The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is home to USC football games. This past weekend, however, it hosted a very different type of football.
Last week marked the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. For the opening weekend of action, the Coliseum hosted a fan festival. Fans at the event had the opportunity to watch the games on big screens, participate in activations, and try food and drinks from different countries participating in the tournament.
The festival was a massive success. I was able to attend for the United States-Paraguay game on Friday, and the atmosphere was electric. The fans were loud and passionate, and it genuinely felt like a big soccer party.
And yes, we are calling it soccer. With all due respect to FIFA and the rest of the world, there is only one true football, and it is the sport played every fall in the United States that USC has won 11 national championships in.
The good news is real football will be back before we know it. For the next month, however, fans should appreciate the historic nature of the biggest tournament in the world coming to the United States for the first time in 32 years.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum transforms for World Cup fan festival
Reporting by Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire | USA TODAY Network
