As Los Angeles prepares to host matches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games, city officials and planners are grappling with a growing concern: extreme heat.

Temperatures have risen to the 90s this March, and according to an article by LAist that cited data from the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, there is only 21% shade cover at noon in urban areas of L.A. County compared to the national average of 27%. 

With the World Cup arriving this summer, concerns about the minimal shade and high temperatures have led the city to make preparations to ensure the incoming flood of fans will be able to handle the heat. Plans are being made to set up pop-up hydration stations and shade structures with the hopes that testing these temporary changes this summer will inform bigger projects to bring more shade to the city for the Olympics in 2028. 

Unlike previous Olympic preparations, which focused heavily on tree planting, current planning emphasizes a more flexible mix of shade solutions. However, many details remain unresolved, and a comprehensive heat mitigation plan for the 2028 Games is not expected until 2027, leaving open questions about how prepared Los Angeles will ultimately be.