The Rose Bowl: An Iconic Football and Fútbol Stadium

The Leagues Cup 2023 quarterfinal matchup between Los Angeles Football Club and CF Monterrey will take place at the iconic Rose Bowl tonight. 

Originally built for American football, the stadium has hosted the Rose Bowl Game every year (except for two) since 1923, college football championships, the Army-Navy game (the only one held west of the Mississippi) and five different Super Bowls.

But the stadium also has one of the richest fútbol histories of any stadium, not just in the U.S., but in the world.

The Rose Bowl has hosted an Olympic gold medal final and both the men’s and women’s World Cup finals, the only stadium in the world that can make this claim and just the second stadium ever to host the men’s and women’s World Cup finals.

It also has deep ties to Major League Soccer. LA Galaxy, one of MLS’ original franchises, played its first-ever match at the Rose Bowl. It was also the home of the Galaxy from 1996-2002 before they moved to their current home at Dignity Health Park. The Galaxy returned to the Rose Bowl this year for a one-off match against Los Angeles Football Club and set the MLS single-match attendance record with 82,110 fans.

The first major international soccer event held in the stadium was the gold and bronze medal matches of the 1984 Olympics. On August 10th, 100,374 fans watched Yugoslavia beat Italy, 2-1. The next night, 101,799 fans watched France win gold over Brazil, 2-0.

In 1994, the Rose Bowl was one of the host venues for the World Cup held in the United States. On July 17, 1994, 94,194 fans watched Brazil and Italy fight to a 0-0 draw after 120 minutes of regulation. Brazil went on to win the tournament after Italy’s Roberto Baggio infamously sent his shot over the crossbar.

In 1999, the Women’s World Cup came to the Rose Bowl. Brandi Chastain’s World Cup-winning penalty kick and celebration in front of 90,185 fans became an iconic American sports moment that is still referenced and replicated today.

Major soccer tournaments at the Rose Bowl haven’t been limited to just the Olympics and World Cup. The 2002 and 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup Finals were held there with the United States (2002) and Mexico (2011) each winning there. The Rose Bowl also hosted group stage matches for the Copa America Centenario in 2016.

The most heated rivalry in CONCACAF, U.S. vs. Mexico, has played at the Rose Bowl three times, with El Tri winning two of the three matchups.

So while the stadium will always be primarily tied to the most American of American sports, it will always have a place among the best fútbol stadiums in the world.