The small Bay Area city hosting the 2026 Super Bowl and FIFA World Cup wants to make an impression as the world watches. That may be difficult when it’s sandwiched between San Francisco to the north and neighboring San Jose to the south with their big budgets and competitive intentions.
Santa Clara is determined not to be overlooked as the host city. It has allocated up to $1 million from its general fund for community events leading up to the games next year. The events include night markets, concerts, three watch parties, an activity at Levi’s Stadium and a STEM Bowl celebrating the city’s technology and scientific innovation. City officials anticipate the events, along with art installations, could cost between $1.2 million and $2.9 million. They plan to cover the remaining costs with sponsorship money.
The funding comes as the city of roughly 128,000 residents prepares to compete with San Jose and San Francisco for the spotlight as the Bay Area takes center stage. The Super Bowl and World Cup are expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors and create about $1 billion in regional revenue. Santa Clara wants a piece of that pie outside of the games, but will have to contend with San Jose’s 100 watch parties, on top of San Francisco’s flag football Pro Bowl Games and concerts.
Residents and officials have mixed feelings about whether Santa Clara can keep up, since most promotional materials only mention the Bay Area.
District 5 Councilmember Suds Jain wants to host events that draw people to Santa Clara’s unique charm. But he’s concerned many of the events won’t happen during the roughly three weeks the city hosts consecutive World Cup games, leading visitors to look elsewhere for entertainment. He said it may be too difficult for the Santa Clara Police Department to provide security at the games and external activities.
“If San Jose is going to have events during those games and Santa Clara is going to have no events… we’re not actually competing,” Jain told San José Spotlight. “We want to have the people who come to Santa Clara (to) have a great experience, so they want to come back.”
The NFL, Bay Area Host Committee and FIFA are still announcing events, and some could be scheduled for Santa Clara. But so far, the city is on its own for planning local festivities. 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.
Santa Clara wants its events to add to the buzz to avoid a repeat of Super Bowl 50 in 2016 — where Santa Clara saw 7% of the $240 million economy boost, San Jose saw 12% and San Francisco took the lion’s share at 57%.
District 3 Councilmember Karen Hardy welcomes a bigger economic boost for the city next year because larger cities easily overshadow Santa Clara. But she said the $1 million in taxpayer money, approved by the City Council Oct. 21, should benefit Santa Clara residents first — especially since most residents can’t afford a $1,000 nosebleed ticket to an early FIFA match.
“This money… was set aside for our residents,” she told San José Spotlight. “If people come to town and are enjoying a part of this (then), ‘Yay, wonderful.'”
She added many residents didn’t feel included in the 2016 festivities, which involved a separate gala and concert.
Tourism nonprofit Discover Santa Clara has been preparing to deliver a memorable experience to residents and visitors alike. President and CEO Christine Lawson said the nonprofit has a comprehensive sales, marketing and public relations strategy that puts Santa Clara in the spotlight. Lawson said she’s excited to show off Santa Clara outside of its reputation as a tech hub, with its diverse culture, shops and food.
“We’re excited to see these plans come to life — they’ll bring incredible energy and pride to the city while creating meaningful experiences for our community,” Lawson told San José Spotlight.Keep our journalism free for everyone!Despite the competition with larger cities, residents are still thrilled the games are coming to their hometown. The city’s event kickoff at the annual Parade of Champions earlier this month saw 17,000 parade participants and attendees, more than years past.
Ana Vargas-Smith, president of the Parade of Champions nonprofit, sits on the Economic Development & Marketing Committee that helped discern the 2026 events. She said the parade’s turnout was fitting for a sports-obsessed city that’s produced dozens of Olympians. She said Santa Clara will have no problem leaving a lasting impression worldwide.
“You can see how devoted the community is to sport,” she told San José Spotlight. “Getting our name out there in relation to this huge sports event is an incredible opportunity to just make it inclusive for everyone.”
Contact Annalise Freimarck at [email protected] or follow @annalise_ellen on X.