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At this Inglewood bar, World Cup business is beating out Shakira and A$AP Rocky concerts
The World Cup has brought business to bars and restaurants around L.A.
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Irfan Khan
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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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Bars have benefited as World Cup soccer brings in fans
Establishments around SoFi stadium and around the city have welcomed international supporters.
For Saizana Evans, manager of the Nile restaurant and bar in Inglewood, proximity to SoFi stadium has been a blessing over the years.
“The A$AP Rocky [concert] recently was good [for business] … Shakira was over here recently, that was great,” he said.
But when asked how those events compared to the influx of customers before and after recent World Cup matches, he was quick to respond.
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“Definitely World Cup … definitely better,” he said.
One night particularly memorable so far, he said, was when Bosnia fans showed up for their team’s match against Switzerland.
“They were loud, and it was a joy to watch and to see them, like how they were supporting their team,” he said.
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And, he added, “they are drinkers as well.”
While L.A. may not have run out of beer, as Boston reportedly did when Scottish fans visited, the region has been boosted by those who prefer to watch the games on a big screen with a beer in their hands.
“The excitement is palpable, not only in Inglewood, but throughout, and I think where you see it show up the most is in our bars and our restaurants,” said Maria Salinas, president and CEO of the L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce.
Crunching the numbers
As SoFi Stadium hosts the last of eight FIFA 2026 World Cup matches on Friday, and the tournament ends in less than two weeks, Southern California businesses will be looking at lessons learned.
“We expect to see an increase in spending when it comes to food and beverage,” said Stephen Cheung, president of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation.
He said his group plans to do a study of the economic effects of the World Cup on Southern California. To do that, his group plans to buy data from phone carriers, credit card companiesand others — without personal information — to see activity in and around bars and restaurants and other locations during matches.
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“We should be tracking hotel data, and Airbnb data, so we can see whether there's an increase during the World Cup,” as well, he said.
The goal is to give public and private groups information about what kind of business activities are the most popular during the tournament.
“We want to make sure that we have competitive industries that can bring good investments and good jobs here locally,” Cheung said.
And that’s something businesses will be looking to do as the 2028 L.A. Olympics approaches.
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