Amidst joyous celebrations from supporters of the United States men’s national team, San Francisco Bay Area Stadium bid farewell to the FIFA World Cup 2026™ after six games which fans, organisers and the local community will never forget.

The spectacular stadium, normally home to the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers, was close to a sell-out for every game, with an average 68,588 spectators and 99.6% of capacity taken up across the six matches – numbers which illustrated the huge appeal of the tournament and the teams.

A raucous send-off saw the United States beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 with goals from Folarin Balogun and Malik Tillman, leaving delighted fans singing John Denver’s ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’ long after the final whistle had blown.

While U.S. thoughts will turn to their Round-of-16 match against Belgium in Seattle, Washington on 6 July, for San Francisco and the Bay Area, the match was also the conclusion of 19 days of carnival atmospheres and thrilling action, involving 10 national teams from five of FIFA’s six confederations.

The opening game on 13 June set the tone, with the Group B contest between Qatar and Switzerland drawing a huge crowd of 67,966 fans. The attendance was recognised by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, among those present at the stadium, who said the size of the crowd made for a “packed stadium. It was really beautiful, a surprising result for some, for others not”.

On the field, the game, which ended 1-1, was memorable for Qatar earning their first point in FIFA World Cup™ history after a stoppage-time own goal from Switzerland’s Miro Muheim cancelled out Breel Embolo’s first-half penalty.

Austria’s first FIFA World Cup appearance in 28 years followed three days later with 68,527 spectators watching a 3-1 victory over debutants Jordan, whose fans certainly made the most of their first chance to cheer on their national team on the biggest stage. Ali Olwan became Jordan’s first ever goalscorer in the FIFA World Cup.

A sold-out stadium on 19 June saw Paraguay beat Türkiye 1-0 with Matías Galarza's goal for Paraguay after 64 seconds the fastest scored at this years’ tournament, although those who witnessed the march by Turkish fans to the stadium were given a vivid reminder of the remarkable passion that can be generated by football fans.

There was another great atmosphere, three days later, when Algeria came from behind to beat Jordan 2-1 in front of a crowd of 68,371. It was Algeria’s first ever come-from-behind win at the FIFA World Cup.

The group stage concluded at the venue on 25 June with a second sell-out, as Paraguay and Australia battled out a goalless draw watched by 68,827 spectators. Having played every minute of the match against Paraguay at the age of 18 years and 293 days, Lucas Herrington became the first teenager start a FIFA World Cup match for Australia and the youngest for an AFC team in the competition's history. The point secured Australia's passage to the Round of 32 as Group D runners-up.

At the other end of the spectrum, Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Edin Džeko, at 40 years and 106 days, became the oldest outfield player to make an appearance in the FIFA World Cup knockout phase, surpassing Portugal's Pepe was who was 39 years and 287 days when he played against Morocco in the Qatar 2022 quarter-finals.

Although the final game at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, also attended by the FIFA President, ended in disappointment for Džeko and his teammates, they had also achieved an important milestone for their country, reaching the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup for the first time.

It was the second time that the Bay Area had hosted FIFA World Cup games after Stanford Stadium, on the campus of Stanford University, staged six matches during the FIFA World Cup USA 1994™. The same stadium witnessed the United States women’s national team beat Brazil in the semi-final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup USA 1999™ before going on to win their second star.

But for the new stadium and a new generation of fans, this was an arrival on the global stage which will live long in the memory.