February 27 – One of the world’s newest and greatest sporting cathedrals, the SoFi Stadium in Hollywood Park, Los Angeles, is on a path to become one of football’s most storied stadiums.
On March 20 and 24 the stadium will host the final four of the Concacaf Nations League. The SoFi hosted the Concacaf Gold Cup final in 2023. Next summer it will host eight World Cup matches, including two featuring the US men’s team.
As well as hosting the climax of the 2024-25 Nations League, Concacaf will return to the SoFi for more games in June in the Gold Cup 2025.
The Nations League, now in its fourth edition, has been a transformative game changer for Concacaf’s member associations, providing them with regular and meaningful international competition across three tiered divisions.
“Before 2018 most of our member associations were not playing competitively on an on-going basis,” said Concacaf general secretary Philippe Moggio (pictured right).
“They would play World Cup qualifiers every three or four years. As the governing body we need to provide opportunities. The Nations League is structured for everyone. For our smaller nations we created a consistent schedule and opportunities for promotion. At the top we have the final four that creates the rivalries our fans want to see.
“This final four competition is a unique edition as it has the the three World Cup 2026 host nations competing. It is one of the last opportunities (alongside the Gold Cup in June) for pre-2026 competition play,” Moggio continued.
So important is the Nations League finals to the SoFi that the owners are laying a fully irrigated grass pitch over the top of the existing artificial pitch used for NFL. The pitch will last until the USA women vs Brazil women play each other in April.
The genius of the Nations League has been its ability to engage all Concacaf’s member associations. Looking below the final four nations who will compete at the SoFi, Moggio highlights “a trajectory of growth” within Concacaf’s member nations. He singles out Guatemala, Guadeloupe and Suriname in particular as nations who have been upwardly mobile.
“The Nations League has proved to be a showcase for a lot of talent and provided players with a global window,” said Moggio.
But why LA? “In the summer of 2