FIFA is at the centre of escalating tensions with the Kroenke family, the owners of Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium, over the terms of the agreement to be a host venue at the 2026 men’s World Cup.
The 2026 World Cup is to be staged across sixteen cities in the U.S., Mexico and Canada and the venues were announced last year.
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Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle are the other U.S. cities, with Mexico represented by Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey and Canada by Toronto and Vancouver.
However, tensions are growing between FIFA and Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE), which owns not only SoFi Stadium but also the English Premier League club Arsenal, as well as the LA Rams in the NFL, the Denver Nuggets in the NBA, the Colorado Rapids in MLS and Colorado Avalanche in the NHL.
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Multiple sources familiar with the discussions, who have asked to remain anonymous in order to protect their jobs, have told The Athletic that KSE is unhappy with the terms of the deal to host fixtures during the tournament, in respect of how revenue will be shared between FIFA, the cities and the stadiums.
The stadium owners had hoped that upfront payments would be recouped via commercial assets, which may refer to sponsorship, ticketing, hospitality and matchday revenue, but those assets are yet to materialise in the way KSE had hoped.
The precise figures involved for each stadium and city are not clear but FIFA projected in December that the cycle for the four years leading up to the World Cup in 2026 would drive $11billion (£8.8bn) worth of revenue, with $3.1bn forecast to be driven via ticket sales and hospitality. As such, the cities and stadiums are seeking a significant slice of the pie.
The Athletic has been told that KSE currently feels so strongly about the matter the group has threatened to walk away from hosting World Cup matches altogether, unless the deal is renegotiated by FIFA. It is unclear whether this step is a negotiating power play or a genuine threat to pull out. A spokesperson for KSE did not respond to queries from The Athletic.
Josh Kroenke (left) and Stan Kroenke (right), the owner of KSE (Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)SoFi Stadium is the most expensive stadium to ever be built in the U.S., costing more than $5bn to construct, and it is a 70,240-seater complex. It opened in 2020 and is due to host the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028, while it hosted the Super Bowl in 2022.
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The importance of Los Angeles to the 2026 World Cup was underlined earlier this year when FIFA held its launch event for the branding of the event in Los Angeles in May. Los Angeles was also a founding city of MLS and it previously hosted the men’s World Cup final in 1994 and the women’s World Cup final in 1999.
When asked about the issues, the Los Angeles FIFA World Cup Host Committee issued a statement. It said: “We are proud to be the Los Angeles Host Committee for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Since being announced as a host city, we have been working closely with FIFA on many aspects of the event.
“The information you have shared does not accurately reflect the content of those ongoing, collaborative conversations. Kroenke Sports & Entertainment is an invaluable partner for Los Angeles.
“Besides having the premiere venue in the world, KSE continues to provide incredible support to our committee. With KSE as a partner, Los Angeles will deliver to the highest standard on the world stage.”
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When then asked to specify the inaccuracies of the conversations, a committee spokesperson said they did not wish to comment further.
The Athletic has been told that FIFA officials have been surprised by the tenacity of U.S. cities and stadium owners during discussions, and they are experiencing a very different dynamic to the relationship they experienced for the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
In Qatar, the perception among many observers was that the gulf state craved the prestige and privilege of hosting a tournament, with the state bearing the costs of a project estimated to have cost over $200bn. Now, however, FIFA is negotiating with local cities and businessmen who are seeking to run sustainable operations and fighting a harder bargain.
In June, The Athletic reported that Colin Smith, previously FIFA’s World Cup chief operating officer, would be leaving his position. Smith was responsible for planning on the 2026 tournament but following the underwhelming brand launch in LA, which was seen by many as plain and uninspiring, there was discontent both internally at FIFA and among host cities. FIFA insisted at the time that Smith’s departure was “amicable”.
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The World Cup division at FIFA is now being led by, Heimo Schirgi, Smith’s deputy. He has joined FIFA President Gianni Infantino in the United States over the past week, where FIFA have sought to build relations with cities that have grown frustrated with a perceived lack of communication and concrete planning around the event. The opening date of the tournament is still to be set, while cities are yet to learn how many games they will host and the specific dates they need to reserve.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has spent this week in the U.S. attempting to build relations ahead of the 2026 tournament, while FIFA is also planning in the coming months to announce which city will host the 2026 World Cup final.
SoFi Stadium had previously been among the contenders but the two leading candidates are now the AT&T stadium in Dallas, Texas, as well as the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey/New York. On Sunday evening, Infantino was in attendance to watch an NFL game between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Jets at the former’s AT&T stadium, while The Athletic has also been told that FIFA officials dined with New Jersey state officials later in the week.
When contacted by The Athletic, FIFA said: “We have a strong working relationship with LA and all our 16 host committees, and have been working hand-in-hand on the details of delivering an unforgettable and unprecedented FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. in 2026.
“If you think about the size and scale of the largest single-sporting event in the world, the work involved in successfully delivering such an event for all fans and stakeholders is a massive undertaking. We continue to enjoy an open and productive dialogue on all elements of our collaboration.”
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(Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
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