The City of Pasadena has signed an agreement with the organising committee of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles (LA28), locking in the Rose Bowl Stadium as the focal point of the Olympic soccer competitions.
The deal will see the historic Rose Bowl host the semi-final and final matches across both men’s and women’s tournaments, the third time Pasadena will play a role in the Games at the venue.
The signed agreement outlines the roles of LA28 and the City in bringing the 2028 Games to Pasadena. All venues and sport assignments are subject to final approval from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board, which is expected to come on April 9, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The agreement means there is now a tiered framework in place that will take shape over the course of three additional deals to be negotiated between now and October 2027. Pasadena played a part in the 1932 Olympics, when track cycling was held at the Rose Bowl. In 1984, the stadium hosted Olympic soccer, including the gold medal match between France and Brazil, played in front of 101,799 spectators.
LA28 CEO, Reynold Hoover, said: “In 2028, the Rose Bowl will support its third Olympic Games, making history as only the second venue in the world with this distinction. LA28 is looking forward to working closely with Mayor (Victor) Gordo and the City Council further cementing its legacy within the Olympic Movement.”
In December, the Rose Bowl Operating Company, which manages the stadium, launched The Lasting Legacy Campaign in a bid to revitalise the venue prior to the 2028 Games.
The campaign for the 89,702-capacity stadium is being led by privately raised funds cultivated by the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation as well as contributions from the venue’s third-party partners and vendors.
Among the main projects are a new field-level club for fans to be built in the Rose Bowl’s south end zone, safe standing sections on the east side of the ground, a new sound system, enhancements to fan technology and connectivity, and overall improvements to the venue’s bowl seating. It is also claimed that “one of the nation’s largest videoboards” will be installed.
“The Rose Bowl Stadium is America’s Stadium and one of the most iconic venues in the world,” said Rose Bowl Stadium CEO, Jens Weiden.
“Our incredibly rich history is filled with major global sporting and music events, and our setting is undeniably one of the best in the world. The 2028 Olympic Games will uplift the entire Southern California community, and we are honoured to play a part in hosting Olympic soccer when once again, Pasadena will welcome the world to our city.”
The Times said that the Pasadena deal has come with Los Angeles City Council also approving updated venue plans presented by LA28, the majority of which were outlined last summer.
In July, LA28 revealed host venues for 19 more sports, including badminton, golf and track cycling. Venues were confirmed in Los Angeles and the neighbouring cities of Carson and Long Beach. The announcement followed previously shared venue plan updates, which were announced in June.
The headline changes from the initial Games agreement include moving basketball to Intuit Dome, the new home of NBA franchise the Clippers; and Olympic swimming to SoFi Stadium, home to the NFL’s Rams and Chargers; as well as relocating gymnastics to Crypto.com Arena.
The Times said LA28 also filed revisions to last summer’s plans on March 14, placing flag football and lacrosse at BMO Stadium and moving sitting volleyball from Pauley Pavilion to Long Beach Arena.
Earlier this month, AECOM was named the official venue infrastructure partner for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Team USA under a contract that is said to be unprecedented for the delivery of the two events.
The agreement’s scope includes infrastructure architecture, engineering, planning, program management, and construction management services, with AECOM supporting the delivery of the venue infrastructure program for the two Games that will be centred in Los Angeles.
LA28 will mark the first time in Games history that no new permanent venues will be built to host the Games, utilising existing stadiums and venues across the Los Angeles region.
