Culver City to test Pan-African initiative during 2026 World Cup
The programming during the World Cup will serve as a precursor to a potential collaboration between Culver City and several African nations during the 2028 Olympics
Culver City plans to include a program in collaboration with the Afro Village and the Bahati House Sports Lab for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. With eight matches scheduled to take place at SoFi Stadium from June to July, Culver City has curated a series of events throughout the tournament’s duration for fans to enjoy, culminating in a final celebration on July 19 in Downtown Culver City’s Town Plaza.
The World Cup is the most imminent global major sport event before the Olympics in 2028 — presenting a perfect opportunity for organizers to launch concepts and ideas to the public before the Games. Main Street will be closed for the July 19 activities, offering a chance for Afro Village Consortium and the Bahati House Sports Lab to showcase a preview of their interactive and sport-related programming.
The Afro Village Consortium, partnered with the Bahati Foundation, presented their concepts for the Olympics to the city council at their meeting on January 26. As a Pan-African platform created to promote sports, culture, business, and technology for fans and athletes in 2028, the Afro Village approached Culver City with plans to implement their idea at Media Park. The Bahati Foundation, a non-profit established by Rahsaan Bahati — a 10-time U.S. National Champion cyclist — will work to highlight the intersection between sports, technology, and health.
To promote these values, the two organizations plan to establish a Hospitality House, a common practice for the Olympics in which venues are chosen to serve as hubs for athletes, their family members, and fans to socialize and attend live screening events. While Hospitality Houses generally host one nation, the Afro Village hopes to serve the African diaspora and involve multiple nations, estimating the potential participation of six to 12 countries.
Calling the Hospitality House the “African Cultural Pavilion,” the Afro Village along with the Bahati House Sport Lab would be located at Media Park at 9091 Culver Blvd as well as the adjacent parking lot on Canfield Ave. Other pop-ups and activities could potentially take place at Ivy Station on National Boulevard as well. Bahati noted that no permanent structures would be built and the security, and outreach to the African countries would be done by the Afro Village and Bahati Foundation.
Beyond programming focused on exchanging cultures and international sports, these organizations also proposed local initiatives. Rashid Bahati, principal of the Afro Village and father of Rahsaan Bahati, outlined the foundation’s plan to work with the Culver City Unified School District to bring one of their established programs, Motion Equals Healthy, to the children in Culver.
“Let that be a leave-behind program that we offer to Culver City and the Culver City children,” Bahati said during his presentation. “They would be engaged in afterschool programs that would deal with cycling and other sport activities.”
All five council members expressed enthusiastic approval for their plans at the January meeting, looking forward to bringing Culver City into the international spotlight and celebrating diversity.
“Diversity was something I was really concerned [about] as we were having these conversations about the Olympics,” Councilmember Yasmine-Imani McMorrin commented. “I’m excited [that] there will be multiple countries I’ll have the opportunity to partner [with] and be engaged with our community.”
With the 2026 World Cup approaching, the Afro Village Consortium and Bahati Foundation proposed a collaboration with the city to begin marketing and introducing themselves to international and local sport fans.
“By integrating this Community Festival approach, Afro Village + Bahati House Sports Lab will contribute meaningful social value to the Fan Zone,” their proposal for the council meeting on April 27 reads, “Supporting Culver City’s goals around community engagement, youth development, and culturally vibrant public experiences while building early momentum toward LA28.”
The city council, aware of the upcoming two-year mark to the Olympics, is also looking to build up momentum towards the Games, determining that the full council should attend the “Super” Subcommittee meeting currently scheduled to take place on June 9. With 13 commissions and organizations invited to participate in the public meeting, council members hope to provide input and perspective on the citywide undertaking.
“It’s going to be our responsibility,” Vice Mayor Bubba Fish noted, “to deliver these Games in a way that the community wants to see it get done.”
Including the Afro Village and Bahati House Sports Lab in Culver City’s World Cup events could mark the next step towards delivering the 2028 Games for the community.
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