Close to the stadium, but a long way from the World Cup due to ICE and sky-high prices

"From Francisco Sosa's front yard, you can see the imposing metal structure of the SoFi stadium in Los Angeles, California. Eight FIFA World Cup matches will be played on that pitch, but its proximity is irrelevant as far as Sosa is concerned; he is already resigned to watching the games of the most expensive tournament in history on TV. There's no money right now, says the 41-year-old U.S. citizen who is a fervent supporter of the Mexican national team. When he learned that a luxury box for the match between the United States and Paraguay was selling for $112,500, his reaction was immediate: Fuck! It's too much."

"The absence of SoFi's neighbors in the stands reflects the social inequality suffered by this mainly Hispanic working-class community in a location increasingly coveted by developers and investors who regard the stadium as a gold mine for business opportunities. The community lives in the shadow of gentrification, and activists allege that unjustified evictions have become more frequent. These families, however, are the ones who will have to put up with the chaos and traffic generated by the World Cup that will spill over into the surrounding blocks."

"The stadium is in Inglewood, a city in the Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area located just three kilometers from the L.A. airport. Some residents say they did not even try to get tickets for matches that are going to be played a stone's throw from their homes. Their bank accounts are already reeling from California's soaring cost of living. The strain has been aggravated by relentless inflation and the recent rise in gas prices driven up by the war in Iran (whose team, by the way, will play at the SoFi.)"

"There's no money, says Francisco Rosales, a 75-year-old from Zacatecas, Mexico who lives right across from the stadium's main entrance, on the other side of Prairie Avenue. To join the well-to-do fans who have rented boxes from $23,000, Rosales says he would have to sell his modest home, which he paid for out"

SoFi Stadium in Inglewood will host eight FIFA World Cup matches, but nearby residents expect to watch on television due to high costs. A working-class community with many Hispanic residents experiences social inequality as developers and investors treat the stadium as a business opportunity. Activists allege that evictions have increased without justification, while families remain to absorb event-related chaos, including traffic spilling into surrounding blocks. Some residents say they did not even attempt to buy tickets because their finances are strained by California’s high cost of living, inflation, and higher gas prices linked to the war in Iran. Residents living near the stadium’s main entrance say renting luxury boxes would require selling their homes.

Read at english.elpais.com