From the Super Bowl LX to the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, Santa Clara’s Levi’s Stadium continues to stage some of the world’s largest sporting events. 

When it comes to Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara resident Ellie Aceves expresses her gratitude for living six minutes from the stadium, but emphasizes the disruption sporting events cause for her club soccer team and neighborhood.

“When it’s an event day, [residents] have to have a certain pass and drive through a gated portion of the stadium [and] it takes longer to get to your destinations,” Aceves said.

Aceves’s club soccer team, Santa Clara Sporting, has a field next to Levi’s Stadium and have to facilitate on-site access for visiting teams since roads are usually shut down on gameday to ensure safety. The home staff has to provide mandatory field passes to opponents on game day to ensure on-field access.

“We had to have our club send out passes for each game to the players that play for the club, and then to the players who were traveling in to play,” Aceves said. “We then have to print them out to give them to every single police officer who  was holding off traffic.”

For Aceves, living within walking distance of the stadium offers distinct residential advantages. She enjoys having the ability to walk home after a concert, not having to pay for parking, and she loves listening to the energy on gamedays at Levi’s Stadium. 

“The Super Bowl was exciting because we could see the planes flying over the stadium, and we could hear the fireworks,” Aceves said. “We could feel the vibe and the entertainment happening.”

Given experience gained from hosting Super Bowl LX, Aceves expresses hope that Santa Clara will assert more control over city traffic management when the 2026 FIFA World Cup is held. 

“I plan on not leaving my house or driving to a different city. I feel like there’s no way for you to go out and try and get dinner. It’s a disaster,” Aceves said.

Daniel Kim is attending the 2026 FIFA World Cup with his family to watch the United States versus Paraguay on June 12 at SoFi Stadium. Kim is an avid watcher of the World Cup. Kim believes bringing the 2026 FIFA World Cup to the Bay Area could help soccer continue to grow in popularity. 

“This is going to be a huge event, and people that don’t even play are gonna be like, ‘Oh, this is kind of interesting,’” Kim said. “ A lot of people are going to be tuning in, and the soccer fans are going to watch with their friends and family.” 

Kim has high expectations that even though it will be populated, the atmosphere will be unlike anything he has experienced before. 

“I’m probably most excited to see the fan base and huge crowds celebrating.” Kim said.” As well as seeing the high-quality players.” 

Junior Geovana Da Silva Batista, who attended Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium, mentioned that the massive crowds and energy made a lasting impression on her. Originally from Brazil, Da Silva Batista compared the excitement to a major soccer team’s matches at the Clube de Regatas do Flamengo.

“[The Super Bowl] was incredible,” Da Silva Batista said. “The vibe there reminded me of Brazil because everybody was super happy and excited.”

Da Silva Batista said the event also helped Santa Clara’s local businesses. Her stepfather owns a taco restaurant, and she noticed a huge increase in customers after the game. 

Although she praised Levi’s Stadium for organizing such a large event, Da Silva Batista agrees with Aceves that crowds can still become very overwhelming.

“There were too many people. Even though there were people guiding us, there were not enough of them because crowds are overwhelming,” Da Silva Batista said. 

As the city of Santa Clara prepares for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, fans and residents are expecting the city to transform into an international sport destination once again. Yet some worry about the packed neighborhoods and preparation.

“I feel [the City of Santa Clara] definitely needs to do a better job of letting the community know, so that they can plan accordingly.” Aceves said. “Maybe a newsletter that’s sent out regarding every month and what events are going to be happening at the stadium.”