COLUMBUS — Ohio’s first shot at hosting Olympic competition will come with the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

The Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games announced on Tuesday that Columbus will host soccer matches for the Summer Games.

Select men’s and women’s group stage games will be held at Lower.com Field, the home of the Columbus Crew. The stadium opened in 2021 and seats more than 20,000.

The five other cities chosen to host group stage soccer games are New York, Nashville, St. Louis, San Diego and San Jose.

The Rose Bowl in Pasadena will host knockout and medal games.

The tournament organizers have said that the match schedule will see teams eventually flow from east to west as the tournament advances, so theoretically Columbus will be used for games very early in the tournament.

The first ticket drop is planned in April. Los Angeles and Oklahoma City (softball) locals are being given the first shot at tickets but that does not appear to be the case with the soccer games.

The women’s tournament will feature 16 teams, while the men’s U23 tournament will feature 12 teams. The complete schedule will be revealed at a later date.

The LA Olympic Games dates are July 14 to July 30, 2028.

Ohio’s previous stabs at luring the games here came with a failed bid by Cincinnati in 2012 and Cleveland in 1916 and 1920. The popular myth that Cleveland Municipal Stadium was built to attract the 1932 Games was false as Los Angeles was chosen in 1923 before ground was broken on Municipal Stadium.