#13 Los Angeles
▶ RÉSUMÉ: Annual events include the college football Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential (since 1916) and Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk (2021); PGA Tour Genesis Invitational (1926); IndyCar Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach (since 2009); and LPGA JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro (2023). Other recent events: 2017 NHL All-Star Game; 2017 NWSL Draft; 2018 NBA All-Star Game; 2019 MLS Board of Governors meeting; 2021 MLS All-Star Game; 2022-24 NASCAR Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum; Super Bowl LVI; 2022 Call of Duty League Championship; 2022 and 2023 NCAA Men’s Water Polo Championships; 2022 MLB All-Star Game and Draft; 2023 College Football Championship Game; 2023 USA Water Polo Men’s and Women’s World Cup; WrestleMania 39; 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup; 2023 HSBC LA Sevens; and 2023 USA Track & Field LA Grand Prix.
▶ RECENT WINS: Next week’s NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Regionals; 2024 Copa América; 2024 and 2026 NCAA National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Championships; 2024 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Regionals and Women’s Water Polo Championship; 2026 FIFA World Cup (eight matches, including a quarterfinal); 2027 NFL Super Bowl; and 2028 Summer Olympic Games.
▶ NEW: Before all spotlights turn toward L.A.’s preparations to bring the World Cup, Super Bowl LXI and the 2028 Summer Olympics to town, the area’s newest event-hosting asset — the soon-to-open $2 billion Intuit Dome — will host the 2026 NBA AllStar Game.
▶ FORWARD PROGRESS: Los Angeles International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world, is undergoing a nearly $20 billion makeover. Additionally, an $8.2 billion expansion of the Los Angeles Metro is adding nine miles of track and seven stations anticipated to connect more than 150,000 riders daily from venues at UCLA, including the Olympic Village, directly with downtown. Two hotels are being built downtown and eight are in the final planning stages. Based on data from the 2016 and 2008 Summer Games, visitors could see the city’s average daily hotel room rate triple during the 2028 Games.
▶ STAY AND PLAY: Package a game at Dodger Stadium with a trip to Pote Field in Griffith Park (the youth baseball field in “Jerry Maguire”), or head to Dogtown, an area that spans Venice Beach and Ocean Park, the birthplace of modern skateboarding.