As a home to USC, UCLA, and the Rose Bowl (frequent site of the BCS National Championship), Los Angeles has long been a college football town. But the four-team College Football Playoff has never played a championship game in L.A. — until now.
On Monday night, SoFi Stadium will host the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship between Georgia and TCU, exactly 330 days after hosting Super Bowl LVI.
- Local officials expect more than 31,000 hotel room bookings and revenue from multiple events held throughout the city for the CFP matchup.
- In 2017 when the news was announced, Ernest Wooden Jr., former president and CEO of the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board, said the game will “bring millions in direct spend to our area restaurants, attractions, and more.”
Construction on SoFi Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and Chargers, began in 2016 and was completed in September 2020 — though it didn’t host an NFL game until 2021.
The 300-acre enclave, funded by billionaire Rams owner Stan Kroenke, cost a whopping $5 billion.
Welcome to Hollywood
SoFi has impressed even the most jaded in the football industry, who are accustomed to seeing the best stadiums the nation has to offer.
“It’s the most unique setup that the architects did,” ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit, who will be part of the network’s broadcast, told reporters this week. “When you see it in person, it’s fantastic.”
