Why is San Jose playing the long game while San Francisco is ‘hosting’ the Super Bowl
For many fans in the South Bay, the return of the Super Bowl to Levi’s Stadium feels like a sequel to their least popular movie, “San Jose Takes a Back Seat.”
When Super Bowl 50 took place here ten years ago, most of the official NFL events were in San Francisco. That scenario played out again in Super Bowl LX. Fan attractions like the Super Bowl Experience, NFL Honors, Taste of the NFL and even an innovation conference are all hosted at the 49ers’ former home. The only official events scheduled in the South Bay were the Super Bowl Opening Night in San Jose and the big game itself in Santa Clara.
With great weather this week and home to some of the biggest names in tech, you’d expect the city of about 1 million people to get more recognition. But that’s not how a global brand like the NFL thinks.
When the NFL awards Super Bowl LX to Levi’s Stadium in 2023, you can bet the Host Committee’s bid package didn’t include pictures of the Plaza de Cesar Chavez or the Guadalupe River. But the committee’s website makes it clear what’s on offer: landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge, the Palace of Fine Arts and the Transamerica Pyramid. San Francisco’s high volume of hotels, Michelin-rated restaurants and the bustling Moscone center aren’t exactly secrets, either.
It’s a tough pill to swallow for a city like San Jose — or Santa Clara, which hosts the game — but Zaileen Janmohamed, CEO of the Bay Area Host Committee, said each city has to work together and work around the needs of the NFL.
“There’s a lot to learn from Super Bowl 50,” he told the Rotary Club of San Jose in December. “I think what’s happened this time is the city of San Jose has heard what and where the NFL is going to be and what they’re going to do based on infrastructure, capacity, hotel rooms, convention center space — things that are probably the most pressing needs they have.”
Cities can push events, but with many of those decisions made early by the NFL, the game becomes something to layer on top of the official events. “I would argue that San Jose did very well this time,” he said.
And San Jose was not going to sit idly by this time.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said the city is prepared for San Francisco to once again be the focus of the NFL. Two years ago, it began focusing its efforts — raising $5 million from San Jose-based companies such as Devcon, eBay, Adobe and Casino M8trix — on building experiences targeted at locals.
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Mikey Scott, 4, of San Jose, has fun with an inflatable football player toss game set up on a 100-yard artificial turf field during the San Pedro Superfest, a party celebration at San Pedro Square in San Jose, Calif., on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News)
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Mikey Scott, 4, of San Jose, has fun with an inflatable football player toss game set up on a 100-yard artificial turf field during the San Pedro Superfest, a party celebration at San Pedro Square in San Jose, Calif., on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News)
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“We have to take control of our future,” Mahan said. “Most importantly, we’re providing a fun, memorable and accessible fan experience for both tourists and residents alike, and we’re focusing especially on residents of San Jose and neighboring cities who can’t afford a ticket to the big game.”
That’s why thousands of people filled Discovery Meadow Park on Monday for a San Jose-centric — and free — parade after Opening Night festivities at the convention center. Thousands more filled the streets around San Jose City Hall for concerts by Kehlani and Dom Dolla, and restaurant and bar operators said earlier in the week they were keeping an eye on those crowds.
While the NFL’s official Super Bowl viewing party was in Oakland on Sunday, a full weekend of festivities were planned in San Jose at Santana Row and San Pedro Square.
San Jose, of course, is hampered by a lack of five-star hotels and a convention center surpassed by San Francisco’s Moscone Center.
But it’s not like San Jose was completely shut out for Super Bowl LX. Both teams arrived at San Jose Mineta International Airport last Sunday. The Seattle Seahawks stay at the San Jose Marriott and practice at San Jose State University’s CEFCU Stadium. New England is at the Santa Clara Marriott and practices at Stanford. City officials are not caught by celebrities in the city, but the entertainment of the game – including Bad Bunny, Charlie Puth, Brandi Carlile and Coco Jones – probably stay in hotels in San Jose, as they did for Super Bowl 50, because the city is close to Levi’s Stadium.
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Seattle Seahawks, including Byron Murphy II (91) take a selfie as they are introduced at the Super Bowl Opening Night at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in downtown San Jose, Calif., Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
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Seattle Seahawks, including Byron Murphy II (91) take a selfie as they are introduced at the Super Bowl Opening Night at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in downtown San Jose, Calif., Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
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“If you look at the gap from 10 years ago to today, you will see that we have closed a lot,” said Mahan. “You’ll see that in the tourism numbers, the economic impact numbers and the number of fun and memorable things to do in downtown San Jose this week.”
Former Mercury News columnist Mark Purdy, who has covered 32 Super Bowls including Super Bowl 50, thinks it’s a smart move.
“I don’t know where this myth came from that a million people came to the city to buy the Super Bowl, but it’s not true,” he said. “I would say 75% of Super Bowl events are attended and financially supported by local people.”
While the Bay Area Host Committee is making it a goal to spread the events to every county in the region, Purdy said San Jose and the South Bay will benefit from having a bigger say in the committee for future major events, including another Super Bowl.
San Jose takes the long view, too. The city hired former Olympic sprinter Tommy O’Hare as its director of sports and special events and launched the “San Jose 2026” campaign with the San Jose Sports Authority to raise money for the NCAA March Madness games and the upcoming FIFA World Cup later this year.
“That’s like six Super Bowls, and it’s all happening down here,” Mahan said.
The South Bay will be the center of action for both events, with teams and VIPs based here instead of San Francisco, especially for the six World Cup games at Levi’s Stadium in June and July.
“The FIFA circuit starts in the South Bay and goes out,” said Janmohamed. “The Super Bowl probably starts in San Francisco and goes out.”
In San Francisco, the Super Bowl may be the whole game. But in San Jose, it’s just the first quarter.
