FIFA Chief Infantino Hails World Cup in Los Angeles, Warns of “Happy Barbarians” Fan Influx

The president of world football’s governing body FIFA, Gianni Infantino, has described the upcoming World Cup in Los Angeles as a historic global gathering and warned the city to prepare for an overwhelming influx of international fans, whom he jokingly referred to as “happy barbarians.”

Speaking at a high-profile launch event at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Tuesday, Infantino said the city would become one of the central stages of the tournament as excitement builds for the opening matches of the expanded 48-team competition.
 

The 2026 tournament, jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, is set to begin with the opening match in Mexico City on Thursday, followed by the first match on US soil in Los Angeles on Friday. Infantino said the scale of the event would turn host cities into global cultural hubs filled with supporters from nearly every part of the world.
 

“You will be invaded,” Infantino told the crowd during the ceremony. “You will be invaded by a horde of barbarians. But it’s happy barbarians, don’t worry,” he added, using a lighthearted tone to describe the expected arrival of travelling fans.
 

The FIFA president said the tournament would transform Los Angeles into a sea of national colours, with supporters of all ages arriving in jerseys, flags, and painted faces. He emphasized that the event would go beyond sport, promoting unity and shared celebration among nations.

“This is not just a World Cup. This will be the biggest and greatest FIFA World Cup in history,” Infantino said, highlighting the unprecedented scale of the expanded competition, which will feature 48 national teams and a total of 104 matches across North America.
 

Los Angeles is scheduled to host eight matches during the tournament, along with multiple fan festivals and designated fan zones across the region. Infantino praised local organisers and described the city as a global entertainment capital capable of hosting large-scale international events.
 

The US men’s national team is set to begin its campaign at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood against Paraguay, with additional opening ceremony celebrations expected to feature major international music performances.
 

Infantino also compared the tournament’s scale to “104 Super Bowls” in terms of total events and match-day energy spread across multiple countries over more than a month of competition.
 

With anticipation rising ahead of kickoff, officials expect millions of visitors and billions of global viewers as the World Cup returns to North America in its largest-ever format.