The rumors seem to be coming true. A few weeks after reports came out that UCLA is looking to move to Sofi Stadium. This morning the news dropped that it looks like UCLA will indeed make that move. Putting them 14 miles closer to campus. In hopes that attendance will rise and traffic will be better.
Breaking: the deal is near finalized for #UCLA football to play its home games in SoFi Stadium. https://t.co/8CzztxVoGn
— Bruin Report Online (@BruinReport) November 9, 2025
Over the years, UCLA has struggled with attendance at football games. They have had trouble filling the Rose Bowl and bringing home fans. With most of the fans being away fans. Just looking at last night, the game looked like a Nebraska home game. So, UCLA will look to capitalize on the move and get back to trying to fill the stadium again in a new area.
Nebraska fans have taken over the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena. pic.twitter.com/KMGPEqPIN8
— Sean Callahan (@Sean_Callahan) November 9, 2025
The move is not widely viewed as a positive amongst diehard fans. The Rose Bowl is an historic stadium. It sits nestled between the San Gabriel mountains, and the tailgating is a top-notch experience. One thing that is taken for granted as well is it features Bermuda grass. Moving to Sofi stadium they will now be playing on turf, which is riskier for injuries.
Problems with the Rose Bowl (in a #UCLA football context):
— Gavin Carlson (@GavinCarlson_) November 9, 2025
- far from campus
- too many seats to fill
- old (but renovations are scheduled)
SoFi Stadium solves exactly ZERO of these issues. Still far, still huge. Still gonna be empty seats.
And now we don't get to see this 💔 pic.twitter.com/35h3M9SnXb
UCLA has the fans; it’s a matter of investing into the football program. Ever since the Jim Mora days. There has not been an emphasis on building up the football team. There are no top recruiting classes anymore, transfers are tough to get with NIL needs, and the program seems bland. There needs to be a renewed energy in winning again.
That is going to start with hiring a head coach that is going to get out and recruit players. This is California, Southern California at that. There is so much to love about the area. That recruits should be coming here again. We have seen it before, and it can happen again. It doesn’t need to be a move from the Rose Bowl to SoFi.
An average attendance of 76,000, a top 10 recruiting class that included Eddie Vanderdoes and double digit winning seasons. UCLA needs to think outside the box like they did with Jim Mora Jr. One that people questioned if he could go from NFL to college. https://t.co/9BJ4vWYTOv
— Go Joe Bruin (@GoJoeBruinUCLA) November 1, 2025
It needs to be giving fans hope and a reason to attend again. People spend money to attend games, and they block out their entire day. Over time if you are not going to reward them. They are going to find alternatives to do. When you live in California, there are a lot of them. The power grab will push more fans away, and it is the ones that stuck through the team even when they were losing.