Before the ball even rolls, the scoreboard is already against the Los Angeles stadium where eight FIFA World Cup matches will be played this summer. The threat of a strike by a union demanding restricted access for immigration police and better working conditions for hundreds of venue workers is compounded by concerns about the safety of the Iranian national team, which will play on that field under the shadow of the war launched against that country by the United States and Israel. Iranian authorities have requested to relocate their team’s matches outside what they consider enemy territory, intensifying a dispute that has transcended from the political to the sporting sphere.
This Thursday, the UNITE HERE Local 11 union, which represents some 2,000 cooks, waiters, and bartenders at SoFi Stadium, filed a formal complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against FIFA and Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE), the company that owns the modern venue. It accuses them of evading its repeated request to limit the entry of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents into the stadium. This action is the prelude to a possible, already threatened, work stoppage.
“FIFA and its corporate sponsors will pocket billions from Los Angeles, while refusing to even acknowledge the cooks, servers, and concession stand workers who make this event possible,” said Kurt Petersen, co-president of the union, in a statement. “They cannot be allowed to profit at the expense of our members’ labor, while ICE terrorizes the communities where these workers live.”
The union’s fear originates from statements by acting ICE director Todd Lyons, who indicated in February that the agency would play a “key role” in the World Cup. The official explained that their work would focus on conducting national security investigations, a common task at major sporting events. Similarly, immigrant advocacy groups warn that ICE could also conduct operations in the vicinity of the 11 host stadiums in the U.S., which could affect tourists from Latin American, African, or Asian countries attending the matches.
The demands go beyond the presence of ICE. UNITE HERE Local 11 union leaders have also asked FIFA to eliminate its agreement with On Location, its official hospitality services partner, to whom it has entrusted the food and beverage operation at the stadium during the tournament. This subcontracting was done without prior notice and would reduce the working hours of its members. There is another dispute over more than 113,000 hours of subcontracted labor at that stadium during 2025, which the union group considers wage theft.
Another demand to FIFA is that it not use artificial intelligence or automation at SoFi that “results in the elimination of unionized jobs,” reads a statement.
The threat would escalate to a strike if an agreement is not reached with FIFA and KSE. The global governing body of football ignored all requests to hold meetings to “raise human rights concerns,” the union claims. FIFA and Kroenke Sports & Entertainment have not commented on the matter.
Citing a clause that prioritizes safety in the face of “unusually dangerous conditions,” UNITE HERE Local 11 sent a letter to its members in March indicating that if ICE appears at their workplaces (stadiums, hotels, event centers, and airports), they have the right to stop work and go home. “Our members should not be forced to be caught in the middle of heavily armed operations,” Petersen declared.
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Security at SoFi
Home to the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers and Rams, SoFi was inaugurated in 2020 and is considered one of the most modern stadiums in the United States. It is located in the suburb of Inglewood. It has a capacity for 70,000 fans. FIFA chose it as the venue for the first World Cup match on U.S. soil — one day earlier, the tournament begins at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City — which will be played by the U.S. and Paraguay national teams on Friday, June 12. Three days later, the Iranian team will compete on the same field against New Zealand.
Following the U.S. and Israeli bombings of Iran that sparked war between the countries, the president of the Iranian Football Federation stated that they were in talks with FIFA to relocate their matches to Mexico, and Donald Trump said it would be best for Iranians not to play in the United States, for their own safety, in a message that was interpreted as a threat. But that idea was quickly rejected by FIFA, and the schedule has remained intact.
Furthermore, in March, Californians were startled after the release of an FBI report warning that Iran could plan drone attacks on California in retaliation for military actions in its territory. The federal government and Governor Gavin Newsom stated that there was no imminent threat to the state.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is tasked with coordinating efforts to protect World Cup host stadiums. The Trump administration has invested more than $1 billion, including $625 million that FEMA delivered in late March, after months of delay, to host cities “to strengthen security preparations for the tournament,” FEMA said in a brief statement sent to EL PAÍS.
“They will be able to use these funds to carry out critical security preparations and activities, such as training and drills, personnel background checks, and cybersecurity defense, as well as to reinforce police presence and emergency response capacity at FIFA venues, hotels, and transportation hubs,” the agency added.
One of the agencies that will participate in the surveillance operation, the Los Angeles Police, told this outlet that it could not reveal what measures they will take during the World Cup. Department spokeswoman Norma Cervantes emphasized: “We will have sufficient deployment and preparation,” dispelling previous doubts about the level of readiness for the planet’s biggest sporting event.
