How Engineers Built SoFi Stadium 100 Feet Below Ground

In Inglewood, California, engineers built one of the most advanced stadiums in the world: SoFi Stadium. But the most important part of the project was not the roof, the field, or the massive Infinity Screen. It was the decision to go down. Because of height constraints near Los Angeles International Airport and the engineering demands of Southern California, SoFi Stadium was built as a deeply embedded venue, with its event level pushed far below grade. Before the stadium could rise, crews had to excavate a massive engineered bowl, stabilize the ground, build retaining systems, foundations, seismic separation details, and then construct the concrete seating bowl from the bottom up. Only after that could the roof sequence begin. The stadium’s sweeping ETFE canopy is supported by a huge cable-net roof system, carried by a massive steel compression ring and perimeter supports. Once the roof structure was ready, crews installed the translucent panels that give SoFi its open-air California identity. Then came one of the most complex interior lifts: the suspended oval Infinity Screen above the field. This documentary-style construction breakdown follows the full sequence behind SoFi Stadium: Site preparation Massive excavation Retaining walls and seismic separation Below-grade concrete bowl Perimeter columns and compression ring Cable-net roof tensioning ETFE canopy installation Infinity Screen lift Interior systems, seats, and field Hollywood Park landscape Commissioning and final reveal SoFi Stadium is located in Inglewood, California, and seats approximately 70,000 people, expandable up to 100,000 for major events. Its roof uses a large ETFE canopy supported by a cable-net structure, making the stadium feel open to the air while still protected by a massive roof system. This is the hidden engineering story behind SoFi Stadium — a stadium that looks effortless because the hardest work is buried below the ground. Subscribe for more mega-project, construction, and engineering documentaries. #SoFiStadium #MegaProject #Engineering #Construction #StadiumConstruction #CivilEngineering #inglewood