Rose Bowl to Host Men’s and Women’s Soccer Olympic Semifinals and Finals

The Rose Bowl will host the semifinals and finals of the men’s and women’s soccer in the 2028 Olympic Summer Games.

“It’s been out there for a while in the inner circle of our venues we’re going to be the host for the semifinals for both men’s and women’s soccer, which is great for us,” Rose Bowl General Manager Jens Weiden told Justin Chapman on the Pasadena Media show “Pasadena Monthly with Justin Chapman.”

Los Angeles will host their third Summer Olympics during the 2028 Olympic Games.

The City previously hosted the Summer Olympics in 1932 and 1984.

The City will become the third city to host the Olympic Games for a third time, joining London and Paris.

“We will be the second building to host the Olympics three times, us and the Coliseum,” Weiden said.

Weiden called the Olympics a great partner.

The iconic Rose Bowl has had major success with soccer games.

On July 4, the matchup between LA Galaxy and LAFC drew 82,110 fans, setting a new MLS single-game attendance record.

Last year, the Rose Bowl was not chosen to host matchups in the World Cup in North America.

The Rose Bowl had been a finalist but lost out in the final selection.

As part of the effort to be selected to host games, the Los Angeles World Cup Host Committee led FIFA officials on tours of the Rose Bowl Stadium, SoFi Stadium, and Hollywood Park in November.

Matches during the FIFA World Cup in 2026 are set to be held in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Los Angeles hosted matches during the 1994 World Cup and the 1999 Women’s World Cup.

“The World Cup did not work for us,” Weiden said. “The World Cup wanted you to put tens of millions of dollars into your building for very specific capital projects for them that did not necessarily help our tenants at all, and they kept all revenues.”

According to media reports, SoFi Stadium officials and the World Cup were at odds after stadium owner Stan Kroenke initially refused to adjust the playing area to accommodate a soccer field, which uses wider dimensions than a football field.

According to the report, Kroenke refused to pay for several changes, including the removal of stands and luxury boxes.

However, it was reported earlier this year Los Angeles will remain a host City, and renovations on the stadium are in progress.