WITH MAJOR SPORTS EVENTS bringing worldwide attention to Silicon Valley in 2026, San Jose is preparing to host a global audience and dazzle its residents.
City leaders are pulling out all the stops to ensure San Jose get the recognition and economic benefits as it hosts a slate of sports events, including the Super Bowl 60, NCAA March Madness and FIFA World Cup. City leaders and event organizers launched a website Thursday for visitors and residents to navigate the action. It’s San Jose’s latest effort to build fan momentum in the South Bay.
“We’ll be on the center stage and we will remind visitors that the Bay Area is the greatest place in the world,” Mayor Matt Mahan said at a press conference Thursday.
Mahan said this is the first time one metro area has hosted the Super Bowl and World Cup in the same year, so they’re expecting half a million visitors. The series of events will officially kick off this November, with the National Women’s Soccer League Championships hosted at PayPal Park.
When Levi’s Stadium hosted Super Bowl 50 in 2016, reports found the Bay Area saw a $240 million boost to the local economy — San Jose, however, only saw 12% of those economic benefits, while 57% went to San Francisco. Santa Clara, where the stadium is located, only saw 7% of the benefits.
The stakes are higher this time around, and city officials don’t want lose out. San Jose leaders have gone all out to make sure the city capitalizes on this rare 2026 opportunity.
“We are going to do things differently this time,” Mahan said. “Not that we did anything wrong last time, but we believe we have more to offer and we can take better advantage of these big events.”
Watch parties, concerts, events citywide
John Poch, San Jose Sports Authority executive director, said teams participating in major events will be flying into San Jose Mineta International Airport, staying in downtown San Jose and practicing at local stadiums, including Paypal Park and San Jose State University.
The San Jose City Council saw a presentation with planning updates Tuesday. It includes more than 100 watch parties, 13 concerts with national headliners and 13 after dark light shows. Most will be at downtown venues.
So far, the city has been focusing on events in and around downtown neighborhoods, but councilmembers are interested in bringing the festivities to neighborhoods in other districts. A memo from Councilmembers Pamela Campos, Domingo Candelas, David Cohen and Bien Doan ask for more information on how much the city is investing to support events happening in other neighborhoods.
Cohen represents the North San Jose neighborhoods closest to Levi’s Stadium. He wants to have more conversations about supporting those small businesses near the stadium. He said the city could support neighborhood events by promoting them.
“It does make sense that we want to attract people downtown,” Cohen told San José Spotlight. “The purpose of our memo on Tuesday was just to reinforce that there are other places in the city with people who would enjoy attending events related to the Super Bowl and particularly the World Cup, and we want to make sure the city doesn’t neglect to consider that in the strategy.”
Mahan said it would be too big a task for the city to have a hand in every event, but encouraged community groups and businesses to host events in their neighborhoods to continue festivities.
A primer in party etiquette
Bay Area Host Committee CEO and President Zaileen Janmohamed said the host committee published a playbook with guidelines for local businesses and community groups hoping to organize their own events.
The city has been sprucing up its downtown for the past year in preparation for the crowds, with improved signage and more public art. The San Jose Downtown Association unveiled its first “stitching districts” project along Santa Clara Street earlier this month, with 17 projects along the four-block stretch between Market and Fourth streets.
“San Jose is a fantastic partner and has really come to the table with us to ensure we create unforgettable experiences for the fans and the community.”
Zaileen Janmohamed, Bay Area Host Committee
Janmohamed said they’ve been in regular contact with San Jose representatives to plan fan events in the city, and that city officials have been adding engagement opportunities in addition to host committee plans.
“San Jose is a fantastic partner and has really come to the table with us to ensure we create unforgettable experiences for the fans and the community,” Janmohamed told San José Spotlight.
Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at sakura@sanjosespotlight.com or @SakuCannestra on X.
This story originally appeared in San Jose Spotlight.
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