{"id":356216,"date":"2026-06-11T13:38:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T13:38:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/356216\/"},"modified":"2026-06-11T13:38:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T13:38:19","slug":"how-fifa-world-cup-has-taken-over-49ers-levis-stadium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/356216\/","title":{"rendered":"How FIFA World Cup has taken over 49ers’ Levi’s Stadium"},"content":{"rendered":"

SANTA CLARA \u2013 Matt Greiner, the 49ers\u2019 ace groundskeeper, meticulously and slowly sprayed white paint on what typically serves as the Niners\u2019 home sideline at Levi\u2019s Stadium<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This time, Wednesday\u2019s work was among the finishing touches for the FIFA World Cup<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Saturday\u2019s noon match between Switzerland and Qatar marks the first of six games<\/a> that will be played on the 49ers\u2019 home field through July 1.<\/p>\n

Only it\u2019s not actually the 49ers\u2019 field. Nor does it seem like their stadium \u2014 or Santa Clara\u2019s. Wednesday\u2019s media tour showed just how extensively this is a FIFA-run show<\/a>, albeit with light collaboration, such as Greiner and his crew setting up the goals on a country-club-like manicured pitch.<\/p>\n

\"MattMatt Greiner, in his 16th year with the 49ers and his third as director of groundskeeping, chalks the field at the Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Wednesday, June 10, 2026. (Shae Hammond\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a FIFA stadium fully for us,\u201d said Jeoen van den Berk, a FIFA communications officer. \u201cIt was handed to us in a clean way. It\u2019s a complete takeover of the stadium.\u201d<\/p>\n

The NFL essentially did the same four months ago in hosting Super Bowl LX. World Cup visitors will see scarce signs of this being the 49ers\u2019 home for the last dozen years.<\/p>\n

Metal fencing, some 20 feet high, surrounds the perimeter while a slew of metal detectors and X-ray machines await those who breach the fortress.<\/p>\n

The stadium\u2019s northeast gates still showcase the statues of Joe Montana and Dwight Clark depicting \u201cThe Catch\u201d that launched the 49ers\u2019 dynasty 44 years ago. Just don\u2019t go looking for the 49ers\u2019 retired numbers and Super Bowl championships atop the west-side\u2019s suite tower, which now reads: \u201cFIFA WORLD CUP 2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Members<\/p>\n

Members of media are guided through a tour San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Wednesday, June 10, 2026. (Shae Hammond\/Bay Area News Group)<\/p>\n

\"San<\/p>\n

San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Wednesday, June 10, 2026. (Shae Hammond\/Bay Area News Group)<\/p>\n

\"Francisco<\/p>\n

Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Wednesday, June 10, 2026. (Shae Hammond\/Bay Area News Group)<\/p>\n

\"FIFA<\/p>\n

FIFA World Cup signs mark the entrances to Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California on June 2, 2026 ahead of the World Cup. (Cam Inman\/Bay Area News Group)<\/p>\n

\"SANTA<\/p>\n

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – MAY 29: A general view of Levi’s Stadium, which for the FIFA World Cup 2026 will be called San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, on May 29, 2026, in Santa Clara, California. The stadium will host six matches for the FIFA World Cup 2026. (Photo by Ezra Shaw\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Levi\u2019s sign is covered at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Wednesday, June 10, 2026. (Shae Hammond\/Bay Area News Group)<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 6<\/p>\n

Members of media are guided through a tour San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Wednesday, June 10, 2026. (Shae Hammond\/Bay Area News Group)<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

FIFA made sure to mask all stadium and team corporate sponsors, as evidenced by white tarps snugly covering the \u201cLevi\u2019s\u201d logos while casting alone \u201cStadium.\u201d<\/p>\n

The field itself is not the same grass the 49ers played on, nor that from the Seattle Seahawks\u2019 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8.<\/p>\n

Like all other 15 stadiums in this World Cup, the \u201cSan Francisco Bay Area Stadium\u201d received a fresh patch of mostly natural grass in March. FIFA noted it\u2019s a hybrid blending Bermuda grass with synthetic fibers.<\/p>\n

To the common fan\u2019s eye, more noticeable is how bloated the field looks (115 yards long by 74.4 yards wide) compared to American football (120 yards long by 53.3 yards wide). That said, multiple soccer games have been held here, including the first-ever event at Levi\u2019s Stadium \u2014 the San Jose Earthquakes\u2019 1-0 win over Seattle in Major League Soccer action on Aug. 2, 2014.<\/p>\n

\"AA view from the press box of Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Wednesday, June 10, 2026. (Shae Hammond\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n

FIFA emphasized that it\u2019s striving for a \u201cfirst-class experience for guests,\u201d and that includes altering a pregame ceremony so everyone in the stands has a 360-degree view of all team members forming a circle at the center of the field for the national anthems.<\/p>\n

VIP guests entering the stadium\u2019s eight-story suite tower will receive a gift and wristband before being escorted to their spots. The third-level lounge, otherwise known as the United Club, is decked out with new tables and chairs. A sensory room has been added to the second level for overstimulated fans who need a calm retreat.<\/p>\n

And for those watching from home or a party, 45 cameras are trained on each stadium, including a high-wired aerial cam, a drone and even a helicopter.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe locker rooms inside the Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Wednesday, June 10, 2026. (Shae Hammond\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n

FIFA\u2019s official broadcast partners will get special access to players post-match in what\u2019s typically the Levi\u2019s Stadium visitors\u2019 locker room. An attached hallway is decked out in murals of previous headliners, from Taylor Swift to Wrestlemania to monster trucks.<\/p>\n

Two new dressing rooms \u2014 about 20% the size of the 49ers\u2019 nearby \u2014 are staged in the stadium\u2019s north side for the World Cup teams.<\/p>\n

Mixed-zone interviews will take place down the hall in what has been the photographers\u2019 work room, and a formal press conference room has been set up for 80 media members.<\/p>\n

Group-stage games will take place here every third day (June 13, 16, 19, 22, and 25) before a July 1 knockout-round game that could feature the United States if it finishes first in Group D.<\/p>\n

Only 24 days later, the stadium will transform back into a concert venue (Ed Sheeran on July 25, AC\/DC on Aug. 5). The 49ers resurface for an Aug. 13 preseason opener and then host their first regular-season game against Miami on Sept. 20, a day after their field fittingly hosts an Earthquakes soccer game against Los Angeles FC.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SANTA CLARA \u2013 Matt Greiner, the 49ers\u2019 ace groundskeeper, meticulously and slowly sprayed white paint on what typically…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":356217,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[15392,184,7,402,1533,181,25438,23,2944,182,88,1084,90,89,197,198,1083,200,127,47118],"class_list":["post-356216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-jose","tag-2026-world-cup","tag-bay-area","tag-california","tag-inside-sports","tag-keywee","tag-latest-headlines","tag-levis-stadium","tag-local-news","tag-photos-and-videos","tag-pm-report","tag-san-jose","tag-san-jose-earthquakes","tag-san-jose-headlines","tag-san-jose-news","tag-santa-clara","tag-santa-clara-county","tag-soccer","tag-south-bay","tag-sports","tag-world-cup-2026"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356216","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=356216"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356216\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/356217"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=356216"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=356216"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=356216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}