SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles has removed hundreds of corner seats to expand the playing surface ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup [1, 2]. The $5 billion venue, originally built for the NFL, replaced its synthetic turf by burying it under sand and other flooring materials to prepare for a natural grass pitch [1, 2].
Truckloads of freshly harvested sod began a refrigerated 1,200-mile journey from Washington state to Los Angeles on May 12, 2026 [1, 2]. The sod will be installed approximately 30 days before the first World Cup kickoff, following a successful hybrid natural and synthetic field trial at the stadium last year [1, 2]. Otto Benedict, senior vice-president of facility and campus operations, said, "This 30 days is giving us the right amount of time to get the g" [1].
To meet FIFA's pitch size requirements, two extra rows of permanent seats were removed at two corners beyond existing removable seating, totaling around 100 seats per corner [1, 2]. FIFA initially required pitch widths of up to 80 meters at corners but accepted smaller dimensions because none of the 11 NFL stadiums hosting matches could meet this standard [1, 2]. Benedict added, "I think they made a great collaboration with us and all the other NFL stadiums to say, ‘How far can we get?’" and noted, "The silver lining is that fans who have purchased seats by those corners will be sitting right on top of the action" [2].
Before handing over control to FIFA, SoFi Stadium will be temporarily renamed "Los Angeles Stadium" to remove corporate branding during the World Cup [1, 2]. Benedict described the intense work schedule: "No sleep. We’ll sleep later!" [1].
The United States is scheduled to play its first World Cup match at the stadium against Paraguay less than a month after the sod’s departure from Washington state, making the venue’s readiness critical [1, 2].