Got World Cup Tickets? What to Know About Getting to a Match in Santa Clara

The Bay Area’s public transit agencies are rolling out extended schedules to accommodate night games that are likely to end around midnight, discounted multi-day fare passes and increased service to make sure fans are able to get to and from games.

So whether you’re a Bay Area local who’s snagged World Cup tickets or you’re visiting our region from out of town, consider leaving your car — and definitely that vuvuzela — at home and keep reading for how to get to and from Levi’s Stadium on public transit. (And if you’re really determined to drive there, we’ve got information on where to find parking at Levi’s Stadium, too.)

Jump straight to:

• Can I still get tickets to World Cup matches in Santa Clara?
• How can I get home from World Cup night games on public transit? 
• What’s the parking situation at Levi’s Stadium?

What matches are being played at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium (Levi’s Stadium)

There are six World Cup matches at Levi’s Stadium: five “group stage matches and one “Round of 32” match.

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.

Levi’s Stadium will then 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.

Can I still get World Cup tickets for the Santa Clara matches this month?

Yes, at the time of publication, some tickets were still available — but that might change. Check out FIFA’s ticket portal, which includes last-minute sales and verified resales. You can also look for tickets on a verified resale website, such as Ticketmaster or StubHub.

We recommend reading our guide on how to avoid World Cup resale ticket scams first, though.

How many people are expected to come to the Bay Area for the World Cup?

The Bay Area Host Committee, which plans for major events like Super Bowl LX and the upcoming 2028 Summer Olympics, is expecting 260,000 visitors from outside the Bay Area over the course of the region’s World Cup matches — according to Zaileen Janmohamed, the host committee’s CEO and president.

Compared to Super Bowl LX, which Levi’s Stadium hosted in February, the World Cup’s Bay Area engagements are longer and more spread out, with fan-related activities and experiences spanning multiple locations and weeks.

“From a transit perspective, that means planning for repeated waves of movement across counties, venues, hotels and neighborhoods,” Janmohamed said — “for both local fans and a higher percentage of global visitors navigating the Bay Area for the first time.”

This is the first time one region has hosted both the Super Bowl and the World Cup in the same year, Janmohamed said.

How do I get to Levi’s Stadium using public transportation?

There are three transit agencies that will get you to the front door of Levi’s Stadium: Capitol Corridor, ACE Rail and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority or VTA. And if you aren’t close to one of their stops, there are multiple ways to transfer to them from other transit agencies.

Here are the agencies that are changing their service schedules to accommodate World Cup fans.

VTA

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority provides bus, light rail and paratransit services in Santa Clara County.

Great America, Alum Rock and Lick Mill are the VTA stations closest to Levi’s Stadium.

For information on fares, inter-agency transfers and where to park at VTA stations, check out the agency’s World Cup page.

VTA is expecting to carry as many as 15,000 people in and out of each match at Levi’s Stadium, according to Stacey Hendler Ross, the agency’s public information officer.

Hendler Ross said the agency will be adjusting routes to accommodate an expected increase in local riders heading to the stadium. For instance, the blue line will now additionally serve Levi’s Stadium for World Cup matches, instead of traveling straight to its scheduled stop in Bay Point.

The agency planned to finalize its route changes by Wednesday and said it’ll let riders know by email, SMS and VTA’s service updates on the social media platform X. Sign up for route change updates for each match here.

“We are hoping to put out a lot of messaging about that so that people know that the service plan is going to be a little bit different than it is for every day,” Hendler Ross said.

For late-night games, Hendler Ross said VTA will guarantee service for up to about two hours after the end of each match.

“ If there are still hundreds of people on the platform two hours after the game, obviously we’re going to continue our service to get people where they need to go,” Hendler Ross said.

Hendler Ross also recommends using the Transit app for trip planning.

Learn more about paying for VTA rides.

ACE Rail

ACE Rail connects Central Valley communities with the East and South Bay Area.

The agency is planning additional services for three World Cup matches. Take a look at the ACE Rail schedule. 

Learn more about paying for ACE Rail here.

Capitol Corridor

The Capitol Corridor connects the Sacramento area with the Bay Area by train, taking passengers from as far away as Rocklin and Auburn directly to Levi’s Stadium. The railway also provides easy transfers to BART and VTA.

Capitol Corridor is planning special match day service for five of the latest matches at Levi’s. The agency has a World Cup page including service adjustments.

For evening and night games, Capitol Corridor will time its final departure from Levi’s Stadium to 15 minutes after the match is expected to end, according to Rob Padgette, the managing director of Capitol Corridor.

That means if you are taking Capitol Corridor to the game, you’ll want to leave the stadium right after the match ends to ensure you catch your train home.

Padgette also suggests riders buy their ticket in advance to make sure they get a seat. “ Because we expect a lot of fans to ride, we’re going to cap the number of sales on the train,” Padgette said.

Learn more about paying for Capitol Corridor rides here.

Caltrain

Caltrain connects Santa Clara County to San Francisco by rail, passing through Silicon Valley, Stanford and San Mateo County on the way.

If you plan to take Caltrain to Levi’s Stadium, get off at the Mountain View station and transfer to VTA’s Orange Line and ride that to Alum Rock station. VTA recommends entering and exiting the stadium through Gate A to get back to the Orange Line.

The agency is planning its regular half-hourly service for World Cup matches, with additional trains on top of that, Caltrain public information officer Dan Lieberman said.

“We’re going to have one or two scheduled additional post-game trains for each match, while also keeping an additional train on standby if crowds necessitate it,” Lieberman said.

