LA 2028 Olympic soccer kicks off 4 days early, spreading matches across 7 US cities

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Men's and women's soccer at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will begin four days before the opening ceremony and be played in seven cities around the United States.

The early start, approved by the IOC, allows teams two extra rest days during the tournament compared to previous Olympics. The schedule also includes additional rest days after the group stage and quarterfinals, giving teams time to travel.

The matches will start on July 10, with the group stage and quarterfinals being played in New York, Columbus, Ohio, Nashville, Tennessee, and St. Louis.

The knockout rounds will move to California, taking place in San Jose, San Diego and Pasadena, with the gold medal matches at the historic Rose Bowl. The stadium hosted the 1994 men's World Cup final, the 1999 women's World Cup final and the 1984 Olympic gold-medal match.

New York and Columbus will host nine men's and women's matches on July 10-11, July 13-14 and July 16-17, as well as a men's quarterfinal on July 20. Nashville will also host nine matches, with group-stage games on the same dates and both men’s and women’s quarterfinals on July 20-21.

St. Louis will host eight matches on July 10-17, with a men’s quarterfinal on July 20.

San Jose will host seven matches, including women’s group-stage games on July 11, 14 and 17 and a quarterfinal on July 21.

San Diego will be the site of 11 matches, including women’s group-stage games, a women’s quarterfinal on July 21, men’s and women’s semifinals on July 24–25, and the bronze-medal matches on July 27–28.

The tournament ends at the Rose Bowl, which will host five matches, including a women’s quarterfinal on July 21, men’s and women’s semifinals on July 24–25 and the gold-medal matches on July 28–29.

The complete schedule will be released later this year.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer