SAN JOSE, California, June 30 - In a region where soccer already enjoys strong roots, the arrival of World Cup knockout matches has taken center stage, temporarily eclipsing the local dominance of the San Jose Earthquakes. The U.S. national team’s knockout fixture against Bosnia, played in the San Francisco Bay Area, represents the third of what could be up to four games staged in California, and it has galvanized fans who see an opportunity for the country to reach its deepest run at the World Cup in 24 years.
For players, supporters and club officials across the state, hosting World Cup games is more than a calendar highlight - it is a chance to demonstrate to mainstream American audiences that soccer is a global phenomenon rather than a niche pursuit. "You see it in the fans, you see it in the stadiums, the crowds, when there’s goals, when there’s big moments that happen, just how big the sport really is across the world," Earthquakes midfielder Niko Tsakiris said by the pristine pitch of their modern, 18,000-seat stadium. "To bring that here and for us to get a taste of that I think is massive. Because at the end of the day, that’s what it’s about ... the passion and the joy that it brings people."
Tsakiris added: "It’ll be really special for the country, most importantly for the Bay Area, to really just show, like, ’hey listen, soccer has been a thing here and it’s still continuing to grow’."
California’s soccer footprint is substantial and multifaceted. The state fields more teams in U.S. national leagues than any other, including four Major League Soccer clubs, three National Women’s Soccer League teams and five United Soccer League teams, alongside numerous academies and collegiate programs. On the pitch this season, the San Diego Wave sit atop the NWSL, Orange County leads the USL West, and the San Jose Earthquakes share the lead on points in the MLS Western Conference for the first time in 14 years.
Several structural factors contribute to the state’s suitability for the sport: mild year-round weather and a diverse population that includes roughly 40% Latino residents, many of whom come from countries where football is the dominant sport. That demographic and climatic mix has, according to the Earthquakes’ academy director Luchi Gonzalez - who also served as a U.S. assistant coach at the 2022 World Cup - cultivated a "soccer-rich" environment that supports a robust player pipeline.
Gonzalez said hosting six World Cup matches and accommodating the U.S. national team in the Bay Area could accelerate development of local talent and strengthen the economics around producing players. He noted the potential for home-grown players to eventually be sold to European clubs, a pathway that would generate important revenue for local teams. "That’s going to be a direct impact, a spark plug for the game to keep growing and the motivation to keep growing, and clubs to get better and parents to get more understanding of the game and make more sacrifices," he said.
At the club level, the San Jose Earthquakes are experiencing a resurgence under coach Bruce Arena. Arena, a four-times MLS coach of the year who led the U.S. to the 2002 World Cup quarter-finals, has presided over a remarkable start to the campaign: the team won nine of its first 10 matches this season, setting an MLS record. In January the club added Germany’s Timo Werner, a player who won the Champions League with Chelsea; since joining, Werner has scored four times in seven appearances.
"Watching (Arena) bring the Earthquakes back up to the top of the table this year, matching that with the U.S. having the success they’re having ... it’s just been amazing to see," Earthquakes president Jared Shawlee said.
Players scouted from nearby institutions also point to the region’s capacity to produce talent. Ousseni Bouda, a Burkina Faso international discovered by the Earthquakes at Stanford University, said the heightened energy around the World Cup is likely to draw more fans into the sport. "Already a lot of people love soccer here and watch soccer, but now it’s going to get more fans involved," he said. "They’re going to see the people in the Bay Area really love soccer."
Among youth coaches and academy staff there is what Gonzalez described as a "calm excitement" about the tournament’s potential to act as a catalyst, nudging soccer further up the American sporting hierarchy. "The game is not our game yet in the U.S.," he said. "But it will be our game one day." That statement encapsulates both the optimism and the uncertainty surrounding the sport’s future foothold in the American market.
As California’s clubs and communities engage with the World Cup’s immediate buzz, stakeholders are watching how lasting the event’s effects will be on fan growth, youth participation and club revenues. The region’s existing competitive clubs and developmental infrastructure position it well to benefit if the tournament leads to sustained interest and increased investment in player pathways.