Meeting_Body
SPECIAL BOARD MEETING
SEPTEMBER 16, 2026
Subject
SUBJECT: 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP DEBRIEF
Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE AND FILE a report on the 2026 FIFA World Cup debrief.
Issue
ISSUE
LA County hosted eight matches as part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Metro, as the “Official Public Transit Provider” had a critical part in safely transporting fans around Southern California. To better understand the successes and where Metro can make improvements, Metro staff and a consultant team analyzed performance, customer surveys, and interviewed internal and external stakeholders and partners. This report covers the results.
Background
BACKGROUND
Metro served as the “Official Public Transit Provider” and a “2026 Los Angeles World Cup Host City Supporter” charged with transporting fans during each of the eight tournament games. To achieve this without impacting existing riders, Metro developed and operated a coordinated World Cup Games Enhanced Transit Service (WCGETS) consisting of 300 buses operating on 15 routes originating from transit hubs and temporary park-and-ride locations.
The comprehensive effort was organized through three portfolios, Service, Access, and Experience, covering 16 cross-functional work streams addressing every stage of a fan’s journey experience. These teams managed everything from service planning, security, and station activations to fare payment, wayfinding, signage, accessibility, heat mitigation, and employee deployment.
Following the tournament, an after-action review combined operating data, workstream performance, customer survey results, stakeholder interviews, and internal feedback to assess successes and identify improvements for future mega-events. A total of 9,535 survey responses were received from QR codes at WCGETS hubs and on vehicles, social media ads, Metro App, and intercept surveys at SoFi Stadium and local events. Work stream data can be found in Attachment A.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
Metro successfully delivered the World Cup transportation program while maintaining regular transit operations. The program demonstrated Metro’s ability to coordinate at a regional scale, launching 15 WCGETS hubs in collaboration with 13 regional transportation partners (RTPs).
WCGETS recorded 212,865 passenger trips across the eight World Cup games held in Inglewood. On average, Metro transported approximately 20% of World Cup match attendees. Customer response was strong: 91% of WCGETS riders and 89% of Metro Bus/Rail riders were satisfied with their experience, and 93% of WCGETS riders said they would be likely to use a similar direct-service option for the 2028 Games.
Media perception was positive and noted Metro and regional transit as a driver of success and a key part of the fan experience. RTP feedback highlighted strong regional coordination, effective in-person tabletop exercises and dry runs, unified marketing and branding, and a well-designed customer experience.
Service Portfolio
The service portfolio focuses on the core transit operations and fleet performance. Operating outcomes were highly reliable, ensuring no trips were missed due to mechanical issues, and no passengers were left behind.
Service Portfolio Key Successes:
• Transported 31,536 riders on peak match day
• Zero missed trips or traffic incidents
• Zero safety incidents. 96% customer satisfaction with perceived safety
• 100% fleet availability
• 94% customer satisfaction with comfort of buses
• 91% customer satisfaction with WCGETS travel times
• 96% customer satisfaction with parking at WCGETS hubs
Service Portfolio Opportunities for Improvement
The following list of improvements for the Service portfolio is derived from customer surveys, interviews with Metro staff and regional partners, as well as from operational observations and analysis:
• Dedicated bus lanes
• Increased shuttle frequency
• Lower parking prices
Access Portfolio
The access portfolio covers the entire navigation and entry experience, from initial trip planning to fare collection. Systemwide deployments significantly improved overall ease of use for a global audience. Contactless payment, which allows customers to pay their fare by tapping a credit or debit card at validators, was successfully deployed system-wide on time, and the new Official Metro App, which improved trip-planning, was introduced in May ahead of the World Cup. Additionally, awareness of Metro’s World Cup service among non-riders reached 43%, significantly exceeding the 20% target.
Access Portfolio Key Successes:
• 95% customer satisfaction with customer service/support and support received during the World Cup
• 96% customer satisfaction with ease of fare payment for WCGETS trips
• 91% customer satisfaction with comfort while waiting for a WCGETS bus
• 94% customer satisfaction with ease of wayfinding from WCGETS drop-off to the game
• 96% customer satisfaction with ease of trip planning during the World Cup
• 2,500+ accessibility assistance interactions; 85% customer satisfaction with accessibility for riders with disabilities for the WCGETS service
Access Portfolio Opportunities for Improvement:
The following list of improvements for the Access portfolio is derived from customer surveys, interviews with Metro staff and regional partners, as well as from operational observations and analysis:
• Greater education around fare payment options
• Improve fare payment capabilities for groups
• Temporary seating in queue area for riders with accessibility needs
Experience Portfolio
The experience portfolio captures the human element of the program, centering on customer care, fan engagement, and staff presence. Thousands of frontline shifts ensured a comfortable and welcoming environment.
Experience Portfolio Key Successes:
• 1,551 MVPs deployed across 3,960 shifts
• 97% customer satisfaction with Metro staff interactions
• 92% customer satisfaction with heat/sun protection
• 99% customer satisfaction with station experience on activation days
• 90% customer satisfaction with Fan Zone entertainment
Experience Portfolio Opportunities for Improvement
The following list of improvements for the Experience portfolio is derived from customer surveys, interviews with Metro staff and regional partners, as well as from operational observations and analysis:
• Improved staff education on fare payment and wayfinding around the location
• More shade structures in waiting areas
Lasting Impacts of the World Cup
• The successful launch of contactless payments allowed 72% of WCGETS riders to pay directly via contactless credit or debit cards. This new system saw strong initial adoption and sustained post-event activity, with 1% of game-day credit/debit users and 15.6% of commemorative TAP cards remaining active by making 3 or more trips on Metro in the 45 days following the tournament. While this data reflects clear, ongoing account and card activity across the network, it tracks overall TAP card or contactless payment usage and does not distinguish between entirely new riders and pre-existing customers.
