{"id":826015,"date":"2026-05-27T17:55:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T17:55:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/826015\/"},"modified":"2026-05-27T17:55:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T17:55:22","slug":"koreatown-gears-up-for-massive-fifa-world-cup-watch-parties-next-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/826015\/","title":{"rendered":"Koreatown gears up for massive FIFA World Cup watch parties next month"},"content":{"rendered":"

The story<\/a> first appeared on The LA Local<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Koreatown is preparing for major 2026 FIFA World Cup watch parties next month<\/a>, with thousands of fans expected to cheer on South Korea during three of its group stage matches.<\/p>\n

As excitement builds around the World Cup, concerns remain about possible federal immigration enforcement during the international event.<\/p>\n

The three watch parties are scheduled for June 11 and June 24 at Liberty Park and June 18 at Seoul International Park, which organizers expect to draw thousands of attendees.<\/p>\n

Keep up with LAist.<\/p>\n

If you’re enjoying this article, you’ll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less. <\/p>\n

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass attempted to reassure any concerns about federal raids Tuesday while promoting the watch parties.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI want folks to know that the World Cup is going to be peaceful,\u201d Bass said during a press conference at Liberty Park. \u201cWith this administration, I can tell you the best that I know at this hour. So with that in mind, I do not believe that ICE will be at any of the watch parties.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bass could not give a firm guarantee that immigration enforcement would not take place during the tournament.<\/p>\n

At a media roundtable on Thursday, Bass said federal law enforcement would have a visible presence around World Cup events and venues.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe events will be safe, because these are international events. And so it\u2019s not just going to be LAPD, it\u2019s going to be a lot of other local law enforcement agencies as well as federal support,\u201d she said. \u201cSo in some instances, especially near the venues, you will have federal presence, not ICE, probably the National Guard, but they will be here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bass said she feels confident there will not be ICE raids during the World Cup matches in Los Angeles, because President Donald Trump and his administration do not want the games to project chaos on the international stage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think during these games \u2026 the last concern will be security, because you\u2019ll see an overwhelming force of security. We just have to get our people to not be fearful that there will be ICE raids that happen,\u201d she said about the World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHe doesn\u2019t want the world to see chaos on our streets. He really doesn\u2019t. And that\u2019s why I feel confident that we will not have ICE raids,\u201d she said about Trump.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bass added Tuesday that she believes ICE would be present in Inglewood during the World Cup to \u201clook for people who might be on the no-fly list.\u201d<\/p>\n

Where to watch the World Cup in Koreatown<\/p>\n

Viewing parties for South Korea\u2019s June 11 opener against the Czech Republic and its June 24 match against South Africa will be held at Liberty Park in Koreatown, with programming beginning at 2 p.m. for both events.<\/p>\n

The June 18 match against Mexico will take place at Seoul International Park and is expected to draw the largest crowds. Organizers say programming for that event will begin at 10 a.m. and continue throughout the day, with the match livestream beginning at 6 p.m.<\/p>\n

Each event will feature large outdoor viewing areas with giant LED screens, live cheering squads and a main stage with K-pop performances, taekwondo demonstrations, traditional Korean performances, ballet and other entertainment throughout the day.<\/p>\n

Organizers are also planning mini soccer games, face painting, photo booths and other family-friendly activities. Food trucks and vendors will line the festival grounds, and a separate senior area is being planned so older attendees can participate safely alongside younger fans.<\/p>\n

Young-wan Kim, consul general of South Korea in Los Angeles, said the World Cup carries deep emotional significance for many in the community because of memories from South Korea\u2019s historic 2002 World Cup run.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an opportunity for us to demonstrate our strengths and our unity and our solidarity,\u201d Kim said. \u201cI hope our celebration of unity goes beyond our community, bringing all races, all people with different backgrounds together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Viewing party organizers are working with the Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles Fire Department, private security teams, medical staff and city officials to prepare for the large crowds, said Duha Hwang with marketing agency and organizer Advue.<\/p>\n

He added that organizers already have insurance coverage and safety measures in place for the events.<\/p>\n

The watch parties are being organized by the Korean American Federation of Los Angeles, the L.A. Korean Festival Foundation, the Korean American Chamber of Commerce and more groups.<\/p>\n

The first 1,000 attendees at each match will receive free \u201cRed Devils\u201d shirts and cheering items. The \u201cRed Devils,\u201d the official supporters group for South Korea\u2019s national soccer team, became a defining image of the 2002 World Cup, when massive crowds dressed in red packed streets across the country to cheer on the team during its historic run to the semifinals \u2014 still the furthest an Asian men\u2019s national team has ever advanced in the tournament.<\/p>\n

Hwang said organizers hope to recreate some of that atmosphere in Koreatown.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe believe this event is becoming something much bigger than a traditional Korean community gathering,\u201d Hwang said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The story first appeared on The LA Local. Koreatown is preparing for major 2026 FIFA World Cup watch…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":826016,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5123],"tags":[1582,276,6061,31956,176900,2961,224,5337,339228,339229],"class_list":["post-826015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-ca","tag-california","tag-fifa-world-cup","tag-koreatown","tag-ktown","tag-la","tag-los-angeles","tag-losangeles","tag-world-cup-events","tag-world-cup-watch-parties"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116647829917669883","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/826015","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=826015"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/826015\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/826016"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=826015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=826015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=826015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}