The LA28 Olympic football tournament will be played at stadiums across the United States – from New York to California – with the finals held at the legendary Rose Bowl. Organisers are relying on existing MLS infrastructure and taking a historic step toward gender equality.

LA28 spreads the football tournament across stadiums nationwide

The LA28 organizing committee has confirmed six additional stadiums across the United States that will host group-stage and knockout matches in the men’s and women’s football tournaments of the 2028 Olympic Games. Matches will be staged from coast to coast, gradually leading teams westward towards California, where the finals will crown the champions at the historic Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena. The men’s final is scheduled for July 28, and the women’s for July 29. Organizers emphasize that this widespread distribution allows fans nationwide to experience the Olympic atmosphere firsthand.

© Ken Lund (cc: by-sa) | The finals of the football tournaments at the Olympic Games will be played at the Rose Bowl.

MLS venues and New York’s new stadium

Among the most anticipated venues is the upcoming Etihad Park in Queens, the future home of New York City FC. With a capacity of 25,000 seats and an opening planned for 2027, it will be the city’s first purpose-built soccer stadium and the starting point for the tournament’s eastern matches.

LA28 relies heavily on modern Major League Soccer facilities: ScottsMiracle-Gro Field in Columbus (20,371 seats), Geodis Park in Nashville (30,109), Energizer Park in St. Louis (22,423), PayPal Park in San José (18,000), and Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego (35,000). The use of soccer-specific stadiums ensures top organizational standards and greater comfort for players and fans, while California venues mark the final stretch before the decisive matches at the Rose Bowl.

© New York City FC | Fans will watch football matches at the Olympics at a new stadium in New York.

East–west model to reduce travel during LA28

Organizers are developing a system allowing teams to gradually move from east to west as the tournament progresses. The plan aims to reduce long-distance travel and minimize player fatigue.

In addition, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and LA28 are considering extending the football competition window. Preliminary matches might begin before the opening ceremony on July 14, allowing for longer recovery periods between games.

Historic milestone: more women’s teams than men’s at LA28

The Los Angeles Games will make history as the first Olympics where the women’s football tournament features more teams than the men’s. The women’s event will expand to 16 teams, while the men’s will include 12.

LA28 will also mark the first time in Olympic history that all team sports have an equal or greater number of women’s squads compared to men’s — a major step toward full gender parity in Olympic competition.

© R. Scott Duncan | 16 women's and 12 men's teams will take part in the football tournament at the Olympic Games.

Football tournament schedule coming soon

The full match schedule and stadium allocation will be published ahead of the first ticket sales phase in April. The final team lineups will be confirmed after the Olympic qualifiers and the official tournament draw.

Registration for the LA28 Olympic Ticket Draw runs until March 18, with growing public interest following recent announcements on venues and competition format.

LA28 to proceed without new permanent stadiums

Organizers highlight that the 2028 Games will be the first since 1948 without the construction of new permanent venues. The football tournament will take place exclusively in existing modern stadiums, most of them recently built for MLS and NWSL clubs.

Los Angeles will become the third city in history to host the Summer Olympics three times — after 1932 and 1984 — and for the first time, it will also stage the Paralympic Games. The nationwide football tournament is expected to be one of the most visible and symbolic parts of this global sporting celebration.