Sports Illustrated Built the Soundtrack to a Summer of Soccer
Sports Illustrated turned the summer's biggest tournament into a five-city live events franchise, from the Hollywood Palladium to Cipriani Wall Street, driven by music and connection.
From Nelly commanding the stage at the Hollywood Palladium on opening night to Kaytranada headlining the series' first international stop in Toronto, Sports Illustrated’s Beyond the Pitch has spent the summer redefining what it means to celebrate soccer’s biggest tournament of the year. Spanning the Hollywood Palladium to Cipriani Wall Street, the series bet that fans wanted more from the tournament than a screen, and city after city proved it right.
Sports Illustrated has long been the authority on defining cultural moments, from the athletes making history to the teams lighting up the globe. Beyond the Pitch is what happens when a cultural authority moves from the page to the stage. Produced in partnership with Medium Rare and Authentic Live, the series set out to prove that the summer's biggest tournament deserved more than a watch party.
Five cities. Five headliners. An audience drawn from across sport, entertainment and culture. Sports Illustrated started the party, and New York gets the last dance.
Nelly Headlines Sports Illustrated Beyond the Pitch at the Hollywood Palladium
Sports Illustrated opened Beyond the Pitch on June 12 at the Hollywood Palladium, launching its live event series during the opening weekend of the World Soccer Championship. Presented by Lenovo, the evening introduced the series with a scale befitting its host venue, a Hollywood landmark since 1940.
Kevin Hart hosted the evening before Nelly and DJ duo TWINSICK, led by producers Alex Ingalls and Casey Schneider, took the stage. Nelly's Grammy-winning singles "Hot in Herre," "Dilemma" and "Shake Ya Tailfeather” speak to the artist's cross-generational appeal, and to an audience looking for both spectacle and nostalgia. Following a feel-good, melodic set by TWINSICK, the diamond-certified rapper, delivered a performance that carried the night's energy well past midnight.
Sports Illustrated's star-studded red carpet drew impressive RSVPs from across sport, entertainment and culture. Harry Jowsey, Yung Gravy, Andreina Santos, Joey Zauzig, Kristin Juszczyk, Michael Blackson, Ryan Garcia and Angel McCoughtry joined a crowd of football fans, celebrities and tastemakers, underscoring the platform’s reach beyond the sports page.
Partner activations from Lenovo, Verizon, Champion, Aéropostale and BOSS rounded out the experience, with Verizon, in particular, offering customers a dedicated Fast Pass entry lane throughout the night.
Together, they made Sports Illustrated’s first stop in Los Angeles a memorable event bringing the local community together to celebrate the kickoff of the 2026 World Soccer Championship.
The celebration carried an unmistakable hometown charge, as hours earlier (just ten miles south), Team USA opened its 2026 World Soccer Championship campaign with a resounding 4-1 victory over Paraguay.
The crowd at the Palladium arrived ready to keep the party going. A fitting overture for Beyond the Pitch’s first destination, Los Angeles, set the tone for SI’s next city.
Gordo Headlines Beyond the Pitch at SILO Dallas
For its Texas stop, Sports Illustrated traded the Hollywood marquee for something rawer. Beyond the Pitch arrived on June 20 at SILO Dallas. With the sporting world's attention fixed on Texas, SI turned the venue into a destination of its own for tournament week.
Guatemalan-American producer Gordo headlined the evening with a set that moved through house and techno, a signature sound he has refined after building his name in festival trap, showcasing the range of the Beyond the Pitch series.
The custom stage designs and visual striking backdrops only raised the stakes. Dallas is hosting nine 2026 World Soccer Championship matches, more than any other city in the tournament, including a semifinal, and Gordo's set arrived in the thick of the group stage with supporters from around the world filling the city.
The Chainsmokers Headline SI Beyond the Pitch at DAER in Miami
Sports Illustrated closed out June in Miami, Florida, bringing Beyond the Pitch to DAER at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on June 26, the night before Colombia met Portugal in one of the group stage's most anticipated fixtures at Hard Rock Stadium. The timing gave the evening a distinctly international pulse, with supporters from across South America and Europe already descending into the city. Beyond the Pitch offered locals and fans a place to gather before the main event.
Grammy-award-winning duo The Chainsmokers, led by Drew Taggart and Alex Pall, entertained a packed floor through the night
The series' partners built out the experience around them, including Nautica, which hosted a 360-degree photo experience that sent guests home with a shareable piece of the night.
Beyond the Pitch operating at full strength: a global act, a marquee sports weekend and a partner ecosystem that turned a single night into an immersive brand experience only Sports Illustrated could convene.
Kaytranada Headlines Sports Illustrated Beyond the Pitch TORONTO
On July 2, Sports Illustrated's Beyond the Pitch became a global series. The Toronto stop, produced in partnership with Municipal Goods Group and Ninety9 Entertainment, marked the first time the tour crossed a border, and SI chose its ground with precision. FYE Ultra Club, the venue that opened last fall as Canada's first Ultraclub, sits on the same Exhibition Place grounds as the stadium where Toronto hosted its lone knockout match of the 2026 World Soccer Championship that very evening.
When the final whistle blew a short walk away, Beyond the Pitch gave troves of fans a reason to stay right where they were.
Kaytranada headlined the night, a booking that gave the international debut a Canadian signature. The Grammy and Juno Award-winning producer glided between hip-hop, house and R&B, a sound with no fixed address for an equally diverse crowd.
His brother Lou Phelps and Los Angeles-based DJ Chantel Jeffries joined him, rounding out the experience.
50 Cent and Diplo TO Headline Cipriani Wall Street
The final stop is New York City, and Sports Illustrated is closing the series the only way it knows how. On July 18, the night before the World Soccer Championship Final at MetLife Stadium, 50 Cent and Diplo are taking the stage at Cipriani Wall Street for the Beyond the Pitch finale over championship weekend in a city that never needs an excuse to celebrate.
Brand partners Marriott Bonvoy, BetMGM, BOSS, Velocity Black and Verizon will be on the ground for what promises to be the defining night of the summer.
Tickets are now available on Sports Illustrated’s website. Save the date and RSVP here.