Hot sun. Lukewarm draw. Will fans flock to Bay Area’s World Cup opener anyway?
The world’s biggest sporting event is coming to the Bay Area.
But will it be a big draw?
That’s the question for the Bay Area over the next three weeks as the World Cup comes to the U.S. with Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara being among the 16 venues across North America to host games. It’s the first time the World Cup has been on American soil since 1994, with Canada, Mexico and the U.S. splitting host duties in 2026.
The first of six matches at Levi’s Stadium begins at noon Saturday, when Qatar faces Switzerland to kick off action on the San Francisco 49ers’ home field.
What will attendance be like?
FIFA announced the official capacity of Levi’s Stadium — called San Francisco Bay Area Stadium for the event, due to FIFA rules surrounding corporate sponsorship — will be 68,827, but there are reasons why reaching that number for all six games might not be realistic.
Santa Clara didn’t draw any of the blue-blood contenders to win the whole thing. Popular teams like Spain, Argentina, Brazil, England, Germany and France are playing elsewhere. The highest-ranked team, according to FIFA, coming to Levi’s Stadium is Switzerland at No. 19 — and they’re playing Qatar, considered one of the worst teams in the field.
Other teams playing in Santa Clara: Austria, Jordan, Turkey, Paraguay, Algeria and Australia.
There are also questions about travel cost stemming from fuel prices increased because of the war in Iran, and heightened travel restrictions. A referee from Somalia, an Iraqi team official, and fans from Ghana and Morocco have been among the international travelers that have reportedly been unable to enter the United States because of travel bans and visa issues.
All of which likely explains why last-minute tickets have been more affordable than other venues hosting games. Some tickets for Qatar-Switzerland, for example, were available via resale website StubHub as of Friday evening starting near $450, while a group-stage match later this month featuring the U.S. vs. Turkey at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles County ran closer to $1,200.
There’s a chance all those factors lead to underwhelming attendance and fan support at games. That could change, though, if the U.S. wins Group D and plays at Levi’s Stadium in the knockout stage on July 1.
Keeping fans cool
When Levi’s Stadium first opened in 2014 as the new 49ers home venue, a lot was made of the sun scorching the eastern grandstands where the majority of seats are. It was such an issue the team started selling cheap water and worked to schedule early-season home games in prime time to avoid fans having to sit under the direct sun for hours at a time.
The home sideline was initially planned to be on the east side of the field before then-coach Jim Harbaugh’s staff decided to move it to the more shady side before the first season. The 49ers in 2025 wore white uniforms early in the season to combat the heat.
Fortunately, with the games in June, only one of the six World Cup matches scheduled for Levi’s Stadium will be played under a hot afternoon sun. Saturday’s opener between Qatar and Switzerland is a noon kickoff with temperatures forecast to reach the mid-to-high 80s. There’s a chance many fans opt to avoid the heat in the premium club areas with air conditioning rather than sit in their seats.
The remaining five games all start at 5 p.m. or later, including the four other matches in group play, with one game starting at 9 p.m., two at 8 p.m. and another at 7 p.m.
The Round of 32 match on July 1 is scheduled for a 5 p.m. kickoff.
As for the players, FIFA this year has implemented mandatory, three-minute hydration breaks at the midpoint of each half — regardless of temperature conditions.
Will any 49ers be in attendance?
The World Cup is coming during the dead period in the 49ers’ calendar. Coach Kyle Shanahan last week canceled the team’s mandatory minicamp, in part, because of the logistical nightmare of practicing at the team’s next-door facility while World Cup security protocols are in place.
So there’s a chance most players are away from Santa Clara, vacationing or working out before the start of training camp in late July. Additionally, George Kittle’s now famous “Tight End University” event takes place in Nashville from June 23-26, right in the middle of World Cup play.
Still, some 49ers will be working out locally, leaving a chance they stop by to catch international soccer action. And surely some will be there if the U.S. team is playing there in the knockout round, which will be one of the biggest games of the tournament for the home country.
And with the World Cup coming just a few months after Levi’s Stadium hosted Super LX, some of the 49ers’ most famous faces are already well-involved in promoting the tournament, whether they’ll be in the house for soccer action or not. Kittle and teammate Kyle Juszczyk recently appeared in a short promotional video for the Bay Area Host Committee shouting their best synchronized “Goal!” followed by text reading: “Your captains of the Bay are back.”
