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Santa Clara
Nation / PlaceUS

Santa Clara

Silicon Valley city in California; home of Levi's Stadium, a 2026 World Cup host venue.

Santa Clara is a Silicon Valley city south of San Francisco Bay whose Levi's Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers, hosted six 2026 FIFA World Cup matches as the Bay Area's sole designated venue.

Last refreshed: 4 August 2026 · Appears in 2 active topics

Key Question

Why is the 2026 World Cup's Bay Area stadium actually in Santa Clara, not San Francisco?

Timeline for Santa Clara

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Background

Santa Clara is an independent incorporated city in Santa Clara County, at the southern end of San Francisco Bay in Silicon Valley. It was incorporated on 5 July 1852 around Mission Santa Clara de Asis, a Spanish colonial mission founded in 1777 that also gave rise to Santa Clara University, the oldest university in California. The city is a global technology hub, hosting the headquarters of Intel, Nvidia and AMD.

Levi's Stadium, which opened on 17 July 2014 and holds 68,500 spectators, is the home of the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL despite sitting firmly in Santa Clara rather than San Francisco, a distinction local residents guard carefully. It hosted Super Bowl 50 in February 2016.

For the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Levi's Stadium served as the Bay Area's sole venue under the official designation "Bay Area Stadium", hosting six matches across the group stage and a Round of 32 tie. Qatar's captain Boualem Khoukhi scored a stoppage-time equaliser there on 13 June for Qatar's first-ever World Cup point.

Common Questions
Where is Levi's Stadium and why is it not in San Francisco?
Levi's Stadium is in Santa Clara, a separate city in Silicon Valley approximately 45 miles south of San Francisco. Despite being the home of the San Francisco 49ers, the stadium was built in Santa Clara, which offered land, financing, and infrastructure that San Francisco could not match.Source: Wikipedia / Levi's Stadium official
How many World Cup matches does Santa Clara host in 2026?
Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara is hosting 6 matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup: five group-stage games across Groups B, D, and J, plus a Round of 32 match on 1 July 2026.Source: FIFA.com
What is Santa Clara California known for?
Santa Clara is a Silicon Valley city known as the global headquarters of Intel, Nvidia, and AMD, and as the home of Levi's Stadium, where the San Francisco 49ers play. Santa Clara University, the oldest university in California, was founded here on the grounds of a Spanish colonial mission established in 1777.Source: Wikipedia / US Census
What happened at Levi's Stadium during the 2026 World Cup?
Qatar vs Switzerland on 13 June 2026 at Levi's Stadium produced a dramatic 1-1 draw, with Boualem Khoukhi's 94th-minute header earning Qatar their first World Cup point. The match also sparked a row when FIFA withheld the VAR offside graphic, prompting broadcaster Gary Neville to call it "a dictatorship" on live television.Source: Lowdown briefing
Source Material
Levi's Stadium — Official WebsiteSanta Clara, California — Wikipedia