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With less than a month until the first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Levi’s Stadium, Danielle Slaton is full of anticipation and nostalgia. If anyone knows the power of bringing the World Cup to the Bay Area, it’s her. 

Two previous World Cups solidified Slaton’s love of soccer and her professional path. She has had a career playing at the highest levels of the sport, coaching, broadcasting, and ultimately helping to found Bay FC along with fellow Santa Clara Broncos Brandi Chastain, Leslie Osborne and Aly Wagner. She even shares her expertise in seminars for the sports business program at the Leavey School of Business.

But Slaton was simply a teenage player and fan when the United States first hosted the men’s World Cup in 1994. Seeing the global event in Santa Clara left its mark on her. Five years later, when she was a Bronco player in 1999, she was among the 70,000-plus fans packed into Stanford Stadium to watch the US Women’s National Team play in the World Cup semifinal. Just a year later, she’d be part of that team, as well as being the youngest player on the U.S. Olympic squad.

Now Slaton wants individuals and the Bay Area’s communities to share a similar experience. “At the end of the day, I hope people's lives are changed in 2026 the way that mine was in 1994 and 1999.”

Few will go on to a high-level soccer career, of course. But Patty Hubbard, CMO for the Bay Area Host Committee (BAHC), points to the much broader effects of the event. A lift to the local economy is one example. The BAHC and Boston Consulting Group have projected the economic effect of the World Cup on the entire Bay Area by examining factors such as the influx of international visitors, the booking of accommodations, adjacent activities such as watch parties and fan festivals, the creation of jobs — which hopefully last beyond the event itself — and more.

The total economic impact could range anywhere from $480 million to $630 million. Santa Clara County sees the largest portion of that, given the location of the games, but the effects should resonate in all nine Bay Area counties. 

The BAHC works with partners, including corporate brand partners such as EA Sports, Kaiser Permanente and Genentech, media partners, local agencies and vendors, tourism organizations such as Discover Santa Clara, Visit Oakland and SF Travel, and the statewide tourism group Visit California. They create marketing materials that highlight curated fan experiences to make sure attendees not only contribute to the economic impact, but also leave with the best possible impression of the places they visit.

“We do know the World Cup fan will stay in market longer than, say, the Super Bowl fan,” Hubbard says, “so that means they're going to have more hotel stays and visit more locations in the area. We've tried to carefully curate what they can do in our nine counties, from Napa all the way to Santa Cruz. That’s great for them, and it’s great for our businesses.”

Big Time Bay Area Events

The 2026 World Cup comes hot on the heels of Super Bowl LX in February. In turn, the Super Bowl was less than a year after San Francisco hosted the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend. 

The concentration of high-profile events is no accident. It’s the very reason the committee was formed in 2022. The idea, Hubbard says, is to have a long-standing committee rather than one-offs to bid on high-profile events. After Super Bowl 50, the region disbanded its host committee and subsequently missed out on several global hosting opportunities. 

Hubbard says the benefits of a standing committee include building and maintaining functional knowledge  — including how to address challenges such as dispersed infrastructure and transportation — as well as creating a lasting reputation. Ultimately, the BAHC helps to position the Bay Area as a prime destination for American and global sports.

So far, the mission is on track. “There's never been a World Cup and Super Bowl that have happened in the same market in the same year,” Hubbard says, “so that shows the effectiveness of an organization that is ready to handle big events.” It also means bigger economic impact. The same report from Boston Consulting estimated that the NBA All-Star Weekend, Super Bowl and World Cup together would bring $1.4 billion to the Bay Area.

Money is simply one measure, and perhaps not the most important one. Both Hubbard and her colleague Adam Lewis, director of community impact for BAHC, also speak about leaving a lasting community legacy.

“These events are amazing catalysts, not end points,” Lewis says. “We have to stay dedicated to addressing challenges throughout the region.”

In the same way that the committee builds guidelines for bidding on and hosting events, it also creates “replicable assets” focused on community building, Lewis says. Take the BAHC’s Bridge to Work program, for example. It’s a workforce initiative that provides training in everything from hospitality to working with local sports teams. The idea is that participants don’t just get a World Cup (or Super Bowl) T-shirt and experience; instead, they get training or even certification in a field that will provide future employment opportunities. The program is based on conversation and planning with local underserved communities.

“Legacy programs and projects should not be surprises to the communities they aim to serve,” Lewis says. “Each of our legacy programs across access to sport, economic empowerment and environmental sustainability were all developed in collaboration with communities themselves.”

Ultimately, the locals working behind the scenes on the World Cup share a similar view: The event can and should be a catalyst for both individuals and communities. 

“It's our responsibility to be able to use the spotlights of a global event and help it resonate locally,” Slaton says. “That's part of the role of the Bay Area Host Committee, but also mine as an ambassador and part of Bay FC. I think leveraging and capitalizing upon the momentum of these eyeballs and the energy that is the World Cup is so important. There’s really nothing like it.”