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Arsenal owner Kroenke's SoFi Stadium may not host 2026 World Cup final due to oversight

talksport.com, 21 March 2023, 12:13
Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke's SoFi Stadium is reportedly at risk of not being able to host the 2026 World Cup final.

The state-of-the-art venue, which is the home of NFL team the LA Rams, is one of the stadiums chosen to host games at the next tournament.

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It's a hugely admired venue, with the 2022 Super Bowl taking place there despite it opening only two years prior.

However, the chances of the World Cup final being played there are diminishing, with The Times reporting that the pitch is 'too narrow'.

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In order to meet the regulations set by FIFA, the pitch's width may need to be increased by 'as much as 63ft'.

Seats in the Los Angeles stadium would therefore have to be removed, and the pitch itself would need to be raised.

It already has a capacity of 70,000, but FIFA's expectation of at least 80,000 for a final means that such changes could leave them out of the running to host the showcase.

Should this be the case then the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, that holds 82,500 fans, could be in line to entertain the final.

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Despite being the home of NFL sides New York Giants and New York Jets, the stadium has experience of hosting big football matches.

Chile were crowned as the Copa America champions there in 2016, beating Argentina 4-2 on penalties.

A trio of countries are hosting the 2026 World Cup, with the tournament's 104 matches being played across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

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The US is expected to have both semi-finals and the final, despite the Estadio Azteca in Mexico having the largest capacity of all the venues with 87,523.

FIFA's new format will be used for the first time, with 48 teams competing for the title instead of 32.

Argentina will likely enter the tournament as the reigning World Cup champions, with qualification set to begin in the next couple of years.

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