One Million Visits Fuel Downtown San José’s Momentum During the 2026 FIFA World Cup
San Pedro Square emerged as the region’s soccer celebration hub as tournament activity drove strong gains for San José hotels and SJC welcomed more than 500,000 airport passengers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 24, 2026
Media Contact:
Seamus Gann, Acting Chief Communications Officer, Office of Mayor Matt Mahan
SAN JOSÉ, CA - With the final match complete and Spain crowned World Cup champion, San José leaders and business owners are reflecting on six weeks of watch parties, fan activations, and community celebrations that infused energy into neighborhoods across the city.
At the center of the action was San Pedro Square, San José’s official Soccer Celebration Headquarters. Over 39 days, the San Jose Earthquakes hosted watch parties featuring all 104 matches alongside free, family-oriented fun activities that generated one million cumulative visits to the square. The activations created a landmark stretch for the restaurants, bars and small businesses that call the downtown pedestrian district home.
“A million fans, families, and visitors have now experienced our vision for a downtown—and a broader sports and entertainment district—that serves as a destination for the entire region,” said Mayor Matt Mahan. “Over six weeks, San Pedro Square showed what is possible when we bring people together around world-class events: packed sidewalks, thriving small businesses and an energy that could be felt across our city. The World Cup may be over, but the momentum it created—and the opportunity to build on it—is just beginning.”
For many visitors, the World Cup experience began at San José Mineta International Airport (SJC), the closest commercial airport to Levi’s Stadium and a key gateway for teams, dignitaries, FIFA officials and fans traveling to the region.
Throughout the tournament, SJC coordinated 21 official team arrivals and departures, involving nine national teams, including Paraguay, whose players trained at San José State University and stayed at Signia by Hilton San José. The airport also supported arrivals by FIFA executives and international dignitaries, including members of the royal families of Qatar and Jordan.
From June 13 through July 19, more than 500,000 passengers traveled through SJC. Nearly 21,000 passengers departed the day after the United States match at Levi’s Stadium, making it the airport’s busiest departure day of the year. For the United States–Bosnia and Herzegovina match alone, SJC accommodated nearly 200 private aircraft—more than it handled during Super Bowl week earlier in 2026.
As visitors flew, stayed and played in San José, the tournament generated significant demand for the city’s hospitality industry. From June 12 through July 11, San José hotels recorded a 9% year-over-year increase in occupancy, a 17% increase in average daily room rates and a 28% increase in revenue per available room, or RevPAR.
Hotel performance was particularly strong on match days, when RevPAR increased 42.3% compared with the same dates in 2025. The largest gains came as the United States advanced to the Round of 32. On June 30 and July 1, San José hotel occupancy rose 45% and RevPAR increased 108% year over year.
During the week of June 28 through July 4, which included the Round of 32 and Round of 16 knockout matches, San José hotels recorded RevPAR growth of 47%—more than double the 23% average reported across U.S. host-city markets.
“2026 has been a whirlwind of sports excitement and a truly historic year for the City of San José,” said City Manager Jenifer Maguire. “Our collective achievement is possible because of the outstanding contributions of our city departments and so many community partners, such as the San Jose Sports Authority, San Jose Earthquakes, Sharks Sports and Entertainment, Team San José, and many more. It allowed us to showcase our city on the world stage.”
Corporate partners played an important role in bringing San José’s World Cup experience to life. Their support helped ensure that residents and visitors could enjoy free programming, family-friendly activities and memorable celebrations throughout the six-week tournament. The full list of sponsors can be found here.
The success of San José’s 2026 sports events further establishes the city as a year-round sports and entertainment destination.
“Over 700 event days were coordinated and permitted by the City’s special events team in FY 2026,” shared OEDCA Director Jen Baker, “a datapoint that underlines the myriad opportunities for residents to engage with one another, support the business ecosystem, and celebrate our community.”
“The Soccer Celebration Watch Parties demonstrated what makes San José such a special place. More than one million fans and visitors came together to celebrate the world’s biggest sporting event in a safe, welcoming and vibrant community,” said John Poch, Director of the San Jose Sports Authority. “This success was made possible through the extraordinary partnership between the City of San José, Mayor Matt Mahan, the City Council, our corporate sponsors, community partners, public safety teams and countless volunteers who shared a common vision. Together, we didn’t just host World Cup celebrations—we showcased San José to the world as a premier destination for sports, culture and community. The legacy of what we accomplished together will benefit our city for years to come.”
This momentum continues with the City’s current hosting of the 20th annual CrossFit Games, July 22-26, and September 26–27 with Slam José!, a free, two-day community basketball festival at The Plaza in downtown San José. The event will feature competition for players of all ages and skill levels, food, music, local vendors and a $22,500 prize pool for its Pro-Am and wheelchair basketball competitions.
In October, the Rock ‘n’ Roll San José Half Marathon will once again bring runners and spectators into the heart of the city. These signature events complement San José’s growing roster of professional sports organizations, including the San Jose Earthquakes, San Jose Sharks and Bay FC, as well as the city’s newly announced Professional Women’s Hockey League team, which is set to begin play during the 2026–27 season.
Together, these teams and events will help carry the energy of the World Cup forward, support local businesses, and reinforce San José’s reputation as a city where major sporting events and community celebrations come together.
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About the City of San José
With nearly one million residents, San José is the largest city in the Bay Area and one of the nation's most diverse and creative. San José’s transformation into a global innovation center in the heart of Silicon Valley has resulted in the world's greatest concentration of technology talent and development.