For organizers of the 2026 World Cup, Friday’s tournament draw is a like the bell lap of a long-distance race, the moment when the slow slog turns into a sprint.
“This is going to be huge,” said Kathryn Schloessman, president and chief executive officer of the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission. “This is going to be a big deal.”
Schloessman has been preparing for that big deal for most of the last eight years. Together with the local host committee and civic leaders, she helped secure eight games for SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, set up fanfests throughout the region, organized public transportation, found training centers for visiting teams and worked to establish a legacy program that will ensure the tournament’s influence continues well beyond the final match.