Don’t Wait for the World Cup. Bay Area Soccer Is Already Here

In just three months, the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup will hold its first match in the Bay Area.

California officials say they expect the six total games scheduled at Levi’s Stadium to bring 260,000 visitors — and an estimated economic impact of $555 million — to the Bay. But while the tournament may promise to put the region at the center of global soccer, many residents know: the sport already thrives here year-round.

And it’s not just at the pro level. While the region’s two top division teams, San José Earthquakes and Bay FC, fill up PayPal Park with tens of thousands of fans, fields across the region are packed on any given weekend with local teams and their devoted fans, reflecting a soccer culture that long predates the World Cup’s arrival.

So if you won’t be making it to the big matches, soccer fans — or anyone curious about the sport and the community around it — can still find plenty of Bay Area teams to root for. Keep reading to learn more about just some of these soccer teams that proudly represent our region.

Oakland Roots

Where else could you see E-40 perform at a soccer halftime show than in Oakland? The Bay Area hip-hop legend played some of his biggest hits to thousands of fans at Saturday’s home opener for the Oakland Roots at the Coliseum.

The club — playing since 2019 and currently competing in the men’s USL Championship league — clinched its second victory of the season with a 2-1 win against New Mexico United.

And fans savored the victory, with the excitement from the crowd walking to BART from the Coliseum reminiscent of what it felt like after a Raiders or A’s game.

“It’s good for us to have some sports here again,” Oakland resident Tatiana Wells said before the game. While she did not play soccer growing up, she said that the sport finally caught her attention when the Roots proudly claimed the Town.

Her recommendation to other Oaklanders? “Start following soccer and follow our local club!”

Oakland Soul

In 2023, the Roots launched Oakland Soul, currently competing in the women’s USL W League.

The team finished second in its division last year — just shy of making it to the playoffs — and will play its season opener against Marin FC Sirens at Merritt College on May 10 (that’s right, on 510 Day).

“At an Oakland Soul game, you see so many families coming out because they want to enjoy the sunshine on a Sunday afternoon,” said Tommy Hodul, vice president of public relations for the Roots and Soul. “And it’s a beautiful experience.”

Thanks to USL W league rules, Soul can build their roster with student athletes from the Bay Area’s universities.

That gives local players a big opportunity to develop their talent before going pro. Santa Clara-raised Shae Murison became Soul’s top scorer last season and is now set to join the Utah Royals FC in the National Women’s Soccer League.

San Francisco City FC

Have you seen folks walking around with a soccer jersey that boldly features the Muni logo?

That’s the jersey for San Francisco City FC, which plays in the semi-professional men’s USL League Two. Most players are students at nearby universities — cheered on by an extensive network of supporters that resembles what you’d see in Latin American and European clubs.

Filmmaker Daniel Díaz moved to San Francisco from London five years ago and wanted to find a club that he could build a relationship with, like what he already has with his favorite British team, Tottenham Hotspur. Back in London, Díaz and other Tottenham fans fill up the stadium singing, “When the Spurs go marching in,” to the tune of “When the Saints Go Marching In.”

“I think the moment that really tugged on my heartstrings was hearing San Francisco City fans singing their song, ‘When the fog comes rolling in,’” Díaz said. “That was the moment I knew that this is my club, that I’m in the right place.”

Outside the field, San Francisco City fans are particularly creative in building community. Their jerseys each year feature San Francisco landmarks beloved by locals: Sutro Tower, the Japantown Peace Pagoda and the parrots of Telegraph Hill. The club has even organized several pub crawls with the city’s Municipal Transportation Agency.

This season, Díaz and other fans are producing a film that looks at the team’s fight for Kezar Stadium as city officials plan to give a new team almost exclusive rights to that field. You can watch a preview of the film at FÚTBOL ON FILM at San Francisco’s Roxie Theater on March 29.

“We’re encouraging people to bring banners, flags and scarves, and also wear their football shirts with their favorite teams,” Díaz said. “We want people to feel that energy that you feel in the stadium inside the Roxie Theater.”

San Francisco City FC’s season opener against San Juan SC is scheduled for May 3 at Kezar Stadium.

Afghan Premier FC

For more than 30 years, Afghan Premier Football Club has developed soccer talent in Fremont — home to one of the largest Afghan communities in the nation.

“Fremont was the hub for Afghan refugees in the late ’80s and early ’90s,” said Afghan Premier FC coach Musa Mojaddedi, who first joined the team as a player more than two decades ago. “There were even parts of Fremont known as ‘Little Kabul.’”

Among the Afghan families settling down in the East Bay, there were also young men who loved soccer and wanted to keep playing in their new home.

That’s how Afghan Premier FC — then known as Afghan Soccer Club — was born in 1991. The team travelled extensively around the world playing against other clubs in the Afghan diaspora, but it wouldn’t be until 2024 that Afghan Premier FC joined a semi-professional league in California.

“The team is not just open to Afghan players,” Mojaddedi said. “It’s open to diversity, no matter your race, culture, background, or religion.”

Last year, the team joined the League for Clubs — and while Mojaddedi is excited about playing against teams from all over the state, he points out that the team relies heavily on their community to survive. “We try to raise funds from local sponsors as much as we can, from donations, from friends, family,” he said, “because most players are college students.”

Afghan Premier’s home field is at Fremont’s Ohlone College and while their league’s season has begun, the team has postponed their games till the first week of April to accommodate the players observing the holy month of Ramadan. The date of this year’s first home game will be announced on their social media.

El Farolito SC

If this team’s name sounds familiar to you, that’s because, yes: it’s named after the longstanding San Francisco-based taquería chain El Farolito.

The restaurant’s founder, Salvador López, started the team back in 1985, and players sport a bright yellow and blue soccer kit — the same color palette you’ll see in any of the El Farolito taquerías. The team competes in the semi-professional National Premier Soccer League and features many players with previous experience at the professional level in Latin America.

“The people who are behind the taquerías and everybody who’s part of the soccer team, we’re a big family,” said Santiago López, who now leads the team after his father’s passing in 2021. “We have a big responsibility representing this name and the Mission District.”

El Farolito made it all the way to the NPSL National Championship final last year but lost 3-2 to Hickory FC from North Carolina. But López is confident in his team, which has also won its conference title four years in a row.

“We’re not a club that just wants to sit in the same spot and just compete locally,” he said. “Fans might see a new local talent that eventually turns pro.”