’s burgeoning reputation as the ultimate showcase venue.

“Mr. Kroenke’s vision was always to create a global destination for entertainment and sports and this is accomplishing that specifically,” says Otto Benedict, SoFi’s senior VP of facility operations. “I’m glad we’re seeing that come to fruition.”

That SoFi is set in Southern California only adds to the allure, a factor not lost in the original grand-scale concept. Sure, there are any number of attractions that draw visitors to the Pacific coast, but going next level was the mission statement and certainly has made SoFi a tourist landmark.

“Los Angeles is something we consider to be a World City,” Benedict said. “I say this without any bias: From operational perspectives of all the stadiums, both globally and here in the U.S., the answer is no there’s not another place that can do what SoFi Stadium can do.”

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The eight World Cup matches contested at SoFi earlier this summer — including that historic 1-0 Canada win over South Africa in Round-of-32 action — was just the most recent example, but also the latest incarnation of a venue built to dazzle.

Flags of South Africa and Canada are displayed on the pitch before a FIFA World Cup game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., on June 28, 2026. Photo by Rob Longley /Toronto Sun

What makes SoFi a bucket-list venue?

If an elevated experience can be defined as the moment you experience the ‘wow’ factor, that comes early at SoFi. And, by that, we mean the moment you arrive on the 300-acre site that is the Hollywood Park district and get a glimpse at the sprawling grounds.

The playing field at the open-air stadium, covered by a dreamy canopy, is 100 feet below grade level, making that first view once inside the gates a true stunner.

That, of course, is by design. When Kroenke set about to build a home for his Rams (and ultimately the Chargers as co-tenants) — a project that took nearly four years — the clear intent was on SoFi being more than a football stadium.

Modern marvels were popping up in big NFL markets across the U.S. — in Dallas (AT&T Stadium), Atlanta (Mercedes Benz Stadium) and the San Francisco area (Levi’s Stadium) — which challenged SoFi developers to further elevate the project. Once completed, it delivered magnificently, as evidenced by the stunning look the world saw from that other game of football this summer.

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While the two NFL teams are prime tenants and most major concert tours land here as the development continues to evolve, it was instantly recognized as a World Cup home and an obvious showcase for the ’28 Olympics.

“The limitless capabilities of the stadium … you can come here and have one of the greatest experiences at an NFL game that you’ll find anywhere,” Benedict said by way of explaining what separates SoFi from other high-end venues. “You can come here for a concert and have an incredible experience with the way the artist utilizes our stadium to include the (audience). You can come here to see World Cup football and pretty soon, the Olympics.

“So you have to kind of say to yourself: ‘I’m going to Los Angeles and I’m going to go see a sporting event. Why would I not go to SoFi Stadium?”

The sensations of SoFi Stadium

For a mammoth stadium, SoFi has a level of intimacy not seen in most large venues, even with its 3.1-million square feet footprint, the largest in the NFL.

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That, too, is by design.

First opened in 2020 — to NFL games without spectators due to the COVID pandemic — SoFi bills itself as the world’s first indoor-outdoor stadium, which definitely adds to the vibe. Even with its size, the sight lines are terrific throughout from the upper levels, to the suites (260 of them, plus 13,000 premium seats.)

The show-stopper is the Infinity Screen that towers over the action and provides stunning views of the live action and replays. The 70,000 square feet of digital LED screen space is 120 yards long, making it the largest video board ever created for sports.

The centre-hung, dual-sided design gives every seat in the house a view of its stunningly clear images, an incredible addition to the live viewing experience. Because of its size, the SoFi screen delivers a variety of content beyond the game images, including animation and stats packages.

How spectacular? It takes a moment to decide where your eye wants to go — to the field or to the screen — but ultimately it enhances the viewing experience in a memorable way.

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The showpiece of the Hollywood Park acreage (once home to the famed thoroughbred track of the same name), the footprint includes retail, residential and restaurant components, as well as the YouTube Theatre concert venue.

Is sports the outlier for Canadian travellers?

While many Canadians are reluctant to visit the U.S., on extended vacations for political and economic reasons, sports seems to be the outlier.

It’s still complicated, of course, but the influx of northern supporters was certainly in evidence during the World Cup as a strong contingent of Canadian fans filled the south end of SoFi for that riveting 1-0 win over South Africa. More of the same will be expected for the Olympics, as the Summer Games return to the U.S. for the first time since 1996.

Of course, thousands of Canadians also made their way to SoCal for last year’s World Series between the Blue Jays and Dodgers.

Los Angeles, and the SoCal scene, has long been an attraction for tourists, but in these times, anyway, sports has been a powerful engine to attract tourists.

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SoFi taps into all of that. For reluctant Canadian travellers who are ultra-selective on trips south of the border, sports may be the strongest magnet these days.

Canadian swimmer Summer Mcintosh competes in a heat of the women’s 800m freestyle swimming event during the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on August 1, 2025. Photo by Oli Scarff /Getty Images

Summer’s stage awaits

With apologies to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (which will host athletics for the third time), the iconic Rose Bowl (soccer) and Dodger Stadium (baseball), SoFi has the potential to be the show-stopper at L.A. 2028.

It will be one of two stadiums used for the opening ceremony and then will quickly transition to the most spectacular Olympic swimming venue yet. As such, it will become the stage for Canada’s Summer McIntosh, a four-time medal winner (three gold) at the 2024 Paris Games.

“I feed off of the crowds, they get me going,” McIntosh said of the prospect of competing at what will be an instantly iconic Olympic venue. “The experience (in Los Angeles) is going to be amazing. The whole experience is going to be great for swimming.”

McIntosh and other swimming stars relished the stadium experience at La Defense Arena in Paris, but SoFi will dwarf that, giving the sport its most extravagant exposure yet.

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“Having the Olympic swimming events at the magnificent SoFi will take swimming at the Games to a new level,” said Swimming Canada’s High Performance Director, John Atkinson. “With more spectators, the largest ever for swimming and a fan experience like never before, this whole arena is designed to bring the best out of the athletes.”

And to be a spectacle both for the 40,000 spectators on site and millions more on television. Atkinson said the facilities and the spectator experience are designed to bring the best out of athletes for a meet officials are projecting a combined 1.3 million fans.

“We saw in Paris the impact on the atmosphere and the number of spectators at the Games created an environment that our Canadian athletes excelled in,” Atkinson said.

“Now moving to SoFi stadium enhances that even further with more spectators and a fan experience like never before.”

Hollywood setting

Given that the SoFi sporting palace is located in the Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood, it’s befitting that glamorous accoutrements help define it. There are several high-end options to appease the corporate and VIP crowd and wide, sprawling concourses for the comfort of the rest of an audience that can top 70,000.

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The SoCal experience is never far away, either. Manhattan Beach is a short ride, LAX is less than 10 kilometres away with several other attractions within reasonable reach, notorious L.A. traffic pending.

The stadium itself is located in an area of the metropolis long associated with sports, from the racetrack to the Fabulous Forum, the long-time home of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings.

“I think there’s no better city than Los Angeles to create that studio experience of being in an incredible place,” Benedict said.

“So whether you’re here watching swimming live or you’re seeing it on television, you will have a perspective that I don’t think you’ve ever seen in an Olympic Games before.”

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X: @longleysunsport

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