The year 2026 is set to be a massive year for both football and soccer in Santa Clara. Levi’s Stadium will host Super Bowl LX in February and six games for the FIFA World Cup next summer, making it the first city to host both events in the same year. “As a resident, I’m extremely proud,” Santa Claran Daniel Huynh tells ABC7 News, exemplifying the excitement that many in the Bay Area feel. The city has made preparations for these games, trying to maximize the revenue they will get and promoting Santa Clara’s cultural reputation.
The NFL chose Santa Clara as the host of the upcoming Super Bowl back in 2023. FIFA chose the United States, Canada, and Mexico for the venue of the upcoming World Cup in 2018, after those countries led a campaign to jointly host the games. Levi’s Stadium will host five group stage matches for the World Cup and one of the matches for the Round of 32.
As large sporting events, the Super Bowl and World Cup have the potential to benefit Santa Clara’s economy, as thousands of football and soccer fans will come to see the game and likely pay for local services while here, thus giving a boost to small businesses. However, the money may not all go to Santa Clara: the last Super Bowl hosted in Levi’s Stadium brought in $240 million to the Bay Area, but only 7% of the money went to Santa Clara while 57% went to San Francisco, according to The San Jose Spotlight. Now, like last time, Santa Clara has to vie for tourists so the city can benefit economically. “We’re not a big city like San Francisco and San Jose, who have put lots of money into these games,” says City Councilmember Raj Chahal. Santa Clara’s Measure J prohibits city funds from being directly spent on the Stadium, and although that “safeguards” the city fund, as Chahal argues, it also “makes more bureaucracy,” as the city cannot simply put taxpayer money towards promoting the Super Bowl.
Even with Measure J, the city has been able to make numerous preparations for the upcoming games. The city council agreed to a deal with the San Francisco 49ers and two other organizations to reimburse the city $6.4 million for hosting the event according to The Spotlight. Additionally, the city is organizing local events related to the Super Bowl and World Cup, such as “watch parties, live concerts, night markets and a STEM Bowl,” according to Santa Clara News Online. Chahal says that these events are beneficial, because “if they attract residents, then they’ll also attract other tourists. That’s what San Francisco and San Jose are doing.” Additionally, Mayor Lisa Gilmor revealed the city’s slogan, “Where the mission meets the moment,” to promote the city’s hosting of the game in her “State of the City” Speech this September.
Chahal also argues that these games may impact Santa Clara’s cultural reputation in the world “When any international event comes, people say, “Oh, Santa Clara!’” notes Chahal. “People think of San Francisco, but when you have our city on the map, that adds value [to the city].” The last time the city hosted the Super Bowl was in 2016 for Super Bowl 50, which was only the second time it was ever hosted in the Bay Area. The last and only time until now that the United States hosted the World Cup was in 1994, 20 years before Levi’s Stadium opened in 2014.
The coinciding of these games in one city in the same year is a golden opportunity for the youth to participate in the neighborhood that is Santa Clara. Students can meet new people at these games, or volunteer for the numerous events the city is holding if they are old enough. Whether your favorite team wins or loses, great events in our community—and maybe in the games themselves—will occur that you won’t forget.
