The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics Organizing Committee has announced that Columbus will host nine soccer matches during the Summer Games, including a knockout-stage match on the men’s side.
From July 10 to July 14 of 2028, there will be eight group-stage games, six men’s and two women’s, at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, and then Columbus will be the site for one of the men’s quarterfinals.
Kickoff times and opponents have yet to be determined.
Nashville, Tennessee; New York City; San Diego, California; San Jose, California; and St. Louis, Missouri were also selected to host before the tournament finishes up in Los Angeles. On July 28, the men will play their gold-medal match at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, with the women competing for gold the next day.
Because the schedule for both tournaments has teams moving from east to west as they progress toward the final stages, it was expected that Columbus might be awarded a smaller number of matches, as one of the more Eastern-based host cities.
However, according to Crew president of business operations Mary Shepro, other factors favored Columbus hosting for an extended period.
“We do only have one marquee training facility right now,” Shepro said. “We always thought that would be an issue. … As we continued to work with LA 2028, we demonstrated the excitement of our fan base and our market, and that we would work really diligently to bring a second facility online for training.
“And when they announced Columbus as a soccer host city for the Olympics, we went from not even being top-20 in terms of people registering for ticket access to jumping into the top-10. So, I think as all those different pieces were sort of moving behind the scenes, we went from potentially having the minimum of matches to now, toward the top.”
Earlier this month, Haslam Sports Group submitted a preliminary site plan to the city for a new training facility to be utilized by a potential NWSL team. Haslam Sports Group is leading a bid to bring the 18th NWSL team to Columbus.
The training facility, which would be located where McCoy Park currently sits in Downtown Columbus, would include five and a half soccer fields, a full locker room for a professional team and an academy-sized locker room.
The NWSL has yet to officially select which city for its 18th team, but the expectation is that the decision will be made at some point this year. For the new training facility to be ready for 2028, Haslam Sport Group would like to break ground on construction by October, Shepro stated.
How to get tickets for 2028 Olympic soccer in Columbus
To purchase tickets, fans have to enter a lottery and be selected to participate in the ticket drop. The link to register for the ticket lottery is at the LA28 website and is open until March 18.
Additionally, Shepro stated there will be an exclusive window for Crew season-ticket holders to purchase tickets for the Olympic matches.
“We’ll have more information about that in the coming months,” Shepro said. “So, we’ll still have that economic impact around soccer and our market. And hopefully some of our younger players [from the Crew] are participating.”
Crew players Taha Habroune and Chase Adams are both frequent call-ups for the U.S. youth teams, and would be eligible to play for the U.S. U-23 squad at the Olympics in 2028.
Dates for each round of the 2028 Olympic soccer tournaments
Men’s soccer schedule
Women’s soccer schedule
This story was updated to add new information.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Olympic soccer is coming to Columbus. See the games, ticket info
Reporting by Brianna Mac Kay, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
