Greatest games at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
The site for Super Bowl LX and a venue for the FIFA World Cup 2026, San Francisco Bay Area Stadium has witnessed many a memorable match.
San Francisco Bay Area Stadium is the venue for this year’s Super Bowl
It is also hosting six matches in the FIFA World Cup 2026
Memorable Copa America, Gold Cup and MLS matches have been played there
This year will be one to remember for San Francisco Bay Area Stadium. Not only is it hosting six FIFA World Cup 2026™ matches, but it's also serving as the venue for Super Bowl LX (The National Football League uses Roman numerals to mark Super Bowls) between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks on 8 February to determine the champion of the 2025 NFL season.
Home to the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers, the glittering stadium located at the south end of the Bay Area in northern California has played host to a number of memorable soccer matches since its opening in July 2014.
FIFA looks back on some of the best.
San Francisco Bay Area Stadium might be home to the NFL’s 49ers, but the first game to take place in this venue was a soccer match. On 2 August 2014, a crowd of nearly 49,000 watched on as the San Jose Earthquakes christened the new stadium with a 1-0 victory against the Seattle Sounders in Major League Soccer (MLS) action.
The 2016 Copa America Centenario, which involved all ten teams from CONMEBOL and six from the Concacaf region, saw San Francisco Bay Area Stadium host four matches, including a quarter-final showdown between Chile and Mexico. With an overwhelming pro-Mexico crowd in attendance, the Chileans produced a breathtaking performance and ripped apart the Mexican defence. Eduardo Vargas ran riot scoring four goals, three of them in a five-goal second half barrage from the South Americans, while Edson Puch bagged a brace and Alexis Sanchez tacked on a goal of his own.
Jamaica reached a second straight Gold Cup final thanks to a last-minute winner against Mexico in the semis, paving the way for a decider bout with USA. The two teams went toe-to-toe in the first-ever Gold Cup match held at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, with USA scoring through Jozy Altidore right before half-time. The Reggae Boyz answered early in the second stanza courtesy of Je-Vaughn Watson, and things looked destined for extra time, only for Jordan Morris to strike for the title-clinching goal with minutes to spare.
The Gold Cup returned to San Francisco Bay Area Stadium six years later with invitee Qatar facing a must-win against Concacaf giants Mexico. The AFC side required victory to reach the knockout stage, and after withstanding an early Mexico onslaught, they quieted the heavily partisan Mexico crowd thanks to Hazem Shehata’s piercing header. Still, El Tricolor were constantly knocking on the door in the second half in search of an equaliser, but Carlos Queiroz’s bunch never buckled. Goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham was superb in turning away the Mexican attack to secure the clean-sheet triumph.
Fans decked out in two shades of yellow in the Bay Area were treated to a scintillating Copa America group-stage match-up between five-time world champions Brazil and high-flying Colombia. Things started off with a bang, as Raphinha curled in a left-footed laser from a free-kick right outside the box to hand the Seleção an early lead. The intensity of the affair never lessened, but a winner could not be found as both sides spoiled gilt-edged chances in the final minutes.
San Francisco Bay Area Stadium had proven to be a house of horrors for Mexico, but they righted things in last year’s Gold Cup semi-final against Honduras. After failing to convert an open header right before half-time, Mexico striker Raul Jimenez struck for the game’s lone goal by latching on to a pass from 16-year-old Gilberto Mora and firing home a right-footed strike, earning El Tricolor a spot in the final.
The San Jose Earthquakes’ tradition of playing one match per season in San Francisco Bay Area Stadium saw them take on west coast powerhouse LAFC in a September 2025 contest during the MLS regular season. With nearly 51,000 in attendance, LAFC put on an offensive show, getting a first minute goal from Korea Republic star Son Heungmin and then a hat-trick from Gabon goal-getter Denis Bouanga to double up the ‘Quakes.