SoFi Stadium facts for kids
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SoFi Stadium in 2023
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 SoFi Stadium
Location in the Los Angeles metropolitan area
SoFi Stadium
Location in California
SoFi Stadium
Location in the United States
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| Address | 1001 South Stadium Drive |
| Location | Inglewood, California, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 33°57′11″N 118°20′20″W / 33.953°N 118.339°W |
| Public transit |
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| Owner | StadCo LA, LLC (a Kroenke Sports & Entertainment company) Hollywood Park Land Company, LLC (a joint venture of The Flesher Group and Stockbridge Capital Group) |
| Operator | StadCo LA, LLC |
| Executive suites | 260 |
| Capacity | 70,240 (expandable up to 100,240 for major events) |
| Acreage | 298 acres (121 ha) Whole Complex |
| Surface | Artificial (Matrix Turf) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | November 17, 2016 |
| Built | 2016–2020 |
| Opened | September 8, 2020 |
| Construction cost | $5–6 billion (estimated, including development)($5.65 billion-6.78 billion in 2022 dollars ) |
| Architect | HKS, Inc. |
| Project manager | Legends Global Planning |
| Structural engineer | Walter P Moore Engineers and Consultants |
| Services engineer | Henderson Engineers, Inc. |
| General contractor | Turner/AECOM HuntJV |
| Tenants | |
| Los Angeles Rams (NFL) (2020–present) Los Angeles Chargers (NFL) (2020–present) LA Bowl (NCAA) (2021–present) Major League Wiffle Ball World Series (2022) |
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SoFi Stadium is a huge sports and entertainment building in Inglewood, California, near Los Angeles. It has 70,240 seats, but can hold over 100,000 people for big events! It opened in September 2020 and is home to two National Football League (NFL) teams: the Los Angeles Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers.
The stadium is part of a larger area called Hollywood Park. This area used to be a famous horse racing track. Now, it's becoming a modern neighborhood with shops, restaurants, and other fun places. SoFi Stadium is one of only two stadiums in the NFL that is shared by two teams.
SoFi Stadium has hosted many exciting events. These include the Super Bowl LVI in 2022, the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship in 2023, and WrestleMania 39 in 2023. It will also be a key venue for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics.
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What Makes SoFi Stadium Special?
SoFi Stadium was designed by a company called HKS. It's not just a stadium; it's a whole complex! It includes the stadium itself, a walking area for fans, and a special place for concerts.
The Cool Roof
The stadium has a giant, see-through roof that covers the stadium, the plaza, and the concert venue. This roof is made of 302 special panels. Some of these panels can even open up to let fresh air in! What's really cool is that the roof has 27,000 LED lights built into it. These lights can show pictures and videos, which can even be seen from airplanes flying into Los Angeles International Airport.
The Giant Screen
Inside the stadium, there's a huge, oval-shaped video screen called the Infinity Screen by Samsung. It's the first of its kind! This screen hangs over the field and weighs about 2,200 tons. It shows amazing 4K quality videos and images. The Infinity Screen also has the stadium's sound system and many wireless antennas.
Why Artificial Grass?
Even though California has great weather for outdoor sports, SoFi Stadium uses artificial turf instead of real grass. This is because two NFL teams play there, and it's very hard to keep a natural grass field in good shape when it's used so much.
Awards for Design
SoFi Stadium has won several awards for its amazing design. Some of these include "Stadium of the Year" and "Outstanding Architectural Engineering Project."
How Did SoFi Stadium Get Its Name?
On September 15, 2019, a financial company called SoFi bought the rights to name the stadium. This deal was for 20 years and was worth a lot of money, making it a record for stadium naming rights! SoFi also became a partner with the Rams and Chargers teams.
The open area inside the stadium, between the field and the concert venue, is called American Airlines Plaza. This airline has a major hub at the nearby LAX.
The concert venue inside the stadium is officially named YouTube Theater. YouTube is a very well-known company based in California.
For big international events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics, the stadium will temporarily change its name to "Los Angeles Stadium." This is because of rules about company names during these events.
How Much Did SoFi Stadium Cost?
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SoFi Stadium was built using private money, meaning it wasn't paid for by the government. When construction started, it was expected to cost about $2.66 billion. However, the final cost ended up being around $5.5 billion. This makes it one of the most expensive sports stadiums ever built in the world!
Who Plays at SoFi Stadium?
The Los Angeles Rams were the first team to decide to move to this new stadium. This happened on January 12, 2016. The NFL also gave the Los Angeles Chargers the chance to move to Los Angeles and share the stadium with the Rams.
On January 29, 2016, the Rams and Chargers agreed to share the stadium. Both teams helped pay for the building costs. On January 12, 2017, the Chargers officially announced they would move to Los Angeles. This brought major professional sports back to Inglewood for the first time since 1999!
Big Events at SoFi Stadium
SoFi Stadium is a popular place for many major events, not just football games.
