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Your guide to the World Cup Fan Fest and what to do nearby

Published Jun 4, 2026 8:43 AM
A rendered illustrated image of thousands of fans on the field of Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, with empty bleachers in the background. They are watching a soccer match on a large screen and cheering with their arms in the air.
(
© Los Angeles FIFA World Cup 26™ Host Committee
)

Los Angeles has proven its status as a soccer city time and time again over the past 20 years, from recruiting David Beckham to the L.A. Galaxy in 2007 to the sold-out crowds at LAFC games, to celebrity support from Natalie Portman and Serena Williams of the women’s team, Angel City FC.

And that’s even before we mention our kickass local college teams. So expect to be in good company as you make your way to the World Cup games at Los Angeles Stadium (SoFi), soccer-themed events all summer long, and the big L.A. Coliseum Fan Fest, happening June 11-15.

Crowds are all part of the fun, but planning ahead will make your football experience a little easier. We’ve put together our top picks for the Fan Fest and the best routes to get there using Metro. This very useful post from our friends at Metro has all the details about getting to the main event from wherever you are in Southern California.

FIFA Fan Festival™ Los Angeles: L.A. Memorial Coliseum

No matter which country you’re rooting for, the big fan fest is the place to be — it might even be more fun than going to an actual game. Iron your favorite team jersey and hop the E Line to the official FIFA Fan Festival (say that 10 times fast!), which kicks off on June 11-14 at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. Tickets are $10-$30 — much cheaper and easier to come by than World Cup tickets. Plus, taking the Metro to Fan Fest is only $1.75 each way. The stadium will be open for all the matches that opening weekend, with huge screens to watch the games, music and entertainment, local food vendors and fan activations (get your Instagram ready).

Getting to the South Figueroa / University Park area is easy and Metro has simplified it even further ahead of the World Cup. The Coliseum is just a short walk from the Metro E Line’s Expo Park/USC and Expo/Vermont stations.

Around University Park / South Figueroa

Aerial view at sunset of Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Exposition Park. The Los Angeles Coliseum is large open-air stadium with a facade of arches and red bench seating. Behind the Coliseum is the Lucas Museum, a curved, futuristic building with two glass domes. In the background of the photo is a sprawling view of the city street grid.
Aerial view of Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Exposition Park, March, 2026. Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum will host the FIFA Fan Festival during the World Cup.
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Mario Tama/Getty Images
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Getty Images North America
)

Just outside the stadium there’s even more to explore. Expo Park is a hub of fun family-friendly museums, including the California Science Center, the Natural History Museum, and USC’s small but mighty Fisher Museum of Art. Plus, it’s not open yet, but take a walk around and see the spaceship-like architecture of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art and make a plan to come back for the opening in the fall.

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After the games are over, stay and catch a screening at the nearby Velaslavasay Panorama — one of the weirdest and most eclectic places in the whole city. It’s the original immersive experience — a full 360-degree painted scene that was entertainment for the masses before TVs and smart phones. The space also has a vintage theater, a diorama of a hunting lodge and a lovely hidden garden.

Then if you’re not full from all the treats on offer inside the Coliseum, head to Mercado de la Paloma before you go home — the best Mexican seafood in the city is right there at Holbox.

A photo of a plate with crushed ice and Baja California blood clams on the half shell, brown morita sauce, lime & red onion from Holbox
Baja California blood clams on the half shell, morita sauce, lime & red onion from Holbox
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Mariah Tauger/Los Angeles Times via Getty Imag
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Los Angeles Times
)

World Cup Fan Zones around L.A.

A schedule that reads "Los Angeles World Cup 26 Fan Zones." 10 locations are listed to watch World Cup games: 1. The Original Farmers Market, June 18-21; 2. City of Downey, June 20; 3. The Heart of the City: Los Angeles Union Station, June 25-28; 4. Hansen Dam Lake, June 2-5; 5. LA County's Earvin "Magic" Johnson Park, July 4-5; 6. Los Angeles County Whittier Narrows, July 9-11; 7. Venice Beach, July 10-11; 8. Fairplex, July 14-15 & July 18-19; 9. West Harbor, July 14-15 & July 18-19; 10. Downtown Burbank, July 18-19
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© Los Angeles FIFA World Cup 26™ Host Committee
)

Once the L.A. Fan Fest wraps up, that doesn’t mean the games are over. Ten “Fan Zones” around L.A. will host events throughout the five-week tournament. Here are a few to check out that are all easily accessible on Metro.