Lieberman said Caltrain will publish specific service plans for each match online soon.

Learn more about paying for Caltrain fares.

BART

Bay Area Rapid Transit serves five Bay Area counties, connecting a wide swath of the East Bay with San Francisco and the South Bay.

To get to Levi’s Stadium, BART recommends riders take its Green or Orange Line (labeled “Berryessa” or “OAK/Berryessa”) to Milpitas Station and use the pedestrian bridge to transfer to VTA’s Orange Line and then get off at Lick Mill Station. To get back to VTA after the match, follow “Gate F” signs while exiting the stadium.

The last scheduled BART train that stops at all stations systemwide leaves Milpitas at 11:53 p.m., heading towards the East Bay and San Francisco. But the agency is adding special limited-express service after midnight for matches that start at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Those trains will generally depart Milpitas every 30 minutes between 12:30 a.m. and 1:40 a.m., depending on how long it takes to clear the stadium and timed transfers with VTA.

Riders taking these special limited-express service trains should note that the trains will not stop at all BART stations. Instead, they’ll l only serve the following BART stations:

• Bay Fair
• Dublin
• MacArthur
• El Cerrito del Norte
• Pleasant Hill
• Powell Street

So if you plan to drive to a BART station and park your car, make sure you park at one of those stations to avoid getting stranded carless.

Find more details about special service on BART’s World Cup page.

Learn more about BART fares here.

Muni 

Muni is the public transit agency serving the city of San Francisco.

To get to Levi’s Stadium, riders can take Muni routes like the 30 Stockton bus, 45 Union/Stockton bus and the T Third Street train and transfer to either BART or Caltrain and then transfer to VTA.

The agency is planning additional bus shuttle service for nighttime World Cup matches.

The shuttle will operate between Union Square, the SoMa neighborhood, the Powell Street BART station and Caltrain’s Fourth and King Station, using the 45 Union/Stockton route. The shuttle will operate as late as 3:15 a.m., depending on the day. Check here for specific shuttle times.

Learn more about Muni fares.

How do I pay for public transit to get to World Cup matches at Levi’s Stadium?

There are a number of different ways to pay your fare.

Tap to pay with a chip-enabled credit or debit card

Most transit agencies that will get you to Levi’s Stadium accept chip-enabled credit or debit cards as a form of payment. Just tap your card on the card reader as you enter a station or board a vehicle, and in some cases, tap when you exit.

Two exceptions to know: Capitol Corridor accepts tap to pay, but it requires registration ahead of time. ACE Rail does not accept tap to pay.

Clipper

Most Bay Area transit agencies accept Clipper, a fare payment platform for public transit. You can use Clipper by either purchasing a physical card for $3 at a ticket vending machine (located at many BART, Muni and Caltrain stations) and pre-loading money onto it, or by downloading the app and pre-loading money that way — through which you can also tap using your phone by transferring your Clipper card to your Apple or Google Wallet.

Look up Clipper card sales and service locations.

ACE Rail and Capitol Corridor trains do not accept Clipper as a form of payment.

Token Transit

VTA is offering one-day, three-day, five-day and seven-day adult passes via the Token Transit app. The agency is also offering a joint VTA/Caltrain Adult one-day pass that includes unlimited transfers within VTA, valid for World Cup match days only.

Read more about paying for VTA.

Cash

VTA buses only accept exact fare, while light rail ticket machines accept cash or card.

Cash fareboxes are located at the front of each Muni bus or train. Use exact change and keep your transfer as proof of payment.

BART trains don’t accept cash, but you can pay with cash on BART by using the add value machines located inside every station to purchase or reload a plastic Clipper Card.

Caltrain has ticket vending machines at every station that accept coins and bills.

Capitol Corridor riders can use cash to pay for a ticket directly from a conductor on board a train.

ACE Rail accepts cash for ticket purchases at staffed locations.

What if I want to drive and park my car at Levi’s Stadium?

Parking at Levi’s Stadium must be purchased in advance, and only one parking pass may be purchased per World Cup match ticket. Check out FIFA’s official parking page. 

You can also park at a VTA station, a Caltrain station or a BART station and ride public transit to Levi’s Stadium from there.

Remember: If you are taking BART to a night game, make sure you park at one of the stations that will be available by BART’s limited express service (Bay Fair, Dublin, MacArthur, El Cerrito del Norte, Pleasant Hill and Powell Street stations).

Can I get to Levi’s Stadium using a ride-hailing app like Uber, Lyft or Waymo?

Yes, but according to the FIFA website, there will be “geofenced” rideshare stops for pickup starting one hour after kick-off — that is, you’ll have to meet your rideshare at a designated location at Levi’s Stadium.

Rideshare North (Red Lot 7) covers northbound rides to San Francisco and Rideshare South (Freedom Circle) covers southbound rides to San José.

FIFA advises that World Cup guests leaving from Gates A, E and F will be directed to Rideshare North Red Lot 7. Guests leaving from Gates B or C will be directed to Rideshare South on Freedom Circle.

Autonomous vehicles like Waymo are not allowed into the rideshare lots at Levi’s Stadium.

What about people with mobility needs?

FIFA said accessible pickup and drop-off points for fans are located on Patrick Henry Drive.

Accessible parking is also offered to fans via the Official FIFA World Cup 2026 Parking Page.

The association said guests with mobility needs who use rideshare should use the Rideshare North lot and be shuttled to the Stadium Plaza drop-off.

Check out FIFA’s accessibility page here.