Levi's Stadium

The Levi’s Stadium was built in the early 2010s, at a cost of more than $1bn. It is the home stadium of the NFL side, the San Francisco 49ers, and has a capacity of 68,500.

Fans generally enjoy a visit to the stadium due to its modern nature. The 49ers’ previous stadium, Candlestick Park, wasn’t particularly liked across the USA, for a number of factors, including restricted view areas in the stands and a poor design, which meant the cold bite from San Francisco Bay swept through it.

Levi’s Stadium is far better when it comes to views from the stands. The design means there isn’t a bad view in the house; however, there remains climate-related issues.

While Candlestick Park was notorious for being cold, Levi’s Stadium has the opposite problem. The open nature of the stadium means that the beaming sun in Santa Clara can make fans feel uncomfortable, particularly for afternoon matches.

There are also some fans who don’t like the stadium’s location. Considering it is the home of the San Francisco 49ers, the argument is that it should be located in San Francisco rather than Santa Clara, which, to be fair, is nearly an hour away by car.

For fans with no ties to San Francisco, though, the location is good with plenty of bars and restaurants nearby, and a handy transportation system which takes fans directly to the stadium.

Levi’s Stadium will play host to six matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. These matches are as follows:

• 13 June: Group Stage match
• 16 June: Group Stage match
• 19 June: Group Stage match
• 22 June: Group Stage match
• 25 June: Group Stage match
• 1 July: Round of 32 match

Levi’s Stadium is more than just a stadium for the 49ers. It is used throughout the year for concerts, and it has also hosted major events, including the Super Bowl and Wrestlemania. Some of the most famous people to be spotted in the crowd at the stadium include:

• Harry Shum Jr
• Nick Jonas
• Klay Thompson
• Draymond Green
• Jeremy Renner
• Julia Roberts

The atmosphere at Levi’s Stadium has often been criticised by NFL fans, as many see it as more of a corporate stadium, especially compared to the noisy Candlestick Park.

The most popular song heard at Levi’s Stadium is ‘Bang, Bang, Niner Gang’, which was originally made popular by the rapper E-40.

While the two ends of Levi’s Stadium are largely the same, the two stands that run along the sides of the pitch are vastly different.

The bottom tier is the same on both sides, but on the ‘home side’ of the stadium, there is only a small second tier, which is dwarfed by a huge number of corporate boxes and suites, which make up around half of the entire stand.

On the opposite side, the second tier is around double the size of the one on the home side, and above that is a small third tier (which contains more suites) and a bigger fourth tier.

The best general admission seats, in terms of view of the action, can be found in both of these two stands, in the second tier, on the halfway line.

Seating plan

There are plenty of bars in Santa Clara that are well worth a visit before and/or after a match at Levi’s Stadium. Three of our recommendations are as follows:

• Woodham’s Sports Lounge – 4475 Stevens Creek Blvd, Santa Clara, CA 95051, United States
• Normandy House – 30 Washington St, Santa Clara, CA 95050, United States
• Taplands – 1171 Homestead Rd, Santa Clara, CA 95050, United States

There are countless concessions inside Levi’s Stadium, which all provide fans with a variety of food and drink options. Check out the stadium’s official website to discover the nearest concession to your seat, but generally speaking, you can expect to be able to buy the following food items:

• Chicken tenders
• Burgers
• Hot dogs
• Chicken wings
• Noodles
• Pizza
• Fries
• Nachos
• Fish

There are also bars dotted around the stadium, which serve hot, soft and alcholic beverages.

For fans who would rather not pay the food prices at the stadium, there are plenty of restaurants in Santa Clara that provide better value for money. Three options are:

• Birk’s – 3955 Freedom Cir, Santa Clara, CA 95054, United States
• Puesto Santa Clara – 2752 Augustine Dr #110, Santa Clara, CA 95054, United States
• Pacific Catch – 3315 Coronado Pl, Santa Clara, CA 95054, United States

By car

As with most US stadiums, there are a large number of car parking spaces available at Levi’s Stadium, which almost encourages people to drive to events. The stadium can be found via Highways 101, 237 and 880, and the San Tomas Expressway and Lawrence Expressway, so there are multiple ways to get in and out of the area.

All car parking spaces can and should be pre-booked before arrival.

By public transport

There are a few different public transport options available when it comes to getting to Levi’s Stadium. The most popular for anyone in the South Bay area is the VTA Light Rail. Fans can use this mode of public transport from Mountain View, Sunnyvale, San Jones, Milpitas, Santa Clara and Campbell. The station closest to the stadium is ‘Great America Station’, which can be found on the North side of the stadium.

Levi’s Stadium currently has a capacity of 68,500, but this can be, and has previously been, expanded for major events. For Super Bowl 50, the official capacity was set at 75,000 thanks to the extra seating.

For concerts, the capacity can be increased further, due to the fact that standing room is included at pitch level. It once operated with an 83,000 capacity for the Grateful Dead Fare Thee Well Tour, but the band failed to hit this figure.

You can’t currently purchase tickets for a tour of Levi’s Stadium, but you can visit the museum. This is a museum that takes fans on a journey through the history of the San Francisco 49ers and the stadium itself. Fans are able to buy phsyical and virtual museum tours via the stadium website.

Most fans who visit Levi’s Stadium stick around for a few days after the match to check out the local area. Some of the best things to do and see in Santa Clara include:

• California’s Great America
• Intel Museum
• Central Park

It’s also definitely worth taking the train or short drive across to San Francisco, as it is considered one of the most iconic cities in the USA. Sights to tick off the bucket list in San Fran include:

• Golden Gate Bridge
• Alcatraz Island
• Fisherman’s Wharf
• Walt Disney Family Museum

The stadium was built to be multi-purpose, hence the large number of suites and boxes inside it. It is now one of the biggest and best arenas in California, which naturally attracts the biggest music acts in the world. Some of the most famous acts to have played here are as follows:

• One Direction
• Taylor Swift
• Beyonce
• Elton John
• Rolling Stones
• Red Hot Chilli Peppers
• Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran X Levi’s Stadium Mathematics Tour #edsheeran #concertphotography pic.twitter.com/GGUw3E8Kvx

— Connor Dixon (@ConnorBDixon) September 18, 2023

Levi’s Stadium is one of five stadiums that the San Francisco 49ers have called home over the course of their history.

Their first home was Kezar Stadium from 1946 to 1970, at which point they moved into Candlestick Park. The 49ers played here until 2013, and a year later, they moved into Levi’s Stadium.

The two other stadiums they have called home are Stanford Stadium, where they played once as the home team in 1989 due to an earthquake in Loma Prieta, and State Farm Stadium, where they played as the home team on three occasions in 2020 due to COVID restrictions.

The decision to build Levi’s Stadium was made in 2010 after attempts to rebuild their home at Candlestick Park were deemed unfeasible. Funding was secured in 2011, construction began a year later, and it was all completed in time for the 2014 NFL season.

• American Football: 71,088 (Super Bowl 50, 2016)
• All-time: 80,000 (Ed Sheeran concert, 2023)