HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Just five months ago, Levi’s Stadium was covered in confetti after the Seattle Seahawks won Super Bowl 60.
Now, the stadium is preparing to host five group-stage matches and a Round of 32 knockout game during the 2026 World Cup.
It’s the realization of a long-shot goal for [2026 Games Committee](https://www.svcentralchamber.com/where-do-you-fit-in/games-committee/) co-chair Kevin Moore, a Chaminade graduate.
“I remember years ago, I was talking about to people, we’re gonna get a World Cup and they said you’re crazy,” Moore told Hawaii News Now. “We’ve gotten two Super Bowls, the Premier Super Bowl 50 and Premier Super Bowl 60.”
The stadium has been outfitted with a FIFA-standard field as excitement builds in Santa Clara — especially among younger fans.
“The kids get to meet some of these celebrities and it kind of gives them something to look up to and to root for,” Moore said.
Moore said the World Cup matches also align with his youth sports initiative. He helped develop multiple youth soccer pitches just minutes from the stadium.
“It was actually there before the stadium,” Moore said. “So it’s really exciting for the kids. They’re playing right next to all these wonderful fields that are state of the art, and right next to them will be the World Cup.”
Moore was instrumental in helping Santa Clara build the facilities now set to host the global tournament. He wrote one of his first letters advocating for Levi’s Stadium while still in Hawaiʻi as a multi-sport athlete at Chaminade.
“When I was on the basketball team and cross country, most of the people were from America, and some from the islands, of course,” Moore said. “Soccer brought something out at Chaminade. We’re one of the most multicultural schools in the country, but boy, on the soccer team, it was everything and I learned some customs.”
As the world turns its attention to the pitch, Moore said he still can’t believe a single letter helped set a course for the World Cup to come to Santa Clara.
“Did I think we were gonna get a World Cup? I was hoping, but it’s a tough thing to do,” Moore said. “It’s just amazing to see dreams come true and a lot of those things were thought about looking out at the water there, writing a letter saying, hey, we have the infrastructure.”
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