WASHINGTON — Iran, New Zealand, Switzerland, Belgium and the winner of a March playoff featuring Wales, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy and Northern Ireland will join the U.S. in playing World Cup group-stage games at SoFi Stadium next June. The Inglewood venue will host eight World Cup games in 28 days, beginning with the U.S. opener with Paraguay on June 12.
The tournament will kick off June 11 in Mexico City with Mexico facing South Africa in a rematch of the 2010 tournament opener in South Africa. It will end July 19 in East Rutherford, N.J., with the final beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern time.
The schedule for the largest and most complex World Cup ever was announced Saturday at the Hilton Capital Hotel in Washington and it isn’t a favorable one for Southern California businesses hoping to cash in on the tournament. Of the five group-stage matches, two feature Iran, whose citizens have been banned from traveling to the U.S. by the Trump administration. Although Southern California is home to the largest concentration of Iranians outside Iran, those fans won’t be booking flights or hotel stays, dampening the economic effect on the region.
Following the U.S.-Paraguay game, SoFi will stage two Group G matches featuring Iran against New Zealand on June 15 and Iran-Belgium on June 21. In between, Switzerland will face the European playoff winner on June 15. The U.S. will then return to Inglewood on June 25 to face the winner of a March playoff featuring Slovakia, Kosovo, Turkey and Romania.
In addition to the five first-round games, SoFi will host three knockout-stage games — two in the round of 32 and one quarterfinal. Among the most attractive teams that could play in Inglewood during the round of 32 are Mexico, South Korea, Canada, Spain, Austria and Algeria. Reigning champion Argentina could also come to Southern California in the second round if it stumbles in group play.
New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium drew arguably the best schedule of any of the 16 World Cup venues. In addition to the final, the stadium will host group-play games featuring Brazil, Germany, France and England.
Defending champion Argentina will play its first game in Kansas City then finish the group stage in Dallas while Spain, the tournament favorite, will play its first two games in Atlanta and its final match in Guadalajara.
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