NFL Games
Super Bowl LVI
SoFi Stadium hosted Super Bowl LVI on February 13, 2022. This was the first Super Bowl in the Los Angeles area since 1993. The stadium was supposed to host an earlier Super Bowl, but its opening was delayed, so it got Super Bowl LVI instead.
In 2022, SoFi Stadium became the first stadium to host a conference championship game and the Super Bowl in the same year. The Los Angeles Rams won the Super Bowl that year, becoming only the second team to win a Super Bowl in their home stadium!
Super Bowl LXI
SoFi Stadium will host another Super Bowl, Super Bowl LXI, on February 14, 2027.
| Date | Winning Team | Result | Losing Team | Event | Attendance |
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| February 13, 2022 | Los Angeles Rams | 23–20 | Cincinnati Bengals | Super Bowl LVI | 70,048 |
| February 14, 2027 | – | Super Bowl LXI |
College Football Games
College Football Playoff National Championship
SoFi Stadium hosted the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship on January 9, 2023. The Georgia Bulldogs played against the TCU Horned Frogs. Georgia won the game 65–7, which was the biggest win in a national championship game ever!
LA Bowl
SoFi Stadium also hosts the annual LA Bowl college football game. Teams from the Mountain West Conference and Pac-12 conferences play in this game. The first LA Bowl was in 2021.
| Date | Winning Team | Losing Team | Attendance | Notes | ||
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| December 18, 2021 | Utah State  |
24 |  Oregon State |
13 | 29,896 | notes |
| December 17, 2022 | Fresno State  |
29 |  Washington State |
6 | 32,405 | notes |
| December 16, 2023 | UCLA |
35 |  Boise State |
22 | 32,780 | notes |
High School Football
On October 13, 2023, SoFi Stadium hosted its first high school football game! Two rival teams from Downey, California, Warren High School and Downey High School, played there. About 18,000 people watched Warren win the game.
Soccer Matches
SoFi Stadium has hosted several exciting soccer matches. On August 3, 2022, it held two games between teams from Major League Soccer (MLS) and Mexico's Liga MX. The stadium was completely sold out for this event!
International Soccer
The stadium hosted the final match of the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup on July 16, 2023. Mexico won against Panama 1–0. SoFi Stadium will also host two matches during the 2024 Copa América tournament.
2026 FIFA World Cup
SoFi Stadium will be one of the stadiums hosting matches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This is a huge international soccer tournament! The stadium will host eight matches, including games in the group stage, Round of 32, and quarterfinals. It will also host the opening match for the United States on June 12, 2026.
The stadium's field is a bit narrow for a standard soccer field, so some seats will need to be removed, and the artificial turf will be replaced with real grass for the World Cup games.
WrestleMania
On April 1 and 2, 2023, SoFi Stadium hosted WrestleMania 39. This is a very popular professional wrestling event by WWE. It was the biggest event in WWE history, with over 160,000 fans attending over two nights!
2028 Summer Olympics
SoFi Stadium will play a big role in the 2028 Summer Olympics and 2028 Summer Paralympics. It will host the opening and closing ceremonies for both events. It will also be the venue for archery and soccer events. For the Olympics, the stadium will temporarily change its name.
Rugby World Cups
Los Angeles is being considered as a host city for matches during the 2031 Rugby World Cup and the 2033 Women's Rugby World Cup. SoFi Stadium could be one of the venues for these exciting rugby tournaments.
Hollywood Park: More Than Just a Stadium
SoFi Stadium is the main part of a huge entertainment complex and neighborhood called Hollywood Park. This area is being developed on the site of the old horse racing track.
Hollywood Park will have:
- Office buildings
- Homes
- A movie theater
- Ballrooms for events
- Outdoor spaces for community activities
- Shops
- A fitness center
- A fancy hotel
- Restaurants
- An open-air shopping and entertainment area
There's also an artificial lake called Rivers Lake with a waterfall and fountain. The YouTube Theater, which holds 6,000 people, is located under the stadium's roof.
The first part of Hollywood Park to open was the Hollywood Park Casino in October 2016. The NFL also opened a new office campus here in September 2021. This campus includes offices and studios for NFL Media, which runs NFL Films, NFL Network, and other league digital properties.
Getting to SoFi Stadium
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It's easy to get to SoFi Stadium using public transportation!
- Shuttle Buses: You can take shuttle buses from two nearby Los Angeles Metro Rail stations: the C Line at Hawthorne/Lennox station and the K Line at Downtown Inglewood station. These shuttles run often on game days.
- Other Bus Lines: Several other bus lines, including Metro lines and Torrance Transit, also go to SoFi Stadium.
Future Transit Connector
The city of Inglewood and Los Angeles Metro are planning to build a special train line called the Inglewood Transit Connector. This automated people mover will connect the Downtown Inglewood K Line station to SoFi Stadium, The Forum, and the future Intuit Dome (a basketball arena). It's expected to open around 2030.
See also
- List of most expensive buildings
- List of current National Football League stadiums
