FIFA chief jokingly warns LA of ‘lucky barbarians’ during World Cup

FIFA President Gianni Infantino warned Los Angeles on Tuesday that it was about to be invaded by football fans from around the world as he helped launch the World Cup festivities at a star-studded kick-off party at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Ahead of this week’s opening matches, Infantino said the city would become a global rallying point during the 48-team tournament, which starts in Mexico City on Thursday. Los Angeles hosts the first American conference. match on Friday.

“You will be attacked,” Infantino told the crowd.

«You will be attacked by a horde of barbarians. But they are happy barbarians, don’t worry.»

The event attracted entertainment and sports figures including actors Will Ferrell and Brendan Hunt, singer Lance Bass, former NBA player Robert Horry and American soccer greats Mia Hamm and Cobi Jones.

Unite the world

Infantino said the tournament would turn Los Angeles and other host cities into a sea of ​​national colors, as fans of all ages arrive in jerseys, flags and face paint.

“Men, women, children, grandparents – it doesn’t matter, they will all have their faces colored with the colors of their country,” he said.

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“They will just want to enjoy themselves and have fun because that is what we want to do with the World Cup – we want to unite the world.”

The tournament, organized by the US, Mexico and Canada, is the first to feature 48 national teams. Infantino said a quarter of the world’s countries would be represented on the field, while billions of others would follow the tournament worldwide.

“This is not just any World Cup,” he said. “This will be the biggest and greatest FIFA World Cup in history.”

Los Angeles in the spotlight

Los Angeles is expected to host eight games, along with fan festivals and ten fan zones throughout the area. Infantino thanked local organizers for hosting the events and said the city’s role reflected its status as «the entertainment capital of the world.»

The US opens its campaign against Paraguay on Friday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood after an opening ceremony with music performances from Katy Perry, Future and Anitta.

Infantino compared the scale of the tournament to hosting “104 Super Bowls” over just over a month, referring to the total number of games in the three host countries.

“For the next month and a half we can call it football or soccer as long as we enjoy it and have fun,” he said.

Published on June 10, 2026