When billionaire owner Stan Kroenke moved his Rams NFL franchise from St Louis to Los Angeles at a cost of $1.5bn in 2016, it seemingly wasn’t enough. So what do you get the man who has everything?
How about the most expensive stadium on the planet, built with a 4K HDR infinity screen and 260 luxury suites, to the tune of a cool $5.5bn in Los Angeles? Yes, that’ll do.
This Sunday, the stunning SoFi Stadium in Hollywood Park, Inglewood, will host Super Bowl LVI between hometown Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals in the Greatest Show on Earth’s most luxurious setting to date.
Site of the old Hollywood Park racetrack, the 70,000-capacity – theoretically expandable to 100,000 – arena opened in September 2020 and hosts both the Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers in the NFL.
This state-of-the-art complex – which will be the venue for games at the 2026 FIFA World Cup and will also host the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles – also has a 2.5-acre covered outdoor plaza, a 6,000-seat performance venue and a 25-acre community park.
You want more gargantuan monetary sums? OK, so the cheapest ticket available for this Sunday’s clash is reportedly at a price of $4,900. The most expensive? A ticket in a top VIP suite will cost you just $100,000.
The SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles is the most expensive stadium on the planet and will host Super Bowl LVI this Sunday
The $5.5billion masterpiece opened in September 2020 and is situated in Hollywood Park, Inglewood, California
The 70,000 – expandable up to 100,000 – stadium plays host to both the Rams and the also newly-relocated LA Chargers
The stadium’s main feature is the exquisite 4K HDR infinity screen video board suspended from the roof above the pitch
There are 260 luxury suites inside the stadium, with a ticket in a top VIP suite for Sunday costing cost you around $100,000
Sunday’s game at the state-of-the-art complex hosts the first Super Bowl in LA for 29 years, 18 months after its opening
The stadium, designed by architecture firm HKS, houses the stadium itself, the performance venue and a pedestrian plaza.
As well as the translucent canopy roof, the Infinity Screen by Samsung is similar to the video board at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, but is the first of its kind as a double-sided 4K HDR video board, – originally called the Oculus.
The structure weighs 2.2million pounds and displays 80 million pixels, also housing the 260-speaker audio system and 56 5G wireless antennas.
SoFi is supported by 37 colossal columns, with the roof providing protection from rain (albeit rare) yet it still has an open-air feel to it, with the roof not touching any of the stadium walls.
Yet it is the actual landscape in which the arena has been crafted which has provided a terrific opportunity for the community, with the stadium alongside significant public space as part of a larger 400-acre mixed-use redevelopment plan which will eventually include offices, retail, hotels and housing.
It was January 2016 when the NFL approved 77-year-old Kroenke’s proposal, triggering the Rams’ controversial relocation from St Louis to Los Angeles and by August 2019, the stadium was 75 per cent complete.
Yet due to the coronavirus pandemic, the stadium opened in September 2020 behind closed doors, having cost $5.5billion.
For context, the second most expensive stadium in the world is the new Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas – which plays host to the Raiders – at a cost of $1.9bn.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 8, 2020 was held, with Kroenke present, while its first NFL event was the Rams playing host to the Dallas Cowboys five days later.
In fact, it took until May 2021 for fans to attend, for a Major League Rugby match between LA Giltinis and Utah Warriors, when just 4,880 were present.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 8, 2020 was held, with Rams and Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke (centre) present
The stadium opened in time for the 2020 NFL season but unfortunately no fans were present due to Covid restrictions
Yet that has changed this year with 70,000+ spectators attending, including the NFC Championship game on January 30
The actual landscape houses the stadium and public space as part of a larger 400-acre mixed-use redevelopment plan
The home team locker room, usually home to the Rams, will host the designated home team the Bengals this weekend
A view at the bar in one of 260 luxury suites situated at the stadium in California, which will host games at the 2026 World Cup
Yet from this NFL season onwards, fans have been in attendance up to capacities of 70,000, to see the Rams – coached by Sean McVay – impressively reach a Super Bowl in their own city, with the NFL’s newest arena the first stadium to host a conference championship game and the Super Bowl in the same year.
In fact, this season’s Super Bowl is the first in the Los Angeles in 29 years, since Super Bowl XXVII in 1993, at the Rose Bowl – which also hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup final.
Despite the housing of two franchises though, the SoFi Stadium has this season earned an unusual reputation for catering for more away fans than home fans.
Another angle of a premium area inside the SoFi Stadium, with restaurants, lounges and bars part of the entertainment value
The suites for this year’s Super Bowl come with a double bed too, as well as ample space for guests to congregate
Spectators have been attending this season for the first time, though home fans are often outnumbered by away fans
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford points up to the video board after sealing his place in this year’s showpiece NFL contest
That’s because the core fanbase for both the Rams and Chargers are not in Los Angeles, due to the recent relocations. As such, thousands of supporters have seen the opportunity to watch their team at America’s newest stunning stadium as an away supporter, usually surrounded by likeminded hardcore fans.
This Sunday’s finale is the second Super Bowl running where a team has played in its home stadium, after 54 seasons where the showpiece stadium never played as host to its own franchise.
Last year, Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers won Super Bowl LV in the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, with the Rams led by quarterback Matthew Stafford looking for a case of deja vu this year.
This Sunday’s finale is the second Super Bowl running where a team has played in its home stadium, after the Bucs last year
Controversial owner Kroenke (right), with head coach Sean McVay (centre) after last week’s NFC Championship Game
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