LA 2028 Olympic football to start 4 days early across 7 US cities

Men’s and women’s football at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will begin four days before the opening ceremony and will be staged across seven cities in the United States , following approval from the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The early start is aimed at easing player workload, allowing teams additional rest days compared to previous editions. The schedule also incorporates breaks after the group stage and quarterfinals , enabling smoother travel between venues.

Matches will kick off on July 10 , with the group stage and quarterfinals to be held in New York, Columbus (Ohio), Nashville (Tennessee), and St. Louis . These cities will host the bulk of the early fixtures, with New York and Columbus each staging nine matches across multiple matchdays, along with a men’s quarterfinal on July 20.

Nashville will host a similar number of group-stage matches and both men’s and women’s quarterfinals on July 20–21, while St. Louis will stage eight matches, including a men’s quarterfinal.

The tournament will then shift to California for the knockout rounds , with matches scheduled in San Jose, San Diego and Pasadena . San Jose will host women’s group-stage matches and a quarterfinal, while San Diego will stage 11 matches, including quarterfinals, semifinals, and the bronze-medal matches.

The competition will culminate at the historic Rose Bowl in Pasadena , which will host five matches, including the semifinals and the gold-medal matches on July 28–29 . The stadium has hosted several marquee events in the past, including the 1994 men’s World Cup final, the 1999 women’s World Cup final, and the 1984 Olympic gold-medal match.

The expanded and travel-conscious schedule reflects efforts by organisers to balance competitive intensity with player welfare.

The complete match schedule is expected to be released later this year.