Heart of the City

Rendered image of hundreds of fans dressed in soccer apparel of different colors and cheering while standing outside Los Angeles Union Station watching a World Cup soccer match on the big screen. Union Station is covered with a red tile roof and has a tower with a clock, and is surrounded by palm trees.
“The Heart of the City” Fan Fest at Los Angeles Union Station
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The “Heart of the City” Fan Fest is running from June 25-28 and will focus on Union Station, which is a major Metro hub and an architectural gem of downtown L.A. For an in-person introduction to the fútbol craze, check out Play. On view at the Metro Art Passageway Gallery, the new exhibition features artworks by Pelle Cass celebrating soccer, sport and play. Thirty-six images accumulate hours of activity into densely layered timelapses, capturing impressions created by athletes and objects in motion. The resulting stills present a record of activity where play prevails over competition.

A composite photograph by Pelle Cass. The image features dozens of women soccer players on a green soccer field with trees in the background in all-red and all-white soccer uniforms in various frames of motion, with dozens of soccer balls on the ground and mid-motion in the air. To make the composite image, in 30 minutes 1,249 photos were taken, arranged in 242 layers.
"Women's football, Boston University at Northeastern, 2025." In 30 minutes 1,249 photos were taken, arranged in 242 layers. On view at Metro Art Passageway Gallery, Union Station.
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Pelle Cass
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Union Station is also next door to the L.A. Plaza de Cultura y Artes, and both will host watch parties and entertainment. But you don’t have to wait until the World Cup to have fun right where several Metro bus and rail lines meet. The Plaza de Cultura y Artes hosts regular summer salsa nights on Fridays, art exhibitions and more. It’s a hub for the Latino community and will activate for soccer lovers of all backgrounds during the five weeks of the World Cup. Olé!

A rendered illustration of about 20 people standing outside at a World Cup fan activation. They watch as a man wearing soccer apparel tries a fan activation with a grass surface and soccer netting on the sides titled "Accuracy Test" where a soccer ball must be kicked though round hole targets in a backdrop about 20 feet away. Each target is worth a certain number of points.
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© Los Angeles FIFA World Cup 26™ Host Committee
)

Magic Johnson Park

A sunset photo of a child and a second person wearing a baseball hat is silhouetted by afternoon sun and shadows while playing in a splash pad amidst the heat at the Earvin "Magic" Johnson Recreation Area in Los Angeles. There's trees and bushes in the background.
A child is silhouetted by afternoon sun and shadows while playing in a splash pad amidst the heat at the Earvin "Magic" Johnson Recreation Area in Los Angeles.
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Allen J. Schaben via Getty Images
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Los Angeles Times
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Magic Johnson Park is a little oasis in South L.A., with splash pads for hot summer days, free movie nights, and of course, the big Fan Zone that will take over July 4 and 5. There will be food trucks, entertainment and fireworks to celebrate both Independence Day (and America’s 250th!) and the World Cup games. The park itself regularly hosts wellness events, arts and crafts workshops, and much more — don’t sleep on it. Magic Johnson Park is about a 15-minute walk from the Avalon Station on the Metro C Line.

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Venice Beach

A photo of two roller skaters on the asphalt at the Venice Beach Roller Skate Dance Plaza. On the left, Laron Gigger is person with dark skin tone and short black hair is posing on quad roller skates with his legs in a lunge position, holding his left arm up with his hand behind his head. He is wearing a red crop top and white shorts with red decoration. In the center of the photo is Nick Ayres, a shirtless person with light skin tone and black shorts and black quad roller skates. He is wearing a tan ballcap and sunglasses and is posing with both elbows up behind his head. In the background is a blue sky, square blue buildings, palm trees, and people standing and sitting on the grass.
Laron Gigger, left, and Nick Ayres, center, skate at the Venice Beach Roller Skate Dance Plaza on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026 in Venice, CA
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Eric Thayer via Getty Images
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Los Angeles Times
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Nothing screams summer like a day at Venice Beach, which will be hosting a Fan Zone for one day only, on July 11. Check out games on the big screen, take a bike ride down from the Santa Monica end of the Metro E Line., and don’t forget your sunscreen. You can wander the neighborhood to see some eclectic street art, grab a taco at Teddy’s Red or try Snoop Dogg’s new ice cream spot, Dr. Bombay.