Columbus selected for 2028 Olympic soccer matches as LA28 expands tournament footprint nationwide
Columbus added to multi-city plan for Olympic men’s and women’s soccer tournaments
Columbus will host matches in the men’s and women’s soccer tournaments at the 2028 Olympic Games, under an LA28 plan that places early-round games across multiple U.S. markets while keeping the final-stage matches in Southern California. The announcement makes Columbus one of six U.S. metropolitan areas outside the Los Angeles region scheduled to stage tournament games before the competition concludes at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
LA28 has confirmed that the men’s tournament will feature 12 teams and the women’s tournament 16 teams. Gold medal matches are scheduled for July 28, 2028 (men) and July 29, 2028 (women), both at the Rose Bowl. LA28 has said additional details, including a full match schedule with dates and locations for each game, will be released ahead of ticket sales planned for April 2026.
Where Columbus fits in the national venue list
Under the venue plan released on Feb. 3, 2026, Columbus is part of a cross-country set of stadiums slated to host group-stage and knockout-round matches leading into the final stage in Pasadena. The list of metro areas named for these matches includes:
- New York, New York
- Columbus, Ohio
- Nashville, Tennessee
- St. Louis, Missouri
- San José, California
- San Diego, California
The Columbus venue identified for Olympic soccer is the home of Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew. Columbus has hosted a series of high-profile soccer events in recent years, including major domestic showcase and championship matches, reinforcing the city’s role as a recurring site for large-scale soccer operations and national broadcast events.
Competition structure highlights: a larger women’s tournament
The 2028 Olympic soccer tournaments will include a structural milestone: the women’s competition will have more teams than the men’s competition. The women’s field is set at 16 teams, while the men’s field is set at 12 teams. LA28 has described this format as part of a broader approach in which team sports at the Games will feature at least as many women’s teams as men’s teams.
What is known—and what remains to be announced
While the host metro areas and the Rose Bowl finals have been confirmed, several operational details that will shape Columbus’ Olympic footprint have not yet been released. These include the number of matches assigned to Columbus, the specific tournament phase(s) to be played in the city, match dates and kickoff times, and team travel paths through the bracket.
Key upcoming milestone: LA28 has said the full match schedule will be announced before Olympic soccer tickets go on sale in April 2026.
With the Games scheduled for July 14–30, 2028, the soccer calendar—spanning multiple U.S. regions—will determine how Columbus’ matches integrate into the broader tournament sequence leading toward Pasadena for the medal rounds.