Los Angeles is positioning itself as the definitive future of global sport, leveraging a wave of technological innovation and a packed calendar of mega-events to mount a serious challenge to London's status as the world's sports capital.
The Stadiums Setting a New Global Standard
The epicentre of this revolution is Inglewood's Hollywood Park, a development twice the size of Vatican City. Here, the $5.5bn SoFi Stadium stands as the world's most expensive sports venue. Home to NFL teams the Rams and Chargers, its vast, mall-like interior houses 260 luxury suites and 13,000 premium seats, setting a dizzying commercial benchmark. It will play a starring role in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosting eight matches, and in the 2028 Olympics, where it will co-host the opening ceremony and be transformed into the world's largest aquatics centre.
A short distance away, the $2bn Intuit Dome, home to the LA Clippers, showcases a different kind of innovation. Spearheaded by former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, it pioneers 'frictionless' fan experience through its GameFace ID facial recognition technology. This system allows for seamless entry, parking, and purchases, reportedly achieving a 75% adoption rate among visitors. The arena also features 'The Wall' – 51 steep rows of seating designed to intimidate opponents – and will host basketball at the 2028 Games.
Blurring the Lines Between Sport and Entertainment
This drive is no accident. Sitting between Silicon Valley and Hollywood, LA is uniquely placed to merge technology with entertainment, creating immersive new experiences to drive revenue. The Cosm LA venue epitomises this trend. It uses a colossal, curved 12K+ LED screen and bespoke camera feeds to create a 'shared reality' experience, making viewers feel as if they are physically at a Premier League match or other major event.
While London Mayor Sadiq Khan's boast of the capital's sporting primacy has strong foundations, the Californian challenge is formidable. Beyond the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics, LA will also host Super Bowl LXI in 2027. The city's model, treating sport as premium, tech-infused entertainment, represents the bleeding edge of the industry. Given the historical flow of innovations and investment from the US to the UK, it is likely only a matter of time before similar concepts begin to reshape the British spectator experience.
