Transit ready for USA World Cup match Wednesday in Santa Clara

Team USA is coming to the Bay on Wednesday, and public transit has its gameplan ready.

On July 1, the U.S. national team lands at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium (Levi's Stadium) for the 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout rounds. Kickoff is at 5 p.m. The opponent has not been determined, and the team may have to wait until this weekend to find out.

What is known is Bay Area transit agencies and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission are encouraging residents and visitors alike to take transit to the game. Unlike many rail systems around the country, Bay Area transit agencies are not implementing surge pricing for FIFA. Riders pay the regular fare.   

Getting to the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium (Levi’s Stadium)

VTA, Caltrain and BART are ready to transport the throngs of World Cup fans to the stadium. Attendees of FIFA World Cup 26™ SF Bay Area matches in Santa Clara can ride:

• BART from the East Bay to Milpitas station and transfer to VTA Light Rail Orange Line. Ride to Lick Mill station. Walk to the stadium (8-minute walk). BART riders traveling from San Francisco or San Mateo County should transfer to Caltrain at Millbrae station, ride Caltrain to Mountain View station and then transfer to VTA’s Light Rail Orange Line to ride to Great America station. 
• Caltrain to Mountain View station and transfer to the VTA Light Rail Orange Line. Ride to the Great America station. Walk to the stadium (2-minute walk).
• Muni connects to BART and Caltrain in San Francisco. From San Francisco, please use BART or Caltrain to connect to VTA in Santa Clara. Muni does not offer direct service to San Francisco Bay Area Stadium (Levi's Stadium) in Santa Clara.  
• SamTrans connects to Caltrain and VTA services through major transit centers including Palo Alto Transit Center, Mountain View Station and Millbrae Transit Center. 
• VTA Light Rail Orange line from Mountain View to Great America station. From Alum Rock, take the Light Rail Orange line to Lick Mill station. From Santa Teresa, take the Light Rail Blue line to Lick Mill station. Riders on the VTA Light Rail Green line traveling from Winchester should transfer to the Blue Line at Convention Center and then ride the VTA Light Rail Blue Line to Lick Mill station. 
• Capitol Corridor westbound from Oakland Coliseum Station and get off the train at the Great America station. 
• ACE (Altamont Corridor Express) westbound to the Great America station from Stockton, Lathrop/Manteca, Tracy, Vasco, Livermore, Pleasanton and Fremont. 

Paying for Your Ride

The Bay Area’s transit agencies accept contactless credit and debit cards for adult fare payment in addition to existing plastic Clipper cards and mobile Clipper cards in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet.  

The 'tap-and-ride' feature that allows riders to use a contactless bank card for fare payment includes mobile cards as well as traditional plastic credit or debit cards.  

'Tap-and-ride' is expected to be a big time-saver for Bay Area visitors as well as residents who can now use their contactless bank cards to board buses, trains and ferries with no registration or setup process required. Each person needs their own card or mobile device for payment. 

Public Transit Ridership Records Broken for FIFA World Cup Opener

A coordinated network of VTA, BART and Caltrain already transported more than 37,000 passengers to and from the opening FIFA World Cup match between Qatar and Switzerland, setting a new ridership record for a major event at the Santa Clara stadium.

A total of 37,642 passengers used VTA service during the June 13 event, with post-match crowds exceeding the number of fans who arrived by transit before kickoff. Despite the larger post-game surge, VTA maintained efficient operations and cleared platforms well ahead of the two-hour industry standard.