COLUMBUS, Ohio — In the eight times the Olympic Games have been held in the United States, Ohio has never hosted an official Olympic event. That will change in 2028 during the Summer Olympics (LA28) hosted in Los Angeles with Columbus chosen to host a number of 2028 Olympic Football (Soccer) Tournament games, LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games announced early Tuesday morning.
Columbus is one of seven cities across the country selected to host group stage and knockout matches that will lead up to both the men's and women's gold medal matches at Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. Other cities selected include New York, New York; Nashville, Tennessee; St. Louis, Missouri; San José, California; and San Diego, California.
LA28 connected with Major League Soccer's commercial arm, Soccer United Marketing, to explore options for venues nationwide, "assessing each stadium’s ability to host world-class competitions and its potential to engage local communities."
ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, previously known as Lower.com Field, will host the matches, which are currently being scheduled and will be announced before the first ticket drop in April. The state-of-the-art stadium that opened in 2021 in downtown Columbus was built with the idea of drawing major events to the city in mind. The state's first-ever official Olympic competition brings that dream to life.
The Haslam Sports Group, which owns and manages the Columbus Crew, said in a press release that the selection as an Olympic Games venue in 2028 serves as "another testament" to their goal of bringing major events to Ohio.
“The Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be an incredible event for international competition and our country, and it’s truly special for the Crew, Columbus and the State of Ohio to welcome the LA28 Olympic Football (Soccer) Tournaments. Thanks to the support of our civic, state and local business leadership, this is another testament to the realization of our vision of constructing first-class venues that can successfully attract and execute worldwide major events which have a long-term impact in our communities," said Haslam Sports Group President David Jenkins in the release.
According to LA28, the match distribution is currently in development with the anticipation that the competition will be slated to move "progressively from east to west as teams advance toward the final stages, minimizing travel demands," likely meaning Columbus will host the earlier tournament stages. While the schedule has yet to be finalized, the Crew are preparing to host "multiple men’s and/or women’s soccer matches."
“We’re honored to host matches for the LA28 Olympic Football (Soccer) Tournaments in Columbus, which will be another massive moment for soccer in our city and country. The Crew are passionate about advancing our sport, both for men’s and women’s competition, and elevating Columbus locally and around the world while creating opportunities for visitors to experience our great region," said Crew President of Business Operations Mary Shepro.
There is also consideration that preliminary matches take place before the Opening Ceremony to allow for increased recovery time between matches and athlete well-being, LA28 said.
The 2028 Summer Olympics are scheduled in L.A. from July 14 to July 30, 2028, with the Paralympics following from Aug. 15 to Aug. 27.
Registration for the LA28 Olympic Ticket Draw is open now through March 18. To learn more or to register for the ticket draw, click here.
