The L.A. host committee for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and Rams owner Stan Kroenke “have been locked in a battle with FIFA over money,” and several cities “share LA's frustration with commercial arrangements that will allow FIFA to make billions of dollars off the tournament while local host committees struggle to cover costs,” according to Henry Bushnell of YAHOO SPORTS. The “exact nature” of Kroenke’s threats “to spurn the World Cup are unclear.” It is “also unclear” whether Kroenke’s threat "is legitimate or, perhaps, merely a leverage ploy.” Each of the 11 U.S. host committees “is expecting to spend somewhere in the region of" $100M -- “give or take tens of millions, mostly depending on market size -- to fulfill its World Cup obligations.” But in cities where public funding “is scarce,” such as L.A., officials are “concerned that FIFA-imposed restrictions on their offerings to sponsors or donors will prevent them from balancing budgets.” Sources said that as “it simmers,” L.A. officials “have remained engaged in World Cup planning.” One source said that it seems “unimaginable” that the city “wouldn’t be prominently involved in the tournament.” But the economics “are contentious and complicated” (YAHOO SPORTS, 11/2).
