upper waypoint

The South Bay Plays Host to the World Cup

San Jose welcomes visitors for yet another big sporting event in the Bay Area.
Paraguay national football team head coach Gustavo Alfaro walks across the field during an open training session at CEFCU Stadium in San José on June 8, 2026. (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)

Another huge sporting event is here in the Bay Area. The World Cup, with 48 participating countries and 104 matches spread out across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, is underway until the final on July 19. In addition to the six World Cup games at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, free watch parties are on all over the region, and two teams – Paraguay and Australia – are using the Bay Area as their base camps.

KQED reporter Ayah Ali-Ahmad tells us what it’s like on the ground in San Jose, as thousands of visitors come to the Bay Area yet again.


Links:

Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco-Northern California Local.

lower waypoint
next waypoint
Player sponsored by