How to see the World Cup for free or cheap in South LA and Inglewood

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

So, you’re a fan of the beautiful game. You get up early on Saturdays to watch matches in Europe, whether your team is any good or not. Or maybe you’re finally ready to bite on this whole “football” thing now that some of the best players on the planet are flying to Inglewood this summer to play in the FIFA World Cup.

Either way, there’s a problem: You’re not interested in burning hundreds on a match ticket at SoFi Stadium.

You’ve come to the right place. There are a few opportunities for Angelenos to join World Cup festivities this summer, even if they don’t get a match ticket. 

Here’s what to know about all the games, official FIFA fan events, Inglewood street festivals and free watch parties scheduled in and around South L.A. and Inglewood. 

When are the games anyway?

The eight games to take place at SoFi Stadium — which will be renamed Los Angeles Stadium during the tournament — include a few major ones. Here’s the schedule, with kickoff times: 

Group Stage:

• Friday, June 12, 6 p.m.: USA v. Paraguay 
• Monday, June 15, 6 p.m.: Iran vs. New Zealand 
• Thursday, June 18, 12 p.m.: Switzerland vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Sunday, June 21, 12 p.m.: Belgium vs. Iran 
• Thursday, June 25, 7 p.m.: Türkiye vs. USA 

Round of 32: 

• Sunday, June 28, 12 p.m.: Group A runners-up vs. Group B runners-up
• Thursday, July 2, 12 p.m.: Group H winners vs. Group J runners-up

Quarterfinal:

• Friday, July 10, 12 p.m.: Winner match 93 vs. Winner match 94

Here are the official FIFA World Cup fan events in and around South LA:

For the first four days of the tournament — June 11-14 — the LA Memorial Coliseum will host the FIFA Fan Festival with food, music and live match broadcasts. 

Adult general admission tickets are $10 each; kids 12 and under get in free with a paid adult. More expensive seats are also available for $30. Tickets are available on Ticketmaster or at the gate, when not sold out.

FIFA is also hosting a series of official fan zones on specified days. Some tickets are free but still must be reserved ahead of time online. Here are the three closest to South L.A.: 

• June 18-21, The Original Farmers Market: Matches include USA vs. Australia and Mexico vs. Korea Republic. 
• June 25-28, Union Station: Matches include Türkiye vs. USA, Uruguay vs. Spain. 
• July 4-5, Earvin “Magic” Johnson Park: Matches include knock-out stage games.

Here’s what to know about The Wood Cup street fests in Inglewood:

Inglewood will host a pair of free “Wood Cup” street festivals on Market Street during the tournament in partnership with Metro. 

The street festivals will take place on Market Street between Florence Avenue and Hillcrest Boulevard, south of the Downtown Inglewood Metro K line station.

The first is scheduled from 2-10 p.m. on June 12 during the USA vs. Paraguay match at SoFi Stadium. 

The Wood Cup is scheduled to go live again from 12 to 8 p.m. on July 10, according to city documents, when SoFi Stadium hosts a quarterfinal match. 

The Inglewood City Council approved plans for both street festivals during its May 7 meeting. 

Don’t miss these free World Cup watch parties in South L.A.:

Parks in Los Angeles will host a total of 100  “Kick it in the Park” watch parties during the tournament, scattered across 18 sites. Full details are available here, including how to get to events via public transit. 

The free events will have soccer mini-clinics, family fun zones and city resource tables. Families should bring their own blankets, chairs and snacks.

The city is looking for volunteers for the events. You can apply online.

Three sites are in South L.A. and South Central. Here are the schedules for each location. 

Jackie Tatum Harvard Recreation Center:

• Friday, June 12: Canada vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina 12 p.m., USA vs. Paraguay 6 p.m.
• Wednesday, June 17: Portugal vs. Congo DR 10 a.m., England vs. Croatia 1 p.m., Ghana vs. Panama 4:00 p.m., Uzbekistan vs. Colombia 7 p.m.
• Monday, June 22: Argentina vs. Austria 10 a.m., France vs. Iraq 2 p.m., Norway vs. Senegal 5 p.m., Jordan vs. Algeria 8 p.m.
• Saturday, June 27: Panama vs. England 2 p.m., Croatia vs. Ghana 2 p.m., Colombia vs. Portugal 4:30 p.m., Congo DR vs. Uzbekistan 4:30 p.m., Algeria vs. Austria 7 p.m., Jordan vs. Argentina 7 p.m. 
• Thursday, July 2: Round of 32 match 12 p.m., 4 p.m., 8 p.m. 
• Tuesday, July 7: Round of 16 match 9 a.m., 1 p.m.
• Wednesday, July 15: Semi-final match 12 p.m.

South Park Recreation Center: 

• Sunday, June 14: Germany vs. Curaçao 10 a.m., Netherlands vs. Japan 1 p.m., Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador 4 p.m., Sweden vs. Tunisia 7 p.m.
• Wednesday, June 24: Switzerland vs. Canada 12 p.m., Bosnia-Herzegovina vs. Qatar 12 p.m., Morocco vs. Haiti 3 p.m., Scotland vs. Brazil 3 p.m., Czechia vs. Mexico 6 p.m., South Africa vs. South Korea 6 p.m.
• Monday, June 29: Round of 32 match 10 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 6 p.m.
• Saturday, July 4: Round of 16 match 2 p.m., 10 a.m.
• Sunday, July 19: Final match, 12 p.m.

Green Meadows Recreation Center:

• Friday, June 19: USA vs. Australia 12 p.m., Brazil vs. Haiti 3 p.m., Scotland vs. Morocco 3 p.m., Turkey vs. Paraguay 8 p.m.
• Friday, July 10: Quarter-final match 12 p.m.