Strike Vote Before Opening Matches
Roughly 2,000 hospitality workers at SoFi Stadium overwhelmingly authorized a strike a week before the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off in Los Angeles. Unite Here Local 11, which represents the stadium's food and beverage staff, said 96% of its members voted in favor of striking. The stadium is slated to host eight matches during the tournament, including the U.S. men's national team's opening game against Paraguay on Friday, June 12.
The authorization gives workers the legal power to walk out if negotiations fail, though the union and Legends Global, which manages food and beverage operations at the stadium, are scheduled to return to the bargaining table on Monday, June 8.
Immigration Enforcement Drives Labor Action
While workers' demands include higher wages and job security, the primary driver of the strike authorization is the planned presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at the stadium. Worker Yolanda Fierro said on Thursday that ICE's presence created fear among staff. "Myself and my co-workers are a little bit scared of coming to work, because I do have a lot of employees that are here on working visas from different countries," she said.
The Department of Homeland Security insists that ICE agents will be at the stadium to target counterfeiters and traffickers. However, workers do not trust that assurance. The union is demanding the right to strike if federal immigration agents enter the stadium and create "a reasonable fear for their safety."
World Cup Economic Boost Masks Labor Tensions
The World Cup is generating significant hiring ahead of the tournament. The U.S. economy created 172,000 jobs in May, with leisure and hospitality businesses responsible for 70,000 of those positions. Food and drink firms specifically created 48,000 jobs that month, a dramatic jump from the prior year's average monthly increase of 14,000.
Rehan Alam, who owns The Red Lion pub and restaurant in downtown New York City, has hired seven extra bartenders to manage expected World Cup attendance. He installed seven new televisions and paid sound engineers to prepare the venue. "Four years ago, when we had the World Cup, we didn't expect it to get that crazy, and it did," Alam told the BBC. "A boost like this is definitely going to give us that uplift of spirits," he added, noting that rising costs from the U.S.-Israel war with Iran have pressured his business.
Ticket Prices and Fan Access Complaints
Despite job creation, fans face steep barriers to attending matches. U.S. President Donald Trump declared he "wouldn't pay it either" when asked about a $1,000 ticket price to watch the U.S. play Paraguay. The attorneys general of New York and New Jersey launched an investigation into FIFA's pricing practices, alleging "artificially inflating prices" and "misleading fans." FIFA declined to comment on the investigation.
Economists noted that while hiring is strong ahead of the tournament, a subsequent economic boost may not materialize due to sky-high ticket and travel costs. Hotels have warned of slow bookings. FIFA has also addressed one fan concern: the governing body confirmed that fans may bring bottled water into World Cup stadiums, within certain rules.
Team Preparations Amid Injuries and Doubts
The U.S. men's national team faces a defensive crisis ahead of its opening match. Chris Richards, anticipated to be crucial to the team's defensive setup, will not play in the final World Cup tune-up friendly against Germany on Friday. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino said Richards "is still not ready to compete and play" due to an ankle injury. Richards suffered the injury in Crystal Palace's second-to-last Premier League match and missed both the league finale against Arsenal and the Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano.
Pochettino said he was not happy with the timeline of Richards's recovery, noting that the shrinking window between now and the group stage opener on June 12 against Paraguay makes planning difficult. World Cup teams can make medically related changes to their rosters until 24 hours before their opening match, giving Pochettino until June 11 to decide whether Richards will remain part of his tournament plans.
International Teams Navigate Final Preparations
Cristiano Ronaldo joined Portugal's training as the country prepares for its sixth World Cup appearance. Portugal will play Chile in a friendly before its first World Cup match on June 18.
Iran's players received visas for the United States just days before the World Cup begins, after months of doubts over their participation. The players will have ten days before Iran's opening match against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15.
Australia midfielder Connor Metcalfe expressed frustration with U.S. media commentary dismissing his team. Former USA player Alexi Lalas called Australia "an average team by any measure," and striker Landon Donovan labeled coach Tony Popovic as "smug" and predicted the Socceroos would finish last in their group. "It's just so much rubbish, honestly. I'm just sick of it," Metcalfe said as Australia prepared for a friendly against Switzerland in San Diego.
Switzerland's preparations faced a separate obstacle when striker Breel Embolo was initially prevented from traveling to the United States due to a visa issue. U.S. officials rejected his ESTA, an automated travel visa, because of a criminal conviction. Embolo met with U.S. officials during the week and was approved for travel. He has scored 23 goals in 85 games for Switzerland.
