Bay Area soccer fans have come to accept a tough truth: superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lamine Yamal or James Rodríguez will not be coming to Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup.
But the lack of big names aside, the Bay Area will nonetheless be hosting six games as part of the tournament that stretches across North America starting June 11.
For two weeks in June, eight national teams — Qatar, Switzerland, Austria, Jordan, Türkiye, Paraguay, Algeria and Australia — are scheduled to play at Levi’s Stadium for World Cup group stage matches.
Then, on July 1, the Bay Area will host one match from the knockout stage of the competition.
Which teams play will be decided later based on results from the group stage, but a glance at the tournament rules shows there’s a very small possibility that this game could see the United States face off against a powerhouse team like France, the Netherlands or Argentina.
That’s right: in the unlikely scenario that his team places third in the group phase, Lionel Messi could play a game in Santa Clara. It’s the World Cup — anything can happen.
A silver lining for the Bay Area lineup’s relative lack of star power: While other World Cup host venues have already sold out — with resale tickets for the game between Colombia and Portugal in Miami Gardens surpassing Super Bowl prices — there are still seats available for the matches at Levi’s Stadium.
And if you don’t want to splurge, there are many ways to enjoy the matches remotely.
(Perhaps even with a dance party after the game, since FIFA has once again chosen musical icon Shakira to sing the competition’s official theme song, featuring Nigerian singer Burna Boy.)
Keep reading to learn which World Cup matches are being played in the Bay Area, where you can watch these games surrounded by fans for free and how you can still find World Cup tickets for Levi’s Stadium next month if you’re willing to part with the cash.
The World Cup kicks off in Mexico City on June 11. Then, over the following five weeks, more than 100 games will be played in the major metropolitan areas of the U.S., Mexico and Canada for the following five weeks.
The initial phase of the tournament is known as the group stage, where the 48 participating nations are divided into groups of four. Each team will play one game against the other three members of its group, and the results of these matches determine who passes to the knockout stage.
During the first two weeks of the tournament, Levi’s Stadium will host the following games from groups B, D and J:
Group B: Qatar vs. Switzerland
Saturday, June 13 at 12 p.m.
Group J: Austria vs. Jordan
Tuesday, June 16 at 9 p.m.
Group D: Türkiye vs. Paraguay
Friday, June 19 at 8 p.m.
Group J: Jordan vs. Algeria
Monday, June 22 at 8 p.m.
Group D: Paraguay vs. Australia
Thursday, June 25 at 7 p.m.
Once all teams have played against their fellow group members, the top two performers from each group — along with eight additional third-place teams — advance to the knockout stage.
Levi’s Stadium will host one knockout match:
Top-scoring team from Group D vs. the third-best team from either Group B, E, F, I or J
Wednesday, July 1 at 5 p.m.
The World Cup final will be played on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Buy World Cup ticket to watch in person
If you want to watch one of the matches at Levi’s Stadium in person, you can still buy tickets either on the official FIFA portal (which includes a resale marketplace) or on a verified resale website like Ticketmaster or StubHub.
As of this story’s publishing, prices range from several hundred dollars for nosebleed seats in the upper sideline sections to thousands of dollars for a VIP hospitality experience.
Watch the World Cup remotely at fan events
Don’t want to buy a ticket but still want to feel like you’re close to the action? The Bay Area Host Committee — a nonprofit established by the region’s professional sports teams — has organized “Fan Zones” in multiple cities, including San Francisco, Oakland, Richmond and Redwood City.
According to organizers, Fan Zones are free community watch parties that will feature live matches on giant screens, along with local food vendors. Find the Fan Zone closest to you.
The San José Earthquakes — the Bay Area’s very own Major League Soccer team — will also be hosting family-friendly watch parties for all 104 games in the tournament at San Pedro Square in downtown San José.
And if you want to feel even closer to the players, the Hilton Santa Clara is organizing “The End Zone” — the closest thing fans will see to a tailgate (since informal tailgates are not allowed at Levi’s Stadium) at its parking lot a block down from the stadium.
The End Zone will host fans of all ages during all Bay Area games and will include live DJs and food available for purchase.
Stream World Cup games at home
If you want to watch the game at home with family and friends, World Cup games will be aired live on NBC, Telemundo and Peacock streaming.
Nobody knew which teams would play in Santa Clara till the World Cup Draw last December. FIFA officials, along with the leaders of the three host nations, gathered in Washington, D.C. to assign each participating country to one of the 12 initial groups — through a blind draw in front of the media and a live audience.
Before the draw, organizers had already decided that Levi’s Stadium would host matches from groups B, D and J.
Once the makeup of each group was confirmed, Bay Area fans then learned which teams would get to play in the home of the 49ers.
And don’t expect FIFA officials to grant the Bay Area more games or change which teams will play in Santa Clara.
The tournament’s governing body has stayed firm with its current schedule — even despite recent statements by President Donald Trump discouraging the Iranian soccer team from competing as the war between the U.S. and Iran continues.
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