Bay Area World Cup matches attract over 400,000 to Santa Clara stadium, FIFA says
Despite earlier backlash over high ticket prices at the 2026 World Cup, FIFA officials said more than 400,000 attended the six matches held in the San Francisco Bay Area, with the stadium in Santa Clara being nearly 100% sold out.
On Thursday, hours after the final match featuring the U.S. Men's National Team and Bosnia-Herzegovina, organizers said the total attendance was 411,345 at Levi's Stadium. The venue had been temporarily renamed "San Francisco Bay Area Stadium" for sponsorship reasons.
"The spectacular stadium, normally home to the NFL's San Francisco 49ers, was close to a sell-out for every game, with an average 68,558 spectators and 99.6% of capacity taken up across the six matches – numbers which illustrated the huge appeal of the tournament and the teams," FIFA said in a statement.
Ten nations played at the stadium over 19 days, beginning with a June 13 match between Qatar and Switzerland. FIFA said the match, a 1-1 draw, drew 67,966 fans.
On June 16, 68,527 fans were on hand at the Santa Clara stadium to see Austria defeat Jordan 3-1. The game was Austria's first appearance in the World Cup in 28 years, while Jordan made its first ever appearance in the tournament.
Three days later, a sold-out crowd of 68,827 witnessed Paraguay defeating Türkiye 1-0, with Matías Galarza scoring a goal 64 seconds into the match.
On June 22, Algeria defeated Jordan 2-1 in front of a crowd of 68,371 spectators. The match was Algeria's first-ever come-from-behind victory at the World Cup.
The final group stage match at the Santa Clara stadium was held on June 25, as Paraguay and Australia battled to a goalless draw in front of a sellout crowd of 68,827.
On Wednesday, the Bay Area concluded its run as a World Cup host with a thrilling Round of 32 match in which the USMNT defeated Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 in front of a sold-out crowd. Officials said 68,827 fans were on hand to witness the Americans first knockout stage win since 2002.
The matches in Santa Clara are the second time the Bay Area has played host to the World Cup, with the old Stanford Stadium hosting six matches in the 1994 tournament. Stanford also hosted a semifinal of the 1999 Women's World Cup, in which the U.S. Women's National Team defeated Brazil on their way to their second championship.
