Last updated: Friday, June 12, 2026 9:35PM GMT
LOS ANGELES (KABC) — The 2026 FIFA World Cup is officially underway, and Southern California will get to see a piece of the action during the supersized tournament.
The U.S. will host 78 matches, eight of which will take place at Inglewood’s Sofi Stadium. The venue will be known as Los Angeles Stadium for the duration of the tournament.
Team USA has their opening match at 6 p.m. Friday against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium.
We’re bringing you live updates and everything you need to know.
Key Headlines
Here’s how the news is developing.
World Cup watch parties in SoCal
If you don’t have the opportunity to attend one of the World Cup matches at SoFi Stadium, there are still plenty of ways to take part.
We’ve compiled a list of Southern California watch parties, official fan festivals and things to know before the tournament gets underway.
Organizers of the FIFA Fan Festival Los Angeles offered a first look at the four-day World Cup fan experience planned at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum ahead of its opening.
Star-studded performances set for L.A.’s opening ceremony
The World Cup opening ceremony in Sofi Stadium will come with a star-studded performance.
Anitta, Future, Katy Perry, Lisa and Rema will all take the stage Friday night. Country-duo Dan and Shay is set to sing the national anthem.
Meanwhile, an opening ceremony will take place in Toronto as Canada is set to face-off against Bosnia-Herzegovina. A few of the performers for their ceremony include Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara and Michael Bublé.
On Thursday, Mexico got the show started with Shakira and Burna Boy. The two artists performed their official anthem for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Anitta, Future, Katy Perry, Lisa and Rema will all take the stage Friday night.
Fans pack Koreatown park, watch South Korea’s comeback win
Fans packed Liberty Park in Koreatown to watch South Korea kick off its World Cup journey with a nail-biting 2-1 win over Czechia.
“Korea winning just makes me so happy,” Koreatown resident Patricia Kong said.
“The whole time, I was like, they can pull it off. I know they can, they can come back down by one. I was like, they have it in them,” Edwin Aguilar of Studio City said.
Thousands of fans in Southern California spent the day celebrating as the FIFA World Cup officially got underway.
Caltrans urges using public transportation during World Cup
As the World Cup gets underway, Caltrans is warning commuters to be prepared for extra congestion starting Friday.
It’s urging people to use public transportation, especially if you’re heading to a match in Inglewood.
You’ll want to check out go511.com/worldcup for all of the various transportation options. That includes direct Metro bus service to the stadium from 15 different locations.
As the World Cup gets underway, Caltrans is warning commuters to be prepared for extra congestion starting Friday.
South Korea scores two unanswered goals to beat Czechia
South Korea beat Czechia 2-1 in a thrilling Group A game in Mexico on Thursday night.
South Korea went down 1-0 after a goal by Ladislav Krejci in the 59th minute but then scored twice to come away with three points. A goal by Oh Hyeon-Gyu in the 80th minute proved to be the difference.