The opening game of the FIFA World Cup set down for Friday at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles is under threat after 96 percent of the 2,000 workers at the venue voted to strike over pay, conditions and fears attending ICE agents could upset sensitive staff.
The union UNITE HERE Local 11 represents concession workers at the stadium and they have been in a fight with venue operators Legends Global addressing a host of demands, and see a strike as the only path to a resolution.
Sofi Stadium workers, including cooks, bartenders, dishwashers, servers and cashiers, protest ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Inglewood, California, on May 18, 2026. Members of UNITE HERE Local 11 fear ICE agents could enter their workplace during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP via Getty Images)
In a press release issued Friday night, the union said: “SoFi Stadium cashiers, dishwashers, cooks, bartenders, concessions workers, and food attendants have voted 96 per cent in favor of authorising a strike, meaning workers could walk off the job at any moment if their demands are not met.
“Negotiations are scheduled to continue Monday ahead of the USA vs Paraguay match on June 12th.”
As part of the negotiations, UNITE HERE Local 11 demand FIFA direct both the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol play no role at the World Cup.
The union wants a guarantee no civil immigration enforcement will be enacted.
Talks ended late last week after multiple bargaining sessions failed to yield a compromise.
A union worker holds a soccer ball during a rally outside of SoFi Stadium with California Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer. Steyer joined labor advocates and union workers at SoFi Stadium during a rally ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup to demand investigations into FIFA’s security and worker accreditation policies, while also calling for protections against immigration enforcement at the stadium. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty)
SoFi Stadium is scheduled to host eight FIFA World Cup matches.
The list includes two of the United States’ three group-stage matches and three knockout-stage matches, one of which is a quarterfinal on July 10.
The international competition begins June 11 and includes 78 matches played across the U.S.
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