LA forces a car decision before any other; SoFi is in Inglewood not LA, and the watch scene clusters by neighborhood, not by downtown.
Start with Downtown LA / Hollywood / West Hollywood, then decide whether the stadium side or airport side is worth the tradeoff. The current seed for Los Angeles points fans toward SoFi Stadium, Inglewood CA, group stage, round of 32, knockouts, and arrival planning before venue picks.
Choose the area before the venue
Downtown LA / Hollywood / West Hollywood. SoFi is in Inglewood, not central LA — staying nearby (Manhattan Beach, El Segundo) makes match day easier but cuts you off from the city.
Base area
Downtown LA / Hollywood / West Hollywood. SoFi is in Inglewood, not central LA — staying nearby (Manhattan Beach, El Segundo) makes match day easier but cuts you off from the city.
Stadium side
SoFi Stadium, Inglewood CA — 70,240
Match calendar
Group stage, round of 32, knockouts
Rail spine
Union Station Downtown LA (Amtrak Pacific Surfliner + Coast Starlight, Metrolink to OC/Ventura/Inland Empire), Burbank Airport-North (Metrolink).
Getting in
Use the airport list for the first cut, then check local transit before booking. These entries come from docs/city-guide-handoff/host-cities.md.
LAX · LAX
to Downtown LA: 17 mi, 30–80 min car ($45–$95), 50–75 min Metro K + connections ($1.75). To SoFi: 5 mi, 15–35 min car, 20–30 min Metro K direct.
BUR · BUR (Hollywood Burbank)
to Downtown LA: 12 mi, 20–45 min car ($30–$65), 50–70 min Metrolink. To SoFi: 20 mi, 35–75 min car, no direct transit. Best for Hollywood stays.
LGB · LGB (Long Beach)
to Downtown LA: 23 mi, 30–60 min car ($55–$95). To SoFi: 18 mi, 25–55 min car. Limited carriers.
SNA · SNA (John Wayne / Orange County)
to Downtown LA: 38 mi, 45–90 min car ($75–$140). To SoFi: 35 mi, 40–85 min car. Useful for OC-based fans only.
Train hubs
Union Station Downtown LA (Amtrak Pacific Surfliner + Coast Starlight, Metrolink to OC/Ventura/Inland Empire), Burbank Airport-North (Metrolink).
Bus hubs
Union Station bus plaza (Greyhound, FlixBus, USAB), Downtown LA Patsaouras Plaza.
SoFi Stadium, Inglewood CA
Stadium read
SoFi Stadium, Inglewood CA — 70,240
Why it matters
LA forces a car decision before any other; SoFi is in Inglewood not LA, and the watch scene clusters by neighborhood, not by downtown.
Local checks before booking
Seed source
docs/city-guide-handoff/host-cities.md
Publish status
Use this guide as a planning baseline. Match counts, venue rules, transit fares, fan festival details, and tournament weather stay in the local-check queue until verified against current sources.