Key Lessons from the FIFA World Cup that can be applied for the 2028 Games
• The after-action review found that the overall World Cup operating model worked well. The primary objective for the 2028 Games is to institutionalize the successful practices that supported World Cup delivery while reducing the amount of extraordinary individual effort required. The key notes listed below are derived from internal staff and external partner interviews.
• Develop dedicated Olympic and Paralympic staffing models, contractor plans, volunteer programs, and workforce resiliency measures to support long-duration events without disrupting regular transit service.
• Retain high-level executive readiness reviews while sharpening the focus on decision-making and reducing duplicative reporting and meeting burdens.
• Broaden regional partner and frontline staff participation in tabletop exercises, simulations, dry runs, and field testing.
• Plan customer information, wayfinding, accessibility, fare payment, and real-time support as one integrated service-delivery system supporting both spectators and existing riders.
• Bring local and state partners, Regional Transit Providers (RTPs), venue operators, and public safety agencies into the program early to manage the Games through shared responsibilities and joint readiness validation.
• Expand Emergency Operations Center (EOC) staffing and training, venue-level coordination, video sharing, real-time dashboards, and integrated C4I capabilities.
• Establish long-lead procurement strategies, prequalified vendor pools, and fleet or facility readiness plans early enough to support mobilization and practice.
• Continue cross-department collaboration to ensure all Metro departments are working as one.
• Expand mega-event shuttle framework to accommodate the significantly larger audience and widespread venues of the Games.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup demonstrated that Metro can successfully deliver a complex mega-event transportation program through strong collaboration, regional partnership, field testing, customer-focused planning, and extraordinary employee commitment. The focus for the Games should be to preserve those strengths while improving the systems, governance, planning discipline, and resource model needed to make the approach repeatable and scalable.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
Metro was committed to ensuring equitable access through universal design practices for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Mega event planning and delivery focused on maintaining reliable access for Metro’s existing customer base while introducing enhancements that could provide lasting benefits beyond the World Cup. As part of these efforts, Metro implemented mobility enhancements to ensure that every fan, regardless of ability, enjoyed a dignified, barrier-free journey, accommodating people with strollers and disabilities, as well as seniors.
These efforts included ADA drop-off areas, enhanced wayfinding and signage, heat mitigation, seamless fare payment methods, and expanded accessibility assistance. Metro introduced Waymap, an accessible wayfinding mobile app that provides personalized indoor and outdoor navigation and supports people who are blind or have low vision. Waymap was introduced at six (6) stations prior to the World Cup as a legacy accessibility tool, and will be rolled out system-wide as funding is secured.
Metro also advanced broader neuro-accessibility efforts, including the development of neuro-calming pods at key stations to provide quieter, more supportive spaces for neurodivergent customers and others who may experience sensory sensitivities.
Additional accessibility initiatives included courtesy wheelchair transportation at key stations, dedicated accessibility assistance teams, as well as a collaboration with Access Services to provide specialized transportation for individuals with disabilities. These initiatives reflect Metro’s dedication to inclusivity and equitable transportation solutions.
Vehicle_Miles_Traveled_Outcome
VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED OUTCOME
VMT and VMT per capita in Los Angeles County are lower than national averages, the lowest in the SCAG region, and on the lower end of VMT per capita statewide, with these declining VMT trends due in part to Metro’s significant investment in rail and bus transit.* Metro’s Board-adopted VMT reduction targets align with California’s statewide climate goals, including achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. To ensure continued progress, all Board items are assessed for their potential impact on VMT.
Metro’s World Cup contributed to further reductions in VMT. This item supported Metro’s systemwide strategy to reduce VMT through planning and operational activities that will benefit and further encourage transit ridership, ridesharing, and active transportation. Metro’s work to support the World Cup matches in Los Angeles focused on getting spectators to and from events using transit rather than driving alone. Metro’s Board-adopted VMT reduction targets were designed to build on the success of existing investments, and this item aligns with those objectives.
*Based on population estimates from the United States Census and VMT estimates from Caltrans’ Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) data between 2001-2019.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
The recommendation supports strategic plan goals:
Goal #1: Provide high-quality mobility options that enable people to spend less time traveling. Metro’s WCGETS service provided high-quality bus service to transport fans directly from 15 locations in Los Angeles and Orange Counties to SoFi Stadium. This service will serve as a model for future mega-events in the Los Angeles region.
Goal #4: Transform LA County through regional collaboration and national leadership
The WCGETS service was delivered in partnership with 12 Regional Transportation Providers (RTPs), bridging municipal boundaries to provide seamless regional connectivity for the World Cup. Pooling vehicles and staff across municipal borders, built trust, deepened inter-agency relationships, and established a collaborative foundation to support future mega-events in the Los Angeles region.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Metro will take the best practices and lessons learned from the FIFA World Cup and apply them to transportation planning for future mega-events. The agency is actively planning for Super Bowl LXI (2027) and the Olympic and Paralympic Games (2028), which will build on established RTP partnerships and scale up the mega-event service model used successfully for the World Cup to meet the larger venue and audience demands.
Attachments
ATTACHMENT
Attachment A - FIFA World Cup 2026: Work Stream Success Summary
Prepared_by
Prepared by:
Chris Reyes, Senior Director, Operations Support, (213) 926-7349
Puja Thomas-Patel, Senior Manager, Transportation Planning, (213) 997- 1858
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by:
Conan Cheung, Chief Operations Officer and Chief of World Cup Delivery, (213) 418-3034
Jennifer Vides, Chief Customer Experience Officer, (213) 922-